Linnets boss plots FA Cup victory against former club

Adam Lakeland believes the pressure is all on Curzon Ashton ahead of his reunion with his old club in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup on Saturday.The Linnets boss will be returning to the Tameside Stadium for the first time since leaving the club more than a year ago to take up the managerial position at the Walks.Lynn have tasted defeat twice against the Nash in league meetings at the Walks since the turn of the year but Lakeland isn’t fazed as he looks to mastermind a victory against his former employers.Lakeland said: “It’s just another game, regardless of who we play and I’d rather be in it.”I’ve said to the players all along that we’re not going to win the FA Cup, if we did we’d all be Kings, but when the moment comes that we leave the competition we’ve got to make sure that we do it having fought right until the end.”We did that against Worksop on Saturday and Tuesday and we earned our right to be in the next game.”It’s just coincidental that it’s against Curzon and everybody will naturally build that up. “People think that I’m trying to play some kind of mind games because I’m saying that the pressure is on them, but I genuinely believe that. “You can’t for all these years ask for respect and then turn it down when it comes your way.”They’re an established team in this league. They’ve been given a group of players that are used to winning week in, and week out.”They’ve added Bobby Jones, Luke Griffiths, Isaac Buckley, Ricketts and that’s made them a better team going into this season. “This is a team that got to the play-offs last year, so I’m not playing any mind games. “I genuinely believe they are one of the best teams in this league and they’re a team that are used to getting results week in, week out I’m giving them the respect that they deserve.”They’ve beaten us the last two times we’ve played them, and we’re going up to them, so they are the favourites unless I’m deluded. “There are many reasons, and I can name more and more. We certainly won’t underestimate the challenge ahead of us next week, but it’s a game of football and we’ll be going up there to win it, but we know it’s going to be tough.”Both Sam Walker and Kyle Callan-McFadden are huge injury doubts for the tie.Winning clubs picking up £9375 from the competition prize fund while there is £3150 for the losing clubs.