Derby County Head Coach Paul Warne is looking forward to getting his side's 2022/23 Emirates FA Cup campaign underway on Sunday - and has assured fans that it's a game the team will be going all out to win.
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the First Round clash with Torquay United at Plainmoor, Warne discussed about what the competition means to him, the challenge that the National League outfit will pose and more.
On what the FA Cup means to him…
It means a lot. I’ve always enjoyed it both as a player and a member of staff.
This is tempting great fate, but I think every FA Cup game like this I’ve managed in we’ve always gone a goal behind. In one we actually went three goals behind but still managed to win! I know the intensity of the FA Cup and I played non-league football until I was 23 too so I know how much it means at the other end of it.
It’s a nice competition to be part of and if you win a couple of matches you can always get a good memory for everyone that lives in the city.
On the challenges of facing a National League side…
The lower you go down, the more random it is and even more so when you’re away from home.
There’s no disputing the fact that in the first 20 minutes they will absolutely come out of the traps. There’s no pressure apart from personal pressure and pride, so they can play with freedom which is a really good feeling for them.
The atmosphere is different, the intensity is different, the refereeing is different. Everything is a bit more forgivable and you have to stand up to the challenge.
Sometimes for the underdog it drops to them in the right place and it’s a great story for everyone, apart from those connected with Derby County.
On facing Gary Johnson…
He’s been a brilliant manager and done very well. I know his son Lee really well, I’m pretty good friends with him.
I played for Yeovil Town in my career so I know all the achievements Gary had there and how popular he is. I know he gets the best out of his teams and they were unlucky recently not to get promoted in the National League Play-Off Final.
He will definitely have a Football League mentality and he will make them not feel like the underdog. Their 6-1 win over Aldershot in midweek gives them a boost and he will make them feel like they can be 'care-free', whilst keeping a real intensity.
On how much of a priority the game is…
We play to win every game.
There’s people going to Torquay to watch the match, there’s people watching it on TV and there’s our own personal pride. We want to win.
I’ll put the strongest team out that I can. I haven’t got many that I can rotate anyway; this is us. This is where we’re at at the moment. It’s three games in a week, we just have to be as good as we can be and give us the best chance to go through.
We’ve watched a couple of Torquay's games with two different systems so we know how difficult it’s going to be. We’ll put everything in it to win, there’s no disputing that.
