Jon Dahl Tomasson has stressed the importance of the FA Cup for Blackburn Rovers and paid respect to Wrexham's fans for their away following.
Rovers will be the last team to play in the fourth round as they take to the field on Monday night. The League Two outfit have sold 7,000 tickets and will pack out the Darwen End.
That is sure to make it a vibrant atmosphere at Ewood Park with a place in the fifth round on the line. For most Championship clubs, the cup competitions can be a distraction from the league.
But for Rovers and Tomasson, the cup is very important. The club have benefitted financially from their success and will bank another 120K if they beat Wrexham. Considering their current financial issues, that would be a major boost.
READ MORE: Blackburn Rovers issue statement after Venky's hearing adjourned
Reflecting on their FA Cup run last year, which saw them within 10 minutes of a trip to Wembley before losing to Sheffield United, the head coach stressed the importance of creating memories with knockout football.
"I love the cup. I love the passion, the games where we played different opponents, a knock-out game," he said.
"We saw last season, all the credit to the lads for a great run. It's also important to have a great run with the financial situation.
"If you look at last season and this season, the players have almost paid £3million into the club, which is important.
"On the other hand, all the credit to Wrexham's fans. Bringing 7,000 on a Monday night in January after December being a tough month for a lot of families. All the credit to them.
"So far, we have been able to win games in the cup against Premier League sides and lower-league sides. We have a clear way of playing football and that helps. I am looking forward to the game.
"They are playing with a lot of the same players in the last games. It's a team doing well in the last few years. They're high in their table, they can be very direct, good at putting balls into the box.
"They have a long throw-in and they will be dangerous from set-plays. We work on it every week and we will this week."
He added: "Every time you lose a moment, it hurts. The journey we went on as a group, staff, fans, it was excellent, I enjoyed it. We showed togetherness, more than 5,000 took the journey to Sheffield.
"We can create those moments and tell the story with good football and good results. So far, it's been very entertaining in the games we have played.
"If you go back to Huddersfield, the fans were behind the team to the end. We are looking forward to playing this game. Wrexham are bringing 7,000, our cup games have been entertaining and football is about entertainment.
"I am sure our fans will support us. January can be a tough month with all the home games too. We don't forget that."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel