Read our exclusive interview
SPORTS journalism student Anthony Reeve interviews goalkeeper Barry Roche ahead of Saturday's FA Cup tie against Southend at the Globe Arena.
Morecambe go into the game against Southend with only 2 wins in their last 5; does the FA Cup take a bit of pressure off needing a result?
Roche: No not at all, I’ll be honest I completely disagree that we need a result, we had gone nine unbeaten then lost two on the spin, we got a great away win last week, we go into the game full on confidence. It is a nice little break from league football and switch are attention to the FA Cup, but we feel no pressure and will go in full of confidence.
The FA Cup is dubbed as the best cup competition in the world, would you agree with this?
Roche: Yes without a shadow of a doubt, I think it's a brilliant cup competition, it seems from what I know the only real cup competition, certainly around Europe, where everybody takes it seriously. You see the other main cup competitions in other countries likes of France, Germany, Spain, you know top tier teams will play weaken sides where as in the FA Cup over here everyone wants to win it.
Do you have any personal memories of playing in the FA Cup?
Roche: To be honest I’ve not fared to well in the FA Cup over the years. I have never been past the second round personally so that is something I will certainly be looking to change and we will be looking to change this year, we want to be in the hat for the third round and in for a chance of facing one of the big boys.
Who do you fancy if you got to the Third Round?
Roche: Liverpool away, I am a massive Liverpool fan. I’ve never played at Anfield so to play there would be a dream come true, but we know there is a lot of hard work to do before we can get to that stage.
When involved in an FA Cup tie is there a different vibe around the team?
Roche: There is. There seems to be a whole different atmosphere around the stadium, in the town and the build up to the game. I don’t know, it's the old saying “ The magic of the FA Cup’’ it captures everybody's imagination. Everybody dreams about having a cup run and going onto the third, fourth, fifth round and maybe making a name for yourself playing against some of the big boys. That's certainly the case last year there was a good vibe around the place.
What does the FA Cup mean to the small clubs such as Morecambe?
Roche: It's a chance for the club to make some money, for clubs like Morecambe where we are one of the smaller clubs in the division, one of the smallest squads and certainly in the top three smallest crowds, if you can have a cup run then it will bring in some well needed revenue. We have had a cup run in the Capital One Cup, two games on Television that earned the club some money.