Academy manager Stewart Drummond says the expectation is on Shrimps’ shoulders ahead of Wednesday night’s FA Youth Cup Second Round tie away at Rugby Town.
The academy was rewarded with a trip to the Warwickshire side after beating City of Liverpool in the previous round courtesy of a Jamie Nicholson extra-time goal.
Similarly to the First Round tie, Drummond says, despite the quality of the opposition, the Shrimps are expected to progress to the next stage of the competition.
“We certainly won’t be taking Rugby lightly,” he said.
“At the end of the day, the boys won’t get a better chance than this to progress to the Third Round of the FA Youth Cup.
“It’s again on the same lines, pressure’s in there, we’re expected to win the game, we as staff expect the boys to win the game, we’ve just got to prepare in the right manner.
“[We must] take Rugby for all the merits they’ve got and make sure we get the game plan and deliver that game plan to the extent that they come out the other side and into the hat for the Third Round.”
After what was a memorable night for the young Shrimps in Round One, Drummond has reiterated the importance of staying focussed to the squad ahead of Wednesday’s clash.
He added: “We had a conversation in one of our analysis sessions just the other day, talking about the game, talking about the game after and going back to my old mate Jim Bentley, his adage was always never too high, never too low.
“Yes, they won the game, which is great, but once the game is done, dust yourself down and get ready for the next game, and I think it’s getting that level of focus ready now and sort of preparing right.
“There were lots of good things in the City of Liverpool game, but there’s lots of things that we still want to try and improve and make sure is in place ready for the Second Round.”