Aston Villa v Ipswich: An FA Cup giant-killing won’t be the only thing on the minds of the 3,000 Super Blues travelling to Villa Park tomorrow.
The third round of the famous old competition will also give Town fans a chance of pay-back against Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert.
The Scotsman masterminded Norwich to successive promotions – in the process beating the Blues 4-1 and 5-1 during two dark days in the 2010/11 season.
Now Mick McCarthy’s men have a great chance to inflict more misery on the Premier League strugglers – and the fantastic travelling Town support the ideal opportunity for some revenge.
This fact is not lost on skipper Carlos Edwards who admitted: “I think most fans will travel just to hammer Lambert!
“For fans, it is a bit of a revenge. We will go there as players, not to get one over Lambert – we want to win the game first and foremost. We will leave the hammering to the fans and the players will hopefully do it on the pitch.”
McCarthy will ring the changes for tomorrow’s cup clash, revealing that Scott Loach, Michael Chopra and full debutant Elliott Hewitt will start while Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Luke Hyam are also expected to be given a chance to stake their claim.
Regardless of the personnel, the Blues skipper has called on the team to put in a performance befitting the biggest club cup competition in the world.
Edwards said: “A victory on Saturday, and a good run in the Cup, could kick-start the second half of the season.
“I haven’t ever had a good FA Cup run, it is something I would love to achieve in my career. But everyone should be bothered by this prestigious cup. I would chew someone’s hands off to play in the FA Cup. It is shown all around the world.
“As a player if you are not interested in the FA Cup, I don’t think you should be playing. I just hope the lads are really up for it.”
McCarthy added: “I’d like to beat Villa, but there will be a lot of changes – some through necessity, some through me wanting to have a look at some.
“I want these players to make a difference and have an impact. You only get one opportunity to make a good first impression. They have to make sure they take it.”