Mark Bonner sat down with Local media ahead of Cambridge United’s Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round clash with Luton Town on Saturday (5th February)…
Looking ahead to Saturday:
“We are all looking forward to Saturday, I think the whole occasion probably more so as well. I get quite excited thinking about a sold-out Abbey Stadium under floodlights on a Saturday evening!
“I think it will be a really good atmosphere, as you'd expect, and I think that's what the competition does.
“When you've had a game as big as the Newcastle game in the round before, I think it gets people wanting to follow the story [of Cambridge United], so there's a bit of interest in us and in the season that we're having.
“The fact that the game is on the television and that people can have a look at where we are as a club and as a team, I think it's a great occasion for us.”
On Luton:
“It’s a really tough game; a really challenging game against a team having a great season, but one that one that we will go into optimistically. We know we have to be very good to try and win the game, but we will give it our best shot.
“They're right on the coattails of the play offs at the minute, heading into Saturday off a brilliant result Tuesday at Swansea. I think Nathan's [Jones] done an unbelievable job there.
“We share a fairly recent history with Luton, having competed against each other in the Conference, FA Trophy and FA Cup not so long ago, and the progress of both clubs in that time has been quick.
“They ended up in the Conference unfairly, really, but the way that they've developed since then has been very impressive, off and on the pitch.
“They’re a physical side and they really work hard for each other as well as having good quality within the team and I think the fact that they are competing at the level they are in the Championship shows how good a job Nathan's done and how well the players are doing there.
“Lots of their players have played throughout the leagues and it gives him that humility to graft and work to win games, that you sometimes really have to do in the lower tiers.
“I think it's a proper cup tie and one that I know we will have to play very well in, but one that everyone’s looking forward to.”
Team news:
“We’re not sure on Jack [Iredale] at the minute, we’re waiting on results after he went for scan yesterday, so we'll see what that says and how he is today. Hopefully it's not too bad, but it's very early on that one.
“Sam Sherring’s not cup tied and is available, so him and Jubril [Okedina] are both fit and available. We need Paul Digby in the middle of the football pitch for us for sure!
“We’ve got some players missing at the moment which probably showed a little bit on Tuesday. If you're without Jack Iredale, Lloyd Jones, Greg Taylor, Shilow Tracey, Jensen Weir and Joey Ironside, a lot of teams would miss those players, so we certainly look forward to the days when they're coming back which be honest, isn't so far away.
“Jensen will be out running today, which is the first day he will be able to get back on the grass after his set back, so we're hopeful that he can be in and around the squad trainig soon.
“The lads are doing great, they’re all working really well there, pushing themselves to the edge, which is exactly what we ask of them.”