Grant McCann believes his team showed unbelievable character to cause an Emirates FA Cup upset beating Sky Bet Championship Preston North End 3-1 at the Deepdale Stadium.
It has been almost a decade since Rovers reached the cup’s fourth round and almost six decades since they overcame higher-league opposition away from home but any hoodoo around the cup has certainly been broken after an assured performance by McCann’s men sealed victory. However, it wasn’t the win that most impressed the manager, it was the way his team responded after conceding.
“I thought we were outstanding from the first minute to the last but the most pleasing thing for me was that after we conceded, the response was first class,” he said.
“You see it a lot in the FA Cup games where the lower league team concedes and then they capitulate, I thought we showed unbelievable character to stick to our game plan and stick to what we believe in.
“I said to the boys, go and show you’re just as good as them. Just because it says Championship beside Preston and League One beside Doncaster, that doesn’t have to define you. We want to be in that league and I thought we were very good today.”
McCann has said his focus is now firmly back on the league and his side’s visit to Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.
“The FA Cup draw is always a fine spectacle and we’ll see what it throws up,” he commented.
“For the club financially, it would be great to have a Man United or Man City away though if we get Man City away, I might ask the referee if we can put 15 players on the pitch!
“We won’t get carried away with ourselves, we’ve had a good win today against a good team but our main focus switches to the league and to Wycombe Wanderers next week.”
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