Havant Boss: “They’ll be quaking in their boots”

Havant & Waterlooville boss, Shaun Gale, proudly declared that his non-league side can beat Liverpool at Anfield this Saturday in the fourth-round of this year’s FA Cup competition.

“It’s fantastic for a club of our level to have achieved what we have, to be going to Anfield in the last 32 of the biggest cup competition in the world, as a script you could not have written it any better. For these lads, who are part-time, it might never happen again. And to get to where we are would be a tough task for anyone to achieve again for many years to come.” said Gale.

“We are under no illusions how difficult it’s going to be, but every football match we go into we prepare the players right and we’ll be going there to give it our best shot, and not just to have a party.

“Anything is possible in football. I would never send a side out just to enjoy it. You don’t know what side Liverpool will put out, it’s the FA Cup and we will be going out to win like we do every game.

“If Liverpool play fantastic and we play fantastic, then there is only one winner. But if Liverpool don’t play so well and we’re at the top of our game, then anything can happen.”

“If there’s ever a good time to play Liverpool then it could be now. But he’s done a fantastic job there and I don’t suppose he’s losing too much sleep about playing us.

“Over the years non-league teams have beaten top-flight teams, but when you look at the profile of the Premier League now, with all the foreign players and foreign managers, then I don’t think this has been achieved by anyone before.

“Not such a big side, one of the biggest in the world, against such a small side. I bet they are quaking in their boots!”

“We asked Manchester United if we could train up there and we’re using their indoor facility at The Cliff,” added Gale.

“It’s like a World Cup final for us,” said Havant’s captain Jamie Collins.

“When you’re in this league, the best you hope for is to make the first round, and then maybe draw Leeds or Nottingham Forest. You earn some money for the club and the players get their day out.

“So to get to the fourth round and play Liverpool is a dream come true. To walk out in front of 40,000 singing ‘you’ll never walk alone’ - any player in the world who hears that has the hairs on the back of their neck standing on end.” he added.