Men’s under-18s head coach Arthur Brammer says that his team’s feet are firmly on the ground ahead of their FA Youth Cup third round tie against Dover Athletic.
The match will take place at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre on Wednesday, kick-off 7pm.
“We’ve got through a tough spell in terms of injuries, so credit to the medical staff for playing a huge part in getting those players back involved. It’s been a team effort,” Brammer said.
“We’ve had a positive week of training with good work rate and effort. I can guarantee there is no complacency from our side. We’ve done our pre-match on them, they’ve got a couple of threats that we’re well aware of.”
Brammer says that after some disappointing results, his team are determined to progress in the biggest competitions in youth football.
“The players’ feet are on the ground after the last result we had in the league [a 5-0 defeat to Crystal Palace]. We’ve tried our hardest to instil some positive standards.
“The level of competitiveness in the Youth Cup means there can’t be any complacency. What we’ve tried to do is make sure they treat this game like any other. We’ve just got to make sure we play our game and do that to the best of our ability. They’re not going to give us the game, we’ve got to stamp our authority.
“We’ve got to match and exceed their effort, their work rate, their intensity. If we do that then it will be a good game.”