Antony Sweeney has insisted Pools will show Brackley Town
the respect they deserve on Saturday and told his players they must earn the
The caretaker boss is leaving no stone unturned in
preparation for the weekend's Fourth Qualifying Round tie at Victoria Park and has
provided the squad with plenty of information on the opposition.The Saints have won five of their last six games in all
competitions and hit the net 24 times in the process so Sweeney knows they will
bring a threat with them on Saturday.However, he wants the players to ensure they maintain a
focus on their own performances and is backing them to get the job done if they
play to their potential.“I think you have to respect every opponent you play,”Sweeney told Pools TV.
“They are a good National League North side; they've got
strong players, they attack in numbers and they're a threat going forward. They've
won a lot of games recently and scored plenty of goals.“But I am confident we have enough in our dressing room to
impose ourselves on the game. Our main focus will be on ourselves but we have
to respect what they bring.“You can't hide away from the financial aspect of the
competition - if we can get through the early rounds then there are some
massive rewards for the Football Club.“Not only that, there are rewards for the players in terms
of drawing good ties in good stadiums and different experiences so it's a competition
we won't be taking lightly.“You have to earn the right to get through the rounds; there
are no easy ties so we're preparing for the best Brackley side and we need to
match that by being the best Hartlepool side we've been all season.“Whether it's the First Team, Under-19s or the Women's Team, we need to try and get a winning mentality and a winning culture – then hopefully we can all progress together and get a right buzz around the Club again.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cZM_SrrK1E&t=3s