| Cautious Cook warns against complacency ahead of big match |
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| Friday, 17 August 2007 | |
 DESPITE an impressive league run of late, Sligo Rovers manager Paul Cook is taking nothing for granted ahead of tonight's F.A.I. Ford Cup third round tie against Waterford United at the R.S.C.
By Michael Moran, courtesy of The Sligo Champion "I am around football and football management long enough to know that no matter how good you are, there can always be a disaster around the corner. Let's hope it is not this weekend," said Cook."Our league form has been magnificent, but that goes out the window now. It counts for nothing in the cup. This is a massive game for us and while we are confident, we can't be overl "I am around football and football management long enough to know that no matter how good you are, there can always be a disaster around the corner. Let's hope it is not this weekend," said Cook. "Our league form has been magnificent, but that goes out the window now. It counts for nothing in the cup. This is a massive game for us and while we are confident, we can't be overly so, otherwise we could get punished," he added. On their way to claiming fourth spot in the Premier Division, Rovers beat Gareth Cronin's Suirsiders two-one at the R.S.C. towards the end of July, but again Cook emphasises that that result will matter little on Friday night. Reality "I said back then that the league game would be history when the cup came around and that is the reality of the situation," he commented. Reflecting on the draw which paired Rovers away to the Munster men, Cook described it as "not ideal." "Sometimes in cup football you don't know if a draw is a good one or a bad one. If you draw a team from a lower league at home it is labelled a good draw. However, if you lose, it is a disaster. "If you draw a Premier Division team away, it is labelled a tough or a bad draw. If you win, it is fantastic. "We played Shamrock Rovers away in the last round and I know when the draw was made people might have taken a sharp intake of breath, but we got through it and that is all that counts in the cup. Getting through at the end of the day is the target," he went on. Suspended Cook has to plan without the suspended pair of Conor O'Grady and Keith Foy for the visit to the Southeast. "That is a bit of a blow, especially given the squad we have at Sligo Rovers. We have a relatively small panel and we need everyone available. However, that is the hand we have been dealt and we will have to cope with it. "Conor O'Grady has been absolutely magnificent for us this season," he said. The Rovers boss is anticipating another physical and direct encounter and feels there may not be too many goal chances. "Waterford will see the cup as offering their only chance of silverware. They had a superb result against Galway recently (winning 2-1) and they are apparently relatively safe in the league. "We are going there to win. There is no point trying to get a draw. We will do our best, but we must match Waterford's application and effort, that will be vital. Ability "They are a wholehearted side, who work very hard for each other. My first requirement for any Sligo Rovers player is that he gives everything. You then add ability and move on from there. My players know what I expect and how I want them to play. "To get to the quarter-finals of the cup would be a big boost for us. If we achieve that and managed to remain in the top four I would be delighted. If someone offered me that when I came here I would have felt they were in 'cuckoo land'," declared the manager. Cook acknowledged that both he and his Assistant, Gerry Carr, and the players had had some "rough times" early in his Showgrounds managerial stint. "We lost to Finn Harps in the League Cup when we should have been out of sight. We lost in Derry and to Drogheda and people began to have doubts. "But, we turned things around and we are all determined to keep the momentum going in the cup, never mind the league," he stated. "The harder you work in football, the luckier you get. That is my philosophy. If we are right on the night, I believe we can get a result. New players "Waterford will undoubtedly have a similar view and that is the beauty of football. At the end of the day, there can be only one winner, even if it means a replay. Let's hope that it is us," he added. Cook, meanwhile, has revealed that he has not given up his effort to attract new players to the Showgrounds, though it is unlikely that any new faces will be involved in the cup clash, given the timing involved. "I would never say never, and I am looking at one or two possibilities. I repeat, we need to be patient, as do the fans. "This is not me trying to earn time for myself in respect of new signings. When the time is right and the players involved are the right ones for this football club, I will move," he explained. |
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