Fringe men are entrusted with cup test
Aug 25 2010 by Mark Douglas, The Journal
CHRIS Hughton has every faith his Newcastle young guns can maintain the club’s feel-good factor.
Hughton will ring the changes at Accrington Stanley, drafting in Kazenga LuaLua, James Tavernier, Tamas Kadar, Haris Vuckic and Ryan Donaldson to play in a much-changed XI from the team that thrashed Aston Villa on Sunday.
It is a risk given that an inexperienced Newcastle were sent packing by Peterborough in the third round of the same competition last season but Hughton says he has every faith in them.
“Yes, it is a risk but that is the faith I have in these young players,” he said.
“You have a decision to make. That decision is that you could go with more experienced players – and there will be some experienced players in the squad – but I think for a lot of these lads it is an opportunity and if I did not have faith that we could win this game, I certainly would not make these changes.
“It is a wonderful test for them. I do think it is important they get opportunities to play. If we are a club that says we like to develop our own young players, at some stage, you have got to give them opportunities. We know in this division, that is going to be tougher. It is a lot tougher pushing them on the way you’d want to so you have to look for opportunities and for us, this game is an opportunity.
“What you do not want to do is give the competition or Accrington a lack of respect.”
Accrington’s homely Crown Ground will certainly be new surroundings for most of the Newcastle players and management but Hughton insists his side will be ready to rough it. And he says they will not fear things like cramped facilities on their trip to Lancashire. “Yes, absolutely we are getting changed there. We are looking forward to it. It’s a strange one what with the name Accrington brings to you,” he said.
“It is a place I have not been to before which is quite surprising. There will be a lot of others who have not been there before but this type of game is one nearly everyone will have experienced.
“We know the pitfalls, they are going to be a highly motivated team with us going there and we know they will use the elements of the ground and the pitch to the best of their ability. But that is the challenge.”
