COBBLERS: Cup draw delights Sampson
Ian Sampson says he is delighted with the FA Cup second-round draw that has paired the Cobblers with Southampton at Sixfields.
And the Town boss is confident his players can avenge their early-season defeat to the Saints in the Carling Cup when the teams meet in Northampton in three weeks time.
With Charlton being put out of the competition by Northwich Victoria, Southampton are the biggest club the Cobblers could have drawn with the exception of Leeds United – who play Kettering – and Norwich City.
"I'm delighted with the draw," said Sampson, who saw his side beat Fleetwood Town 2-1 in the first round at Sixfields on Saturday. "It's a home draw and it's against one of the top teams left in it.
"In terms of name and stature it is one of the biggest games we could have had and I'm sure the fans will turn up in numbers to back us against them.
"We're the underdogs and they'll be expected to win, but we're confident we can win it. They've changed a few things since the Carling Cup game and it's on our own ground, so we'll see."
Sampson can't fail to have been impressed with the contributions of a handful of Fleetwood players, who made a lasting impression on a home crowd that applauded them off at full-time.
Goalscorer Sean Clancy took his goal well, and club skipper Jamie Milligan turned in an eye-catching display in central midfield. Wide on the right, Jamie Mullan also impressed.
Sampson has proved less reluctant than his predecessors in the Town hot seat to explore transfer options in non-League football, a policy underlined by the signing of Courtney Herbert.
But he would not be drawn on whether he would be enquiring about any of Saturday's visiting team.
"We're looking at non-League players generally and the scouting network is up and running," he said. "We're keen to look at as many players as we possibly can and if we think they're good enough then we'll have a look at them.
"I can't really talk about Fleetwood players specifically because Saturday was the first time I'd seen them play."
Full weekend round-up in today's Sport pull-out
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Friday 10 February 2012
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