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Youngsters Ready For The Lions' Den
Written by Newcastle Utd
Dave Watson has spoken of the excitement in the United camp ahead of the Magpies' FA Youth Cup tie at Millwall
By Tom Easterby
Dave Watson has spoken of the excitement in the Newcastle United camp as the Magpies prepare to do battle with Millwall in the FA Youth Cup on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
The United under-18 coach, who lifted the FA Cup as captain of Everton in 1995, takes his side to London in good spirits after their 3-0 win at home over Stoke City last weekend.
And with players like Dan Barlaser and Callum Roberts set to be unleashed at the Den, Watson is hoping his side can thrive on the big occasion at their hosts' 20,000-capacity arena.
"It's fantastic - the kids are loving the build-up to the game," he told nufc.co.uk.
"We've done great over the years. We had a really good go at it last year and got beat in the quarter-finals by Chelsea, but we gave them a right good run for their money.
"The kids have been talking about it since the start of the season and, as you can imagine, it's just building up as it gets closer and closer. It might be part of the reason our performances in the league have been stepping up as well.
"But they love it because they get a chance to play on the big pitches. Millwall don't have to play at The Den but they are, which is great for our kids because they'll thrive on that."
The former England international centre-half is hopeful of another Youth Cup run akin to last year's, when United reached the last eight.
However, he believes that part of that can come down to luck of the draw, though he is confident he has characters at his disposal who can weather any storm.
"You never know, it all depends on who you draw, but all we want is the kids to do is do their best and have no regrets because sometimes the big occasion can get to kids and they don't perform," he said.
"The kids put the pressure on themselves and it's how you deal with these situations - all the families watching, nanny and grandad at the game.
"If the lad makes a mistake early in the game, how does he deal with it? All these things come into it, but I think we've got really good, strong characters and I think we will be able to deal with it."