Winger interviewed ahead of tonight's FA Cup replay versus Sutton
Chris Whelpdale put a difficult month behind him by returning to match action against Oxford United and the experienced winger would love to earn another crack at a big club in the Emirates FA Cup.
A groin injury curtailed Whelpdale’s progress after he scored his first league goal for the club against Bury in November, but now he’s back in the frame at a crucial time for the Dons.
Speaking during an interview with WDON’s Rob Cornell for Dons Player, Whelpdale said: “It’s good to be back involved in the squad. It can be a bit lonely on your own! I am pleased to be back and it was good to be back involved on Saturday. It is not all about the 11, it’s about the whole squad. At times like this with the next two months we have coming up, everyone is going to be needed. There will be knocks here and there and tired legs. Everyone has to be ready to take their opportunity.”
Having played in non league, Whelpdale will be far from taking Sutton United lightly in tonight’s cup replay, but he has played against Leeds United in his days with Peterborough in the Championship and facing them again is a tantalising prospect.
“Sutton are not a team who are just going to roll over lightly,” added Whelpdale. “It is going to require a lot of hard work and a team effort to get into the next round. We are all focused and we’ve been working on a game plan. Hopefully, we can put that into place on Tuesday night. We have enough ability in the team to do whatever really. We have players in the team who want to pass and front men in the team who we can look for. We have that style of being to mix it up.
“It is a massive game and a massive reward at the end of it. Hopefully, we can get the win that we need. It’s always good playing against the big teams and I’ve been lucky enough to play against them (Leeds United) before. The main objective is this game though and we need to win tonight first. If we do it everyone will be happy to be playing a team like Leeds in the next round.”
, along with Neal Ardley’s update.Dons PlayerThe full interview with Chris is on
if you missed our updates from the Neal for the official website yesterday.Sutton Preview and Team NewsClick on