Vice-captain on what it means to face Liverpool
Barry Fuller is determined to savour his crack at the big time tonight after previously missing out on facing Premier League opposition and recovering from a career-threatening injury.
AFC Wimbledon’s vice-captain was suspended at his previous club Gillingham when they hosted Aston Villa in 2009 and since then Fuller (pictured) had to put a serious knee injury behind him.
Having suffered a hamstring strain last week, Fuller feared he may miss out on the big one yet again, but the right-back is likely to be involved tonight when the Dons entertain Liverpool.
Speaking during an interview with Rob Cornell for Dons Player, Fuller said: “I’ve been unlucky in the past and missed a third round match against Aston Villa due to suspension when I was at Gillingham. I’ve had my difficult times in football with injuries over the years too so this is really important for me. I came off in the last game with a slight hamstring injury, but I’ve trained again since and hopefully I will be ready.
“These games are like cup finals for players in the lower leagues. It’s an honour to play in this match. To get a club with our history into the third round and a game against a big club means a lot. We are hoping to represent the club by putting on a good show. When we’re on it not many teams in our league can deal with us – and we’ve shown that in the last two games. We are very confident heading into the first fixtures of the New Year and hopefully we can make the club proud.”
Sammy Moore, who is AFC Wimbledon’s longest serving player, has recovered from illness in time to be included in the squad. The midfielder says he’s eager to reward the fans for all their hard work since the club’s rebirth.
“I’ve been at the club for nearly five years and have seen the club grow,” Sammy said. “It’s the most special club that I’ve played for because of its history. The fans are so passionate and every player who comes in is made aware of it. Everyone knows how important this game is for the club.
“It’s a dream come true to possibly have a chance to play against the likes of Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling. We’ve watched clips of them and they’re world class players. We just hope that we can put on a show for the club. It’s going to be a full crowd under the lights and we have to try and turn it into an intimidating atmosphere. If we can get in their faces and produce a good performance then you never know what can happen because the FA Cup is full of surprises.”
The interviews with Sammy Moore and Barry Fuller featured on Dons Player yesterday. A bumper preview on our premium channel also includes interviews with Adam Barrett and Neal Ardley, along with Neal’s full 12-minute press conference.