Ethan Chislett helped to create FA Cup magic three years ago – and the attacking midfielder is determined to make up for last season’s early exit with Wimbledon.
During his time with Met Police, Ethan helped them into the Emirates FA Cup first round and a match at Imber Court that earned plenty of attention as Newport County visited Imber Court.
Ethan recalled: “I had a good little run in the FA Cup when I was at Met Police – Nesta was in the same team. We had a good team spirit, and the beauty of the competition is that underdog spirit. We had a few rounds of battling through, and we managed to get Newport County at Imber Court, which was obviously a great experience for the club and everyone involved. It’s a big competition, and there is that opportunity to go far and test yourself against the best.
“I scored a few during that FA Cup run, but it was all about team spirit and the ethos we had as a squad, so you can’t put it down to one player!
“I knew about the FA Cup years ago, and it’s a massive thing, but I potentially underestimated it. The importance of it kind of hit home when the TV cameras were at Imber Court. It was a case of ‘little old Met Police’ against a league team. It was a great experience with cameras coming into the changing rooms before kick-off, and it was all very new to me.”
Fully aware of Wimbledon’s history of upsetting the odds in the competition, Ethan knows the boot will be on the other foot on Saturday with National League North side Guiseley visiting us.
“In games like this you can underestimate your opponent, but I know that’s not going to happen. It is a mental battle though to play to your level, and not their level. Hopefully we can stamp our authority on the game and see where it goes from there.”
“We want to have a good start in the FA Cup, and kick on from there. We lost to Crawley last season and they ended up playing Leeds, so it was a missed opportunity.
“All of the boys know about the history of this club in the FA Cup. That history is brilliant, but as a squad we want to create future memories for Dons to look back on. I genuinely think that Saturday is a massive opportunity for us to kickstart our FA Cup campaign.”
Click on the link below to listen to the full interview with Ethan.