James Tilley is back amongst the goals, and he’s timed it just right, with a trip across the border to Wrexham in League Two next up on Saturday.
The attacking midfielder struck his fourth brace of the season to knock League One Oxford United out of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy. That booked a place in Friday evening’s quarter-final draw - and with a trip to Wembley on the horizon, “Tills” has already taken his tally to a dozen for the campaign.
“This evening was an opportunity for me to get some good minutes and I’m buzzing to have scored a couple more goals,” said Tills after, at a time when both strikers Ali Al-Hamadi and Omar Bugiel are away on international duty.
You can listen to everything James Tilley had to say below.
The 25-year-old former Brighton & Hove Albion youngster, who arrived from Crawley in the summer, remains modest about his achievements. He’s continued to keep working away to earn an opportunity in Johnnie Jackson’s starting 11.
“We’ve got a lot of good players, so I’m going to be in and out, said Tills. "I’m just waiting for my opportunity. The gaffer has been really good with me since I’ve come in, as have all the staff, to be fair.
“I haven’t really set a target for the remainder of the season. I just want to score as many goals as possible and play well.
“Up to now, I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve been out the team recently, but that just gives me more hunger to try and do everything right on a day-to-day basis, so that I get back in the side.”
It was also an opportunity for New Zealand international Nik Tzanev to get some minutes too and his clean sheet didn’t go unnoticed.
“Tans is clearly a great keeper,” added Tills. “He’s had to wait patiently for opportunities too, but he’s took his opportunity tonight and played really well.
“I think our shape was really good. It’s what we work on. We went back to 4-4-2 and made it really hard for Oxford to break us down. Any team that comes here - they’re not going to boss it; we’re going to give them a hard night. That showed tonight.
“Saturday will be another tough game, but we’re looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to seeing the Dons fans come in their numbers and we’ll give it a go.”
Photos: Ian Stephen (Pro Sports Images).