Cup loss has left everyone annoyed; WREXHAM.

Byline: neil TAYLOR 

AS you can imagine, I don't want to dwell on our FA Cup experience, which was a thoroughly chastening and depressing few days for everyone associated with Wrexham, and one that will live with me personally for a very long time.

Nobody, least of all the gaffer, had to tell us what we knew as we sat in the dressing room after Tuesday's replay at Eastwood Town, but he certainly made his feelings known and there was nothing anyone could say in our defence.

But while I won't forget what happened it's the case as a footballer that you have to put the last game behind you and prepare for the next one, which happens to be against an obviously struggling Lewes side this afternoon at the Racecourse.

They too are coming into the game after a disappointing and maybe unexpected FA Cup exit so there will a lot of players out there anxious to make amends and I'm hoping that the game will see us build on our recent good league form as we bid to close the gap between ourselves and the front-runners.

If our experience to date has taught us nothing else, we know we cannot afford to take anything for granted and, despite their current position, we are expecting another tough battle. Results have shown that any side is capable on their day of upsetting the apple cart.

By the same token, we don't fear any of the sides in the Blue Square Premier, but we have to earn any success that comes our way and that message has once more been hammered home in training during the week.

One of our earlier games that fans might have expected us to win was at Altrincham back in August and they provide the opposition once more on Tuesday evening when we travel to Moss Lane for our Setanta Shield debut.

It will be my third trip of the season - I played in a reserve match there as well - and it gives us an opportunity not only to gain some revenge for the Bank Holiday reverse, but also to make progress in another knockout competition which assumes greater importance the further you get.

Finally I'm sure fans will join me in welcoming two new faces today in the shape of Ritchie De Laet and Angelos Tsiaklis, who have joined the club on loan.

While their arrival is obviously going to mean disappointment for two of the lads, we know that the gaffer is trying to improve the strength of the squad and we are all behind him in that aim.

CAPTION(S):

Dean Saunders