GARY: LET'S RISE TO THE CHALLENGE
Posted on: Sat 09 Jan 2010
Wanderers head north to Elland Road on Saturday looking to upset the form guide against Leeds United - and manager Gary Waddock says his side cannot wait to test themselves against the league leaders.
United have been making headlines across the country all season courtesy of a stunning campaign so far which is almost certain to end with the League One title in May, and stunned the footballing world with a 1-0 FA Cup victory at Manchester United last weekend.
Their next challenge is a league clash with 23rd placed Wycombe in West Yorkshire on Saturday, and whilst they may be heavy favourites to win the encounter, Waddock feels his players are ready to cause an upset:
"The players are really looking forward to the game," Waddock told wwfc.com. "I'm sure it was one of the games that was earmarked when the fixtures came out last summer, and it's an opportunity for us to test ourselves against the top team in the division.
"To go to Leeds and play will be great for the players - they'll be playing in a big stadium in front of very vocal fans, but we need to play our own way and not be worried about Leeds. The players should play with no fear and try to get the three points.
"You can look at it both ways - it could be a good time to play them after their exertions last weekend, but on the other hand, they will be full of confidence after beating (Manchester) United. There is no easy time to play Leeds," he added.
Wanderers will be looking to turn around a poor run of form which saw them pick up just one point from four fixtures over the Christmas period, but Waddock saw enough signs of encouragement in last weekend's narrow defeat against Norwich to give him hope for the trip to West Yorkshire:
"The results over Christmas were very disappointing and obviously we would have liked to pick up more points. We didn't, but we've got to roll our sleeves up again and get a win as soon as possible.
"I hope we can build on the performance against Norwich - we held a good team for a long time and there is a fine line between success and failure. We hit the post and then they go up the other end and score - you need luck, but you have to make your own luck in this game."
And with Saturday's clash with Leeds representing the second of three successive matches against former Premiership opposition, Waddock admits he is thoroughly enjoying the challange of managing the Blues against clubs of such a high calibre:
"Games like the one Saturday are one of the main reasons I came to the club," he said. "I want to test myself against clubs like Leeds United. Saturday is a game that everyone should be looking forward to - the players, the fans and the staff. It's a big game against a big club in a fantastic arena.
"We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Leeds United are very confident that the game WILL go ahead despite the adverse weather conditions which are currently affecting the country - wwfc.com will bring any updates as soon as the news breaks.
United have been making headlines across the country all season courtesy of a stunning campaign so far which is almost certain to end with the League One title in May, and stunned the footballing world with a 1-0 FA Cup victory at Manchester United last weekend.
Their next challenge is a league clash with 23rd placed Wycombe in West Yorkshire on Saturday, and whilst they may be heavy favourites to win the encounter, Waddock feels his players are ready to cause an upset:
"The players are really looking forward to the game," Waddock told wwfc.com. "I'm sure it was one of the games that was earmarked when the fixtures came out last summer, and it's an opportunity for us to test ourselves against the top team in the division.
"To go to Leeds and play will be great for the players - they'll be playing in a big stadium in front of very vocal fans, but we need to play our own way and not be worried about Leeds. The players should play with no fear and try to get the three points.
"You can look at it both ways - it could be a good time to play them after their exertions last weekend, but on the other hand, they will be full of confidence after beating (Manchester) United. There is no easy time to play Leeds," he added.
Wanderers will be looking to turn around a poor run of form which saw them pick up just one point from four fixtures over the Christmas period, but Waddock saw enough signs of encouragement in last weekend's narrow defeat against Norwich to give him hope for the trip to West Yorkshire:
"The results over Christmas were very disappointing and obviously we would have liked to pick up more points. We didn't, but we've got to roll our sleeves up again and get a win as soon as possible.
"I hope we can build on the performance against Norwich - we held a good team for a long time and there is a fine line between success and failure. We hit the post and then they go up the other end and score - you need luck, but you have to make your own luck in this game."
And with Saturday's clash with Leeds representing the second of three successive matches against former Premiership opposition, Waddock admits he is thoroughly enjoying the challange of managing the Blues against clubs of such a high calibre:
"Games like the one Saturday are one of the main reasons I came to the club," he said. "I want to test myself against clubs like Leeds United. Saturday is a game that everyone should be looking forward to - the players, the fans and the staff. It's a big game against a big club in a fantastic arena.
"We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Leeds United are very confident that the game WILL go ahead despite the adverse weather conditions which are currently affecting the country - wwfc.com will bring any updates as soon as the news breaks.
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