Chesterfield have 'fantastic chance' to cause FA Cup upset against Watford

Three divisions separate the Spireites and the Championship Hornets ahead of the third round clash at Vicarage Road on Saturday but Town are full of confidence given the season they are having.

Assistant manager Danny Webb said: “It is a fantastic chance for us to cause an upset and also for our players to pit their wits against some internationals, some big-hitters, some lads on a lot of money, who are used to playing in the world’s biggest league and now find themselves in the Championship. It is up to us to make life as tough as we can for them. If we tick a lot of boxes tomorrow and Watford don’t then we have got a chance, but we are under no illusion that it is going to be tough no matter what our game-plan is.

“In my three seasons here we lost at Chelsea where we were the underdogs, we lost at West Brom as the underdogs, and people will be backing us to go to Watford as the underdogs and lose again against a very strong Championship side.

"We are taking 4,000 supporters and I think the day is about them to have that sort of ‘free-hit’ mentality that we don’t get in the league. But I think there is a good chance (of causing an upset)."

As much as the Blues would love to be in the hat for the fourth round, they would much rather beat Gateshead on Wednesday in the league to ensure they have a healthy lead at the top.

Webb explained: "Because we are going promotion it is a bonus day and not the ‘big day.’ We know that if we cause an upset then fantastic. But if we do get defeated then we have got a huge game against Gateshead on Wednesday which, to be honest, is much more important in the long run. But we are going to Watford with the same preparation as a league game, the same mentality, but knowing that it is going to be a tough task.”

Watford, who were runners-up in the FA Cup in 2019, were relegated from the top-flight in 2022 and they are hoping to squeeze into the play-offs this season.

“They are a fast team.” Webb added. “When you play the lads from the Championship and the Premier League everything just goes up a bit. They are dynamic, they don’t make many mistakes with the ball.”