SeagullSimon
New member
12th May 2004
ANDY KING is anxious for Town to establish a first- leg lead against Brighton on Sunday, but refuses to see anything less than a victory as a dream-ending disaster.
The County Ground boss believes the tie will still be alive when the two teams meet at the Withdean Stadium next Thursday.
He said: “I don’t think the tie will be won at the County Ground.
“I doubt a 4-0 win that would say to me we’re in the play-off final will happen.
“What we can do is find the kind of performance that will give us the confidence to go into the next game.
“However, we are quite capable of putting together a scoreline that would make things difficult for Brighton.
“I also believe we are capable of going to Brighton and winning.”
By finishing fourth the Seagulls are seen to have an advantage by playing their home leg second.
King only has to look at recent Champions League results to see that the script isn’t always followed.
He said: “Look at the Chelsea-Monaco tie and then what happened with Newcastle.
“Results don’t always work out how you expect, home or away.
“It is a European tie situation. Will Mark McGhee come here to be strong and to try and keep a clean sheet?
“Will I go more cavalier and try to get the goals we need to make life more comfortable away from home?
“As for Brighton, we’ve beaten them at home, outplayed them away and so we should be okay from a confidence point of view.
“They’re in a vein of form, they’re a good side. So are we on our day.
“We are in with as good a chance as any of the four teams in there.
“There will be a full house again at the County Ground on Sunday, the crowd will be fantastic and if the best Swindon side turns up then we’ll beat Brighton.
“As a manager all you want is to have your best eleven players out there and hope they perform on the day.”
King is looking no further than the first game at the moment and while preparing his troops is also keen to enjoy the moment.
He said: “What I’m doing and what everyone should do is enjoy what’s happened and enjoy the atmosphere around the place.
“I usually come into work in the morning and don’t see a soul, now I see people queuing for tickets. Some have been there all night.
“All this has brought a wonderful new experience to the club that I haven’t felt before and I’m sure the same is true for others.”
King knows the odds of success will improve if he has a full squad to choose from.
Steve Robinson trained with the squad yesterday while Tommy Mooney and Matt Heywood also joined in.
King said: “They’ve achieved the impossible by getting there (the play-offs) so I think anything’s possible when you’ve achieved the impossible.
“There is a lot of football still to be played and still hopes and dreams.”
ANDY KING is anxious for Town to establish a first- leg lead against Brighton on Sunday, but refuses to see anything less than a victory as a dream-ending disaster.
The County Ground boss believes the tie will still be alive when the two teams meet at the Withdean Stadium next Thursday.
He said: “I don’t think the tie will be won at the County Ground.
“I doubt a 4-0 win that would say to me we’re in the play-off final will happen.
“What we can do is find the kind of performance that will give us the confidence to go into the next game.
“However, we are quite capable of putting together a scoreline that would make things difficult for Brighton.
“I also believe we are capable of going to Brighton and winning.”
By finishing fourth the Seagulls are seen to have an advantage by playing their home leg second.
King only has to look at recent Champions League results to see that the script isn’t always followed.
He said: “Look at the Chelsea-Monaco tie and then what happened with Newcastle.
“Results don’t always work out how you expect, home or away.
“It is a European tie situation. Will Mark McGhee come here to be strong and to try and keep a clean sheet?
“Will I go more cavalier and try to get the goals we need to make life more comfortable away from home?
“As for Brighton, we’ve beaten them at home, outplayed them away and so we should be okay from a confidence point of view.
“They’re in a vein of form, they’re a good side. So are we on our day.
“We are in with as good a chance as any of the four teams in there.
“There will be a full house again at the County Ground on Sunday, the crowd will be fantastic and if the best Swindon side turns up then we’ll beat Brighton.
“As a manager all you want is to have your best eleven players out there and hope they perform on the day.”
King is looking no further than the first game at the moment and while preparing his troops is also keen to enjoy the moment.
He said: “What I’m doing and what everyone should do is enjoy what’s happened and enjoy the atmosphere around the place.
“I usually come into work in the morning and don’t see a soul, now I see people queuing for tickets. Some have been there all night.
“All this has brought a wonderful new experience to the club that I haven’t felt before and I’m sure the same is true for others.”
King knows the odds of success will improve if he has a full squad to choose from.
Steve Robinson trained with the squad yesterday while Tommy Mooney and Matt Heywood also joined in.
King said: “They’ve achieved the impossible by getting there (the play-offs) so I think anything’s possible when you’ve achieved the impossible.
“There is a lot of football still to be played and still hopes and dreams.”
