MX23RW : Friday, April 19 01:24:58| >> :600:150366:150366:

Tom Nichols insists Crawley will take the game to Leeds

Tom Nichols insists Crawley will take the game to Leeds
© Reuters
The 27-year-old has a habit of scoring against Premier League opposition.

Crawley forward Tom Nichols has vowed to "give it a right go" against Leeds as he seeks to add a giant-killing to his list of memorable FA Cup moments.

Nichols has made a habit of scoring against Premier League opposition but is yet to be part of a side to spring a cup upset.

He was a goal-scoring member of the Exeter team which took Liverpool to a third-round replay in January 2016, while he registered for Peterborough in a 4-1 loss to Chelsea at the same stage a year later.

The 27-year-old, who was also on target in Bristol Rovers' 2-1 Carabao Cup loss to top-flight side Brighton last season, insists the in-form League Two hosts have no intention of playing things safe against Marcelo Bielsa's men.

"My best (FA Cup) memory is probably playing against Liverpool," said Nichols.

"Obviously we drew with Liverpool the first time, we lost the second leg (replay), so I haven't had any giant-killings.

"But I've scored against a few of them and I've got good memories of the FA Cup – the next step is to try and beat one of them.

"The boys are in good form and the gaffer has said it's a free hit really.

"We're not going to sit off and it's not going to be a damage limitation, we're going to give it a right go and see where it takes us.

"Hopefully I can play well and get a goal and the team can get a result."

Nichols opened the scoring for the Grecians against Jurgen Klopp's Reds five years ago but the much-changed visitors twice came back to salvage a 2-2 draw, before winning 3-0 at Anfield.

He already has three goals in this season's competition, having hit the maiden hat-trick of his career in the remarkable 6-5 extra-time win at Torquay in the first round.

Leeds travel to Broadfield Stadium with the fifth most potent attack in the top flight but holding the second worst defensive record, while Crawley have gone nine games unbeaten and sit sixth in the fourth tier.

Nichols anticipates an eventful contest and believes the West Yorkshire club's expansive style of play could leave gaps to exploit, particularly if Bielsa opts to field a youthful line-up.

"Their game is very entertaining, they are very end to end. It does create chances the other way which, as a forward, is good for me," said Nichols, a boyhood Sunderland fan.

"They are very good players – they are Premier League players – they attack with a lot of bodies but they do defend with a lot of bodies as well, they're a very fit side.

"They have very entertaining games and I'm sure it will be the same again on Sunday.

"If they want to rest players, that's their risk. If they want to play the 23s then that will probably benefit us because it's not an easy place to come this ground. We've got a good record here.

"We don't have anything to fear, we're in a good run of form and it's probably the best time for us to play them really. Morale is high in camp."

Crawley could again be without 15-goal top scorer Max Watters.

The striker, whose red-hot form has reportedly attracted attention from a host of bigger clubs, has missed the last two games and faces a late fitness test on a hamstring problem.

"I wouldn't say I feel extra pressure when Max doesn't play, my main focus is helping the team in any way possible and goals are a bonus for me," said Nichols.

"The goals have been shared out – I know Max has scored a lot – but as a team we've been scoring a lot."

ID:429669: cacheID:429669:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5083:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
General view of Crawley Town's Broadfield Stadium from March 2019
Read Next:
Crawley boss John Yems hopes Leeds donate FA Cup money
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Ipswich TownIpswich432611685533289
2Leicester CityLeicester422841079384188
3Leeds UnitedLeeds43269876344287
4Southampton42259884543084
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom4320121166422472
6Norwich CityNorwich432181476601671
7Hull City421811136254865
8Coventry CityCoventry4217121366521463
9Middlesbrough43189166156563
10Preston North EndPreston43189165660-463
11Cardiff CityCardiff43185204860-1259
12Bristol City431610175046458
13Sunderland43168195250256
14Swansea CitySwansea431411185362-953
15Watford431216155958152
16Millwall431311194255-1350
17Blackburn RoversBlackburn431310205771-1449
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth431212195866-848
19Queens Park RangersQPR431211204057-1747
20Stoke CityStoke431211204160-1947
21Birmingham CityBirmingham43129224864-1645
22Huddersfield TownHuddersfield43917174770-2344
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds43128233667-3144
RRotherham UnitedRotherham43411283285-5323


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!