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" It's got worse since Wednesday really, I've never known anything like it, the interest that this has caused and probably the upset that it has caused is absolutely amazing. The big papers, the Observer, the Guardian, the Telegraph, Border TV, TalkSport this afternoon, it's just relentless. At first it was good and I really enjoyed it because getting us up on the football map in this country is the right thing to do. I'm being honest with you now though that I'm fed up of it.
" It's just every hour that somebody wants to talk to you, I said to the boys this morning in training that we have got to put this to bed on Monday. I told them to enjoy their weekend because the youth team game is off this weekend against Preston, enjoy your weekend but from Monday onwards that's it and it goes to the memory bank. It will stay there forever and we've got to get back down to some serious work and get on with playing football again.
" I'd been to watch Manchester United, we worked on a game-plan to just take probably the two best players out of the game as much as we could. We wanted (Daniel) Welbeck off the ball, we didn't want him picking it up in dangerous areas and we didn't want (Danny) Drinkwater coming in and moving our midfield around. So we worked on a system and credit to the boys because they stuck at it fantastically well and we came out of it.
" I thought that if we kept those two quite then we'd get half a chance because I always expect those two lads upfront of ours to score a goal. We'd defended quite well and I had a sneaky feeling that we could do something, but I really didn't expect what has happened and it's been fantastic for everybody at the club.
" We are on the map now, a friend of mine has rung me up this afternoon and said that TalkSport have never stopped talking about it since Wednesday. They rang me up today and I did about a ten minute thing with TalkSport, and they were asking what is happening?, what have you got up there?, where are your players from?, who is (Stephen) Hindmarch?, who is (Gary) Madine? and who is (Dan) Wordsworth? I was thinking that this has really gone through youth football in this country and it's fantastic for us.
" We've got a lot to live up too, my worry now is that everybody will just expect us to roll over Southend and I told the boys this morning that the hardest game in this competition is yet to be played. Because the opposition isn't the same now, and they have got to get themselves up exactly the same, along with me helping them. Against Southend will be so difficult now because the pressure comes onto us where really on Wednesday we had nothing to lose as long as we didn't get absolutely turned over. "
" Provisionally we are looking at a week on Wednesday which is the 30th, we just need confirmation from Southend. It will be that week though, at the moment we've got Wednesday night pencilled in, the night after the first-team have played away at Oldham. We're in a strange position, we're going to start as favourites which we haven't done that this season yet. We're only going to start as favourites simply because of what we did on Wednesday.
" Southend went to Derby in the third round and won 4-1 which is a fantastic result, then they beat Stoke City 3-1 last night. They aren't going to be mugs, they are going to be a decent side, they have to be to get the results they have got. So the pressure then comes on us because everybody just expects us to win because it is only Southend. I keep saying that football doesn't work like that, I said to the boys this morning that we don't want to go out against Southend.
" We want to get to the last eight and hopefully get a draw away from home at one of the big grounds. Because the rules of the competition say that you have to play on your main ground, it will be a bit of damp squib now if we went out but we'll set up right and we'll prepare right. I'm not being disrespectful to Southend, my gut feeling is that this is going to be the hardest game we've played simply because it's pressure on us now.
" I think we've just to give the lads a bit longer yet, we can all jump on the bandwagon and say of course we've got four or five who will make it. They are still 16/17-year olds, which is a very young side, there are eight first-years in it. I think that you've got to ask me that question again probably in 12 months time and see how they develop as second years next year.
" So really at this moment, they've got to keep their feet on the floor, they've got to keep wanting to learn, they've got to keep wanting to work hard and I'm sure two or three of them will get the chance to progress. I think that question needs to come in 12 months time though about this bunch of lads.
" The people have been amazing from Cumbria, the best wishes and cards that we have received this week, it's like we have won the thing. We've a lot of work to do and we'll give it our best shot against Southend and see if we can get ourselves into the last eight of what is the best cup competition for youth football against Southend. We'll give it a right good go and hope that we do it. "