Matt Bloomfield is the only surviving member of the Wycombe team that shipped eight goals against Aston Villa a decade ago – but midfield partner Luke O’Nien insists caution is not the answer this time around.
The Chairboys were thumped 8-3 in the League Cup in 2005, but as manager at the time John Gorman put it, they embarrassed the Villans into embarrassing them.
Indeed Wycombe were leading 3-1 at half-time only for a Villa team containing England midfielder Gareth Barry, and a future international James Milner, to turn the game on its head.
Wycombe v Aston Villa
Emirates FA Cup
Third Round Proper
12.45pm, Saturday 9 January
Adams Park
Live on BT Sport
Winning club to receive £67,500
Still, the very least that the League Two outfit will be aiming for in The Emirates FA Cup third round on Saturday is an improvement on that scoreline but there is reason to hope for much more.
They dispatched League One opposition in Millwall on their travels in the second round – a 2-1 victory that, despite Michael Harriman’s last-minute winner, could hardly be called smash-and-grab.
And 21-year-old O’Nien, who is the same age that Bloomfield was when Villa last visited Adams Park, has backed his team to rise to the occasion once more, against last season’s Finalists.
He said: “I was 11 when Matt played in that game against Aston Villa!
“It’s great to play alongside him and he’s got a lot of experiences that he shares not just with me but all the other youngsters in the side. That’s important to us every week, not just for this one.
Matt Bloomfield in action against Aston Villa in 2005
“We can’t just approach the game in a cautious way, we need to do what we do well and if we stick to the game plan we will have a chance. It’s just brilliant being part of this Cup team and I’m going to give it my all.
“At the end of the day it’s just another game when you get out there, but of course it will be special playing in front of around 9,500 fans.
“I’ve played in front of that many before but only for three minutes for Watford, so that went pretty quickly.”
Adams Park has been tipped as the venue of a possible Cup upset this weekend, with Villa anchored to the bottom of the Premier League table – their only victory this season coming on the opening day against Bournemouth.
But for O’Nien, any chance to pit his wits against Premier League opposition so soon after being released from boyhood club Watford over the summer is a dream come true.
He added: “It was a brilliant result in the last round at Millwall. I was very proud to be part of that and we got some great support down there.
“Anything can happen in The FA Cup and hopefully with the hard work we’ve put in this week, we can do the same again."
