Rochdale’s Matt Done may be no stranger to a plum Emirates FA Cup occasion but has no qualms admitting that the prospect of facing Tottenham Hotspur in the fifth round is a whole different ball game.
League One Dale have landed a televised clash with the eight-time winners as the reward for reaching the fifth round for only the third time in their history.
Over the last four seasons, Dale have held Cup ties at home to Stoke City, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.
But as winger Done explains, welcoming Harry Kane and Spurs will be unlike anything his team have faced before.“We’ve done well to play some fantastic football clubs recently but they’re not Tottenham,” he said.
“They’re not playing in the Champions League and didn’t go to Juventus on a Tuesday night and get something out of the game.
“We’re up against a world-class team with world-class players in their squad.
“The club and fans deserve this – they were at Slough away in the second round.
“We all deserve a moment in the sun and the fans and players will love being a part of it.”
Rochdale beat former winners Leeds and Forest in third round ties in successive years in 2014 and 2015.
Manager Keith Hill has presided over an Emirates FA Cup purple patch in his third spell at the club, reaching the fourth round in three of the last four seasons.
Queues for tickets snaked around the corner at Spotland and seats for Sunday’s tie were snapped up and sold out as early as Monday lunchtime.
Requests for media accreditation had to be halted on Wednesday, with over 100 applications placed.
Done, who played a key part of the Leeds and Forest upsets, knows what the backing of a bumper home crowd can produce.
He said: “The mentality was spot on in those two games and that’s vital for playing higher opposition.
“I think higher teams definitely underestimate Rochdale. We’ve put our footballing skills up against higher opposition and come out with wins before.
“Playing in front of the cameras and bigger crowds with a bit of atmosphere; it definitely gives you an extra ten or 15 per cent as a player.
“Those factors, the cameras and the crowd, they just build up to a better game and it’ll be a special occasion to play in front of a total sell-out.”
The romance of the cup is no stranger to Done, who faced boyhood team Manchester United in 2016’s third round when he was with Sheffield United.
The 29-year-old, who scored at Slough and Millwall this term, credits the Cup with having a magical effect in transforming his side’s fortunes.
“We’ve played against teams from non-League, League One and the Championship and now our reward is to play a Premier League team,” he said.
“When we went to Millwall, we played with freedom and didn’t look nervous – we’ve been unable to do that in the league.
“We struggle to ride out spells of pressure in the league but I think that matters less in one-off cup games.
“We have seemed to let the shackles off the in the Cup and it’s been an enjoyment to play in right from the off.”
Emirates FA Cup history
Spurs are one of the most successful clubs in The FA Cup, hoisting the trophy on eight occasions. But their last triumph came in 1991, beating Nottingham Forest 2-1 in the Final.
This is the joint-furthest Dale have gone in the competition with their last appearance in the fifth round coming in the 2002-03 season when they lost to Wolves by 3-1.
The prize
The victors at Spotland will earn a place in the quarter-finals and bag £180,000 in the process.
