Stevenage welcome Dagenham & Redbridge to The Lamex Stadium tomorrow night in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy (Weds, 7.45pm) and despite the competition not always being a priority among fellow managers and fans alike, Teddy Sheringham says he’ll be taking the tie very seriously.
He told us, “It’s a very important game for us. We need to get a result, we need to get our confidence back and we need to get back used to winning games. This is a fantastic game to be involved in with the chance to get through to the next round and have an eye on Wembley. Everyone wants to play at Wembley at some stage in their career and it’ll be lovely to go there. It seems like a long, long way away at the moment but why not?"
"We’ll be putting out a very, very strong team, one that we hope is very capable of winning this game and getting through to the next round."
"We need to get performances. We need to be sound as a defence. Very workmanlike, organised and comfortable in midfield. We need to be strong and diligient but also with flair up front. We need to get back to basics of getting back to winning ways. That means all those things plus a team unity."
This will of course be the second meeting between the two sides this season after the league game away at Dagenham finished in a 1-1 draw. Looking back at that game, Teddy told us, "It was a tough game, chances at both ends. We need to change that and make sure there are no chances are our end.
"We know their players and what they can do to hurt us. They’ve played different ways throughout the season, they seem to change their tactics. So we’re not going to know how they’ll set up and how they’re going to want to try and play on the day, but we know their players, we know their capabilities and we should know what’s coming and deal with it."
To hear the full interview, including Teddy’s thoughts on penalties and how he can share his own experiences with the players, sign up or sign in here.