Isaac Hutchinson has confessed that it’s important Bristol Rovers stay focused on the task at hand on Saturday afternoon which is beating Barnsley in the FA Cup second round but admitted it’s impossible to not have a thought about the possibility of a mammoth third round tie in the back of the mind.
Rovers, who will be led by assistant manager Wayne Carlisle and coach Dave Horseman after Matt Taylor took a leave of absence to deal with a family emergency, will head up to South Yorkshire to face their League One rivals on Saturday afternoon knowing that victory would put them in the third round draw. That is the stage of the competition where teams from the Premier League and Championship enter the fray and fixtures against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal or even a derby against Bristol City could be set up.
However, Hutchinson is adamant that he and his teammates aren’t getting too carried away thinking about what could be with the tough task of beating Barnsley away the first objective.
“It’s important that we focus on the game first,” the attacking midfielder told Bristol Live. “But yeah, no one’s gonna escape that little thought in the back of your mind where it could be a an amazing day for the club, an amazing day for us that we’re all going to remember.
“So yeah, I think it’s important we do the job first and then we can be in the changing room or whatever time it is and and be looking forward to the draw.”
At 24, Hutchinson has already experienced the highs and the lows that the world’s oldest cup competition can throw up. As a youngster, the Rovers summer arrival was at the wrong end of shocks with Southend United and Derby County, although the Rams had to field a team full of youngsters against non-league Chorley due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the squad.
However, he’s also been part of a victorious underdog team while also coming up against Premier League opposition and therefore knows just how special reaching the third round could be.
“I’ve had some some good ones and some bad ones,” Hutchinson confessed when asked about his FA Cup memories and experiences. “I think my first ever one was with Southend. We lost 1-0 to Dover. So obviously we were in League One at the time, and they were confident and Ruel [Sotiriou] scored against us; he was on loan there. So that was a tough day but then more recently at Walsall I’ve had some really positive days.
“We beat Wycombe away in the first round, we played really well. [We] beat Carlisle at home. We was 1-0 down in the 89th minute and ended up winning 2-1. It’s probably my favourite just because things like that never happen, do you know what I mean? Rarely. So that was a massive day.
“And then we played Leicester at home that season, who were in the Premier League at the time, which was a special day at a packed out Walsall Stadium. So, yeah, there’s been plenty.
“That’s the sort of thing that gives you motivation to want that more because I think this competition can bring everyone together. So it’s important that we can do that.”
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On Barnsley though, the Gas know that it’s one of the toughest possible draws that they could have had but equally are hungry to put the wrongs of their last trip to Oakwell right.
Having equalised after a poor start in the league fixture back in September, Rovers went on to squander a couple of excellent chances to take the lead before conceding what proved to be the decisive goal despite also have good opportunities late on.
It was a similar tale back in January too when the Gas also lost 2-1 at Oakwell having equalised, although the current Rovers squad looks extremely different now.
The Tykes are currently sat in sixth place in League One but do have a questionable home record of just two league wins in nine matches this season under Gas legend Darrell Clarke.
Although Rovers’ hosts will be the favourites, Hutchinson believes that lack of pressure, which they did have in the previous round against National League South side Weston-super-Mare, can only be a positive thing.
“I mean, I think it’s probably a bit of a free hit for us,” the 24-year-old declared. “I think sometimes it can be easier playing against a team in your own league where there’s not as much riding on it as much as when you’re playing against a team like Weston or a lower league team, there’s that pressure on you to perform. No one’s expecting you to lose. Whereas this game is a pretty even playing field and probably just allows us to go and play a normal game.”