Carlisle United v Crewe Alexandra
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Second Round Proper
7.45pm, Wednesday 3 December 2008
Brunton Park, Carlisle United FC
Winning clubs will receive £30,000 from The FA
Crewe Alexandra may be rooted to the bottom of League One, but legendary coach Dario Gradi is still keeping one eye on FA Cup glory.
The Italian is one of the most revered managers in the English game after his original 24-year tenure as Crewe boss turned the club around and produced a plethora of international players including Dean Ashton, Danny Murphy and David Platt.
Although he stepped down in 2007, he has recently returned to the Gresty Road hotseat, albeit in a temporary role, while Crewe find a long-term replacement for ousted manager Steve Holland.
Gradi insists FA Cup success is not a distraction in their current fight against relegation and believes a win tonight against Carlisle United will give the Railwaymen's season a much-needed shot in the arm.
He said: "Winning is important - we would like to go as far as we can in The FA Cup.
"The financial aspect is also important to the smaller clubs, but we want to win and give ourselves a welcome boost.
"If we can win our next two games, against Carlisle in The Cup and then against Cheltenham, then that would give everyone a lift.
"We are looking to win for the players and the staff and the supporters and that is what we will try to do on Wednesday."
Although Carlisle are also floundering in the bottom half of League One, Gradi says he is expecting a tough encounter at Brunton Park.
"Carlisle are a good side," he added. "They reached the play-offs last season and were unlucky not to go up.
"They started this season fairly well but have since been on an inconsistent run.
"They have what I call proper players and what I mean by that is that they don't rely too heavily on their kids like we do.
"There are no easy games. I've never heard a manager say otherwise and Wednesday will be another difficult game for us.
