Oldham Athletic v Doncaster Rovers
The FA Cup with Budweiser
Second Round Proper
3pm, Saturday 1 December 2012
Boundary Park, Oldham Athletic
Winning clubs receive £27,000 from The FA's prize fund
Click here for fixtures
By Nicholas Veevers
Dean Saunders says The FA Cup brought him his favourite honour as a player and he’s now hoping he can help Doncaster Rovers as they prepare for a Second Round game at Oldham.
The former Liverpool star won The Cup in 1992 when the Reds beat Sunderland at Wembley.
And Saunders revealed to FATV that his FA Cup winners’ medal remains his best, from a career which also yielded a League Cup from his time at Aston Villa, a Turkish Cup in his spell with Galatasaray and 75 caps for Wales.
He said: "The FA Cup is special.
"I remember watching it on the TV as a kid, it was always boiling hot and thinking 'cor, imagine playing at Wembley, it must be unbelievable'.
"And then I got a free transfer when I was at Swansea and I thought I was never going to be a footballer.
"But when I was walking down the steps at Wembley with a winner's medal I was thinking, it wasn't that long ago since I got a free transfer.
"Now I've got an FA Cup winners' medal and it's the best thing I've ever won and the first thing I ever won.
"Out of all the things I achieved in my career, that was the best. I played from 19 until 37 and only got to The FA Cup Final once, so it's special.”
Saunders takes his Doncaster side to Boundary Park on Saturday knowing that they will be in for a tough test, despite having one of the best away records in the country this season.
The teams met earlier this week in League One, a game which Saunders’ side edged by 1-0 at the Keepmoat Stadium.
And with Paul Dickov in charge of the Latics, Saunders knows Oldham will be just as keen on reaching the Third Round Proper.
He revealed: "I coached Paul Dickov at Blackburn and his character's exactly what you need.
"He tried his best in every game, had a fire in his belly and wanted to win, so I'm sure his team will be set out like that.
"He won't accept anything less from his players.”
Watch the full interview with Saunders in the Media Gallery above, as he talks in more detail about the 1992 Cup win with Liverpool, how he’s finding life as a manager and what a Cup run will mean to Doncaster.
