Cardiff City midfielder Aron Gunnarsson claims his side have not ruled out following in Wigan Athletic’s footsteps to FA Cup glory.
The Icelandic midfielder put in a man-of-the-match display as the Bluebirds edged Bolton Wanderers out of the competition with a 1-0 victory and though climbing the Premier League remains the priority for the Welsh club, a good Cup run could very much revitalise their fortunes.
“We’re in this to win it. Every team has got a chance in the Cup”
Aron Gunnarsson
Cardiff are the only non-English side to ever win the world-renowned competition and almost replicated that feat in 2008, only to be defeated in the final by Portsmouth.
Though Gunnarsson is wary that the odds will be against his side, he sees no reason why City cannot emulate the Latics’ famous FA Cup victory of 2013.
“We’re in this to win it,” he revealed. “Otherwise we wouldn’t be here. Every team has got a chance in the Cup.
“We want to go into every game and win it. It’s always good to get a win because there’s not been many lately. They were trying to bounce back from last weekend so it’s a big win and we take them all.
“There have been lots of positives and we have to be pleased with that. Our performances have been getting better, but we need the results.
“The FA Cup might be one where we nick a trophy, but you never know. It’s going to be hard but we’ll see. We take the next game and see what happens.”
Gunnarsson also paid tribute to new boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
During his playing career, the Norwegian manager featured in the last Manchester United side the win the FA Cup and gleaned a reputation for himself as a super-sub.
A second-half Fraizer Campbell goal booked Cardiff's place in Round Five
On Saturday it was substitutes Fraizer Campbell and Craig Noone who turned the tide in Cardiff’s favour despite the Bluebirds having struggled to find their feet in the first half and Gunnarsson believes Solsjkaer must take credit for being able to change the face of a game simply with a few tactical changes.
“Obviously he rested a few players for the Cup game,” he said. “He does that and it’s fine because obviously bringing good quality on to the pitch is going to make a difference.
“Having Fraizer and Nooney on the bench lifted us up when they came on because they are good players and they made the difference. They did well in the second half. They changed the game and won it for us.
“The manager is calm and he wants us to play football. He’s enjoying being back in the UK. He spent three years in Norway and wanted to step it up by coming back to the Premier League and he seems excited.”
