Chadie's Cup Magic

LUKE Chadwick is hoping some FA Cup magic rubs off on the Hammers when they take on Sheffield United in the Fourth Round replay this Sunday, and despite the pressures of the Championship promotion race, Luke is determined to go as far as he can in football's oldest knock-out competition.

"There is definitely something special about the FA Cup," admitted the 24-year-old winger.

"Of course, the Championship is the one everyone is concentrating on and promotion is still our priority. But that doesn't mean the FA Cup is devalued in our eyes. We're determined to make it to the next round and everyone's really looking forward to the Cup-tie.

"They're one off games and always create a special buzz inside grounds. I'm sure they'll be a cracking atmosphere at Bramall Lane on Sunday and hopefully they'll be plenty of Hammers fans up there to support us.

"West Ham United has a great FA Cup tradition and it should be a fantastic game."

The Hammers have locked horns three-times with Sheffield United already this season - the verdict reading a win apiece and one draw. Alan Pardew's men will be boosted by the memory of their 2-1 win at Bramall Lane earlier this season, but Luke is expecting a battle royal on Sunday.

"Sheffield United are a really tough side to beat," he said, "as they've shown in the two games at Upton Park already this year. "They fight for everything, work very hard and are tough to break down.

"The two teams are getting to know each other pretty well, although I don't think that will dampen the competitiveness of the game.

"We earned a good result last time out at Bramall Lane and if we play like we did in the first-half of the last game then we'll have every chance of going through to the Fifth Round."


Arsenal are the potential Fifth Round opponents, a clash that will certainly motivate the Hammers as they look to secure a mouth-watering all-London clash. But Luke is keen to stress that minds must remain focused on the Blades.

"It's a great incentive to be drawn against Arsenal in the next round," he confessed, "but we're not in the Fifth Round yet so we can't really let it enter our heads.

"We've got a tough game on Sunday that all the players are 100 per cent determined to win. That's as far as we're looking at the moment.

"Of course, going to Arsenal would be a wonderful occasion for the Club and we're going to do our best to make it happen. But we'd want to win just as much no matter who was coming up in the next round, and we can't let it affect our focus on the day."

Luke, who came off the bench to good effect against Cardiff, will be determined to win back a starting place for the trip to Sheffield. But the former Manchester United starlet was quick to praise the efforts of his team-mates in securing a vital three points against the Bluebirds.

"We needed the win against Cardiff and it was a great effort form the lads to come out on top after a really tough game," he said.

"Cardiff were strong at the back and competed for everything. But we kept going right to the end and got our reward.

"The win puts us back in touch with the Play-off places and that was important as we're going to miss at least one League game because of FA Cup commitments.

"But more than that, it was a huge confidence boost for the team. We've been inconsistent this season, and when your losing games it's always going to dent the belief a bit.

"That win has got us moving forward again and now we need to keep the momentum going and start to get the results that this squad is capable of achieving."