Kyle Edwards wants his Ipswich Town side to ‘show their quality’ and progress past Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup this weekend.
The Blues face the League Two strugglers at Portman Road, with manager Paul Cook expected to field a strong side after vowing to take the competition seriously.
Edwards is keen to play, having started Town’s last four games, and believes Town should be able to progress against their lower-league opponents given the talent they possess in their squad.
“In games like this we have to go in and show our quality,” Edwards said, discussing the game with Oldham.
“We’re on a good run in the league and if we can take that into the cup and show them what we can do, it can limit their hopes.
“Our squad is so strong and everyone who comes in is a very good player. You can see that from training and from all of the games so far.
“No matter what squad the gaffer puts out, it will be a strong team with high quality.
“For me, I’ve recently come back into the side and, while I am fit now, I’m still gaining fitness. I want to play every game, no matter whether it’s the cup or the league.
“So hopefully I can play.”
The Blues head into the game on the back of Tuesday night’s 4-1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers, with their next League One outing not until next Saturday’s home game with Oxford.
Town play Colchester in the Papa John’s Trophy on Tuesday, with Edwards happy to have a break from league action to reflect on the season so far.
“It’s ok to have a little break sometimes, just to reflect on the league and how things are going,” he said.
“The FA Cup is a big thing for us so we’re looking forward to that. It excites me a lot. You see the upsets, lower-league teams going to the big teams and turning them over. It’s a competition where anything can happen and I’m always excited to play in it.
“We’re a positive team with a big squad. Everyone wants to stay in competition. Sometimes players who haven’t been playing much get a chance in the competition, so we’ll be doing it for the whole squad.
“The FA Cup is a big thing and we want to win all of the games we play in.”
While a run to the FA Cup semi-finals and Ipswich’s first trip to the new Wembley Stadium is incredibly unlikely, the Trophy represents a more realistic route to the national stadium.
Edwards has played at Wembley before, though, coming off the bench for loan club Exeter in the 2018 League Two play-off final against Coventry.
The Grecians lost 3-1 that day, with Edwards netting a late consolation. The winger would love to be on the winning side the next time he plays under the famous arch.
“It was back with Exeter,” said Edwards, reflecting on his Wembley goal, which saw him cut in from the left flank and fire home with his right foot.
“It was a very good moment but, even though we lost that day, it’s a memory that will stay with me forever.
“A goal at Wembley, nobody can take that away from me so that is a very proud moment for me.
“The Trophy is a really good chance for us to get there. Everyone wants to get there because Wembley is a big day out for the fans, so if we can push on in the competition to get there then we’ll be over the moon.”
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