David Moyes has insisted his approach to this season’s FA Cup will not change simply because West Ham are prospering in the Premier League.
The Hammers travel to National League Stockport in the third round on Monday evening in good form having established themselves in 10th place in the top flight after a creditable run of results.
However, Moyes is adamant that their relative comfort does not provide him with a platform to mount a serious challenge for cup glory without having to worry about any resulting impact on the league campaign.
He said: “You take it as an insult when someone says, ‘Are you going to go for the cup this year?’. Every year, I’ve gone for the cup, never once have I not gone for it. Nothing would give me more pleasure than winning the cup.
“Sometimes you go up against better teams and yes, you do need to use your squad players and yes, sometimes we need to use other players.
“But all our first team players will be there. We might need to fill one or two spaces with some young players because of Covid, etcetera, behind the scenes, but apart from that, we will be going with all our players.”
The trip to Edgeley Park might have been a more testing prospect for the top-fight outfit had a passionate home crowd been allowed to attend the game, a classic David and Goliath FA Cup third-round tie.
The Hatters sit in fourth place in the fifth tier with three games in hand on second-placed Hartlepool and while promotion may be their priority, Moyes knows they will be out to enjoy their big day even if the stadium is empty.
He said: “It’s a big night for Stockport, a big game for them, Monday night under the lights, television there – it’s the sort of game you really want at that level.
“Stockport’s main ambition will to be get out of the Conference and back into the EFL. But a good run in the cup…
“Unfortunately for Stockport, they can’t fill the stadium with supporters, but certainly the television money will help Stockport in the future and be something they are grateful for.”
