Crystal Palace players chasing FA Cup semi-final places, says Alan Pardew
Saturday 16 April 2016 23:28, UK
Alan Pardew says FA Cup semi-final places will be up for grabs when Crystal Palace go to Arsenal on Super Sunday.
Palace currently enjoy a relatively healthy eight-point cushion to the Premier League relegation zone but Pardew wants the club's safety secured before their last-four FA Cup showdown with Watford.
Pardew believes his players will be buoyed up by the April 24 FA Cup clash rather than distracted, and is hoping for a sterling showing at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
For me as a player I was playing hard to stay in the team then. I've tried to create that here by threatening a few players with that game.
The 54-year-old grabbed the extra-time winner in Palace's memorable 4-3 semi-final victory over Liverpool in 1990, and cannot recall his own league form suffering during that FA Cup run.
"You might say the FA Cup's lost a bit of its glamour because of the Champions League, but I don't think it was any bigger back then in the players' minds, I think it was the same," said Pardew.
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"For me as a player, I was playing hard to stay in the team then. I've tried to create that here by threatening a few players with that game.
Live Ford Super Sunday
"And I expect to see that on Sunday at Arsenal and see that on Wednesday against United, players fighting to play in that semi-final.
"I'm the sort of person the way I played I would never pull out of challenges with another match in mind and I won't accept that.
"And I don't think anyone would do that. It's just instinct for them, the ball's there they are going to go for it.
"The cup run is definitely focusing the minds. I think we were more vulnerable to this discussion a couple of weeks ago than we are now.
"For us and Watford, one of us is going to hurt and one's really going to come alive. So we really want to be that team that comes alive."
