Kevin Nolan has revealed he is trying to keep pre-match preparations as normal as possible for Notts County amid the increased media interest ahead of their televised FA Cup second-round meeting with Oxford City.
The game has been moved to a 12:30pm kickoff and will be broadcast on BT Sport as the high-flying Magpies take on the National League South side, who beat Colchester United in the first round of the competition.
Nolan is well aware that the disparity in league positions between the two teams has led to people "expecting us to win" but is also aware that complacency will lead to "one big bite on the bum".
βItβs another game, itβs the next one thatβs on the fixture list," Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "Weβre on BT, so thatβs a bit of difference β shall we say the glamour that brings, a lot more media stuff to do and lots more things to be involved in.
βWeβre trying to keep it as normal as possible for the lads and keep everything the same so they know how important this is moving forward, making sure that we apply ourselves in the right manner to get through to the next round.
βIf we donβt, and these have already beaten a good side in Colchester, who we all saw last week and are more than capable, and are going to be good in this division taking us right to the wire. For them to have that scalp already β theyβll coming here with no fear, to enjoy the experience.
βA lot of it is going to be a lot different to what it normally is on a match day. What my lads canβt do is be distracted by that, or get taken away from the actual thing which is the football game and thatβs what everyone is here for β for the football game.
βWeβve got to make sure that we remain focused on solely that. Enjoy all the rest of it, but at the front of your mind is what goes on, on Saturday afternoon at 12:30pm. Itβs about making sure what we do and if we do that, Iβm very confident we can be in the next round.
βEveryoneβs expecting us to win, I know thatβs not the reality. If we apply ourselves, if we play to the best of our abilities and the way we have then it gives us a fantastic opportunity of getting through to the next round. If we donβt, weβll be in for one big bite on the bum. Every one of them will be on the top of their game, theyβll be raring to go.β
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