West Ham assistant manager Billy McKinlay says they’re in the FA Cup to win it.
The Hammers open their campaign tomorrow against Bristol City.
McKinlay said: “Bristol City will be a really difficult game. I don’t think we will underestimate anybody here. We’ve had difficult games against Championship teams in the past few seasons in the cup competitions, and this will also be a challenging game.
“We know they’re on a good run of form and it will be a difficult game, but it’s one we’re looking forward to as well.
“Liam Manning was at West Ham United during our first spell with the Club and he did a good job with the U23s. He’s moved on and had a couple of managerial jobs now, and he’s done well.
“He’s not long been at Bristol City and he’s been finding his way, and they’ve hit some form in the last few games. I expect he’ll be looking forward to coming back here after spending some time here as a coach and it will be good to see him.
“The FA Cup third round is a really important date in the calendar. It’s been so important to English football for such a long time and we’re excited for it. It’ll be a big day, and I think we’ve got close to a full house at London Stadium.
“The team will be backed, as usual, by the West Ham support coming to cheer on their team. They’ll want to see a good performance and a good result.
“We take the FA Cup really seriously. It’s a huge competition in English football and it’s a competition that West Ham United last won in 1980 and last reached the final of in 2006. It’s a significant competition and we all take it seriously.
“Hopefully we can have a decent run. We’ve had some good runs in cup competitions in the last couple of years, and hopefully we can go far in this competition too.”
