Wise: We may never have a chance like this again

By Stephen Eighteen
April 2 2004

The Lions will not get a better chance of making history than this Sunday’s FA Cup Semi-Final, according to player-boss Dennis Wise.

A first ever UEFA Cup place and FA Cup Final appearance awaits the winners of the Old Trafford showdown with Sunderland this Sunday.
The Lions have beaten Sunderland twice in the league this season, and though Wise believes his side will go in as underdogs, he insists that now represents a great opportunity to face either Manchester United or Arsenal in Cardiff on May 22.
He said: “If you look at the situation, we’re 90 minutes away from being in Europe, and also being in a cup final.
“These lads don’t realise we may never have a chance like this again. It only comes round once in a blue moon, and you’ve got to take it, you really have, because it’s their chance to show everyone what they can do.
“You can say as much as you like, but deep down inside it’s up to them. You can give them as much encouragement, you can help them in many ways, but on the day you’ve got to go out and enjoy it.
“The only way you can do that is by winning, and by putting in 110 per cent and by coming off the field thinking I couldn’t have put any more in, and if every single one goes out there and does that, I’m sure we’ll win.
“But we are underdogs because they’ve got a lot more experienced players in this than us, so we are slightly underdogs, although we’ve beaten them twice this year.”
The three-time FA Cup winner feels that a victory against Sunderland will dwarf his achievement of gaining his first trophy with giant-killers Wimbledon in 1988.
“It would be better than that if we got past Sunderland, but obviously they’re sitting in our way. We’re not going up there to have a nice day out. We can have a nice day out if we get to the final.
“We’re going out there to beat them, and if any of the lads are getting on the bus thinking it’s a day out and not that we’re going to win, I’d rather them not get on the bus, and I’m sure there’ll all be focussed on what we want to do, which is to win.”
Wise went on to add that he would like to achieve something this season to give Richard Sadlier a worthy benefit match.
“Sads has missed out on things, and it’s sad because he was such a talent and it was disappointing because you wanted him to be part of it because it’s his testimonial this season, and it would be nice if we were to achieve something where he’d get a nice pay off.
“I mean that in the nicest possible way. We could maybe come back here in front of a full house and be playing someone for his benefit.”