FA Cup still a marquee competition, says Tottenham's Postecoglou

LONDON : Ange Postecoglou is a huge fan of the FA Cup and its potential for shocks but will hope his Tottenham Hotspur side can avoid becoming the fall guys in what would be the biggest story of the third round when they travel to fifth-tier Tamworth on Sunday.

Australian Postecoglou will rotate his injury-stretched squad at the Lamb Ground with several youngsters likely to get a chance to impress but insists there is no chance his side will fall into the trap of under-estimating their opponents.

While the world's oldest domestic Cup competition has lost some of its lustre according to some, traditionalist Postecoglou says it remains a special competition.

"I still think it's a really important competition. It includes pretty much every tier of football and there's always great story lines within it," he told reporters on Friday.

"There have been already such stories in the early rounds of the cup and we are meeting a side that has come through the early rounds. I still think Cup Final day is a marquee day on the global football calendar.

"I feel like it's a really important tournament that maintains the right kind of traditions. Certainly in my eyes, I see it as a very important part of the calendar."

The FA Cup begins with qualifying rounds in August when amateur sides from the lowest rungs of the English soccer ladder set out in the search for glory and a chance to measure themselves against Premier League household names.

Tamworth entered the competition at the fourth qualifying round stage and beat Macclesfield. They then got past former FA Cup winners Huddersfield in the first round proper and set up a prized third-round clash at home to Tottenham by beating local rivals Burton Albion on penalties.

They are 16th in the