Brighton captain Lewis Dunk is satisfied his “completely different” facet have what it takes to proper the wrongs of their final FA Cup semi-final look and go all the way in which at Wembley.
Sunday’s 5-0 victory over League Two facet Grimsby assured Albion of simply their third journey to the ultimate 4, with the Seagulls now set to face Manchester United on the weekend of April 22-23.
Dunk is without doubt one of the solely Brighton gamers with recollections of their final try to achieve the ultimate – a 1-0 loss to eventual winners Manchester City in 2019 – and is relishing the prospect of tying up unfinished enterprise.
He informed the membership’s official web site: “We’ve been there before and had a great feeling, but leaving Wembley, losing, it’s not a nice feeling. So we’re going there to get ourselves to the final and one step further than last time.
“There’s not many left from that squad. But (now) you’ve got boys that are playing in World Cups and big occasions, so it’s a game of football that we are going to make sure we try and win.”
Brighton completed two factors away from relegation within the 2018-19 season, the final marketing campaign they made it this far within the FA Cup, whereas they now sit seventh within the Premier League and face the real prospect of qualifying for European soccer subsequent season.
Their solely different semi-final look was in 1982-83, when the Seagulls ultimately reached the trophy contest however completed runners-up to Manchester United in a replay, Gordon Smith writing himself into membership lore after narrowly failing to attain a would-be winner within the first match.
This Brighton facet, that includes World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister and Japan worldwide Kaoru Mitoma, who has netted or been concerned with a purpose in every of his 4 FA Cup appearances, has a distinctly-different really feel.
“I think it’s a completely different squad,” added Dunk. “I think we’re in a completely different place as a club, as a group. I think we’re better than we were back then and we’d like to go there and show what we’re about.
“Leading out the team at Wembley is a privilege for me, I’m lucky to to it twice but I want to be on the winning side next time, walking out in the final and winning that.”
Grimsby boss Paul Hurst, whose membership have received a windfall £558,000 in prize cash alone and have been simply the fifth tier-four outfit to achieve an FA Cup quarter-final, stated of his facet: “They’ve now brought a spotlight onto Grimsby Town Football Club, given the supporters some special moments.
“It’s helped show a lot of people and it might help moving forward in terms of recruitment. The biggest plus is the financial reward should really help the football club and whatever that is spent on it can only help.
“That will be a decision for the owners to make, but I genuinely don’t care what it is as long as it improves the football club. That’s what I want to see happen.”