Only our best will be good enough
Reporter: MATTHEW CHAMBERS
Date published: 30 January 2012
‘We need to be professional about it; we know exactly what is at stake’
ZANDER Diamond has urged his team-mates to give absolutely everything tonight.
The former Aberdeen centre-back has plenty of experience of playing on a big stage north of the border and is appealing for total professionalism from Athletic as they take a shot at glory in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
Chesterfield, holding a one-goal advantage from the first leg, stand between Athletic and a place at Wembley for the JPT final at the end of March.
And Diamond is stressing that Athletic need to be at their best to get through.
“Form goes out of window in cup games and this is a cup final,” said the 26-year-old, absent from the club’s last two fixtures after suffering a freak neck injury.
“The two teams will go hammer and tong to try to get into the final.
“If it is meant to be, it is meant to be. But we need to make sure we don’t come off the park with what-ifs and feeling sorry for ourselves.
“We need to be professional about it and as players, we know exactly what is at stake.
“There is an immense prize at the end. You watch cup finals being played at the end of the season and it is always a great occasion at Wembley.
“But we are under no illusions as to how tough it is going to be.
“Chesterfield have brought in one or two players who have shored up areas in which they were lacking and it is credit to their manager John Sheridan for doing that.
“It will be a very difficult game. Everyone said when the draw came out, that they were bottom of the division and it was a good tie for us. But they are not a bad team.
“We went there in early January in the league and then in the first leg and found them to be a tough team who have a way of playing which makes it hard for the opposition.
“We will need to be on our guard and take our chances when they come.”
Diamond missed out on playing in the first leg after colliding with team-mate Matt Smith in the warm-up at the B2net Stadium.
Concussion, a loss of feeling and whiplash-like injuries puts his participation tonight in doubt.
But if Diamond can’t play, he has plenty of faith in the abilities of teenage understudy James Tarkowski.
“They usually say that these things happen in football, but it is very rare that it does,” he recalled.impact
“I can remember the initial impact but not falling to ground, so there was a concern in that respect.
“When you start seeing stretchers and neck braces it can look worse than it is.
“Initially I couldn’t feel anything, but I was discharged from hospital after around four hours.
“So I didn’t see the Chesterfield game, but from what I read Tarky did well and he followed up by putting in a very assured performance against Exeter.
“He has done extremely well. I am happy for the lad. He is very hard-working and he retains a lot of information for such a young boy. That is crucial.
“He is not scared to shout either, which is important for a centre-back.
“It gives the manager food for thought, because Clarkey (Nathan Clarke) was in on loan, but we have a young boy here champing at the bit.
“From day one since I came here, he has done the right things, but has been unfortunate with injuries.
“It is great for Tarky and great for us to have him challenging myself and Jean-Yves (Mvoto).”
