3/1 To Win
Wayne Rooney has stressed Derby County will not be taking their Emirates FA Cup Third Round tie at Chorley lightly.
Derby will begin their involvement in the 2020/21 FA Cup with a trip north to take on the National League North outfit on Saturday (12:15pm kick-off).
Chorley are currently tenth in the sixth tier and have won three of their last five matches, although they did taste defeat last time out with a 4-0 loss at promotion-chasing Fylde.
Rooney, who is currently leading Derby’s coaching team while the club waits to appoint a new permanent manager, is aware of Chorley’s threat after they defeated League 1 sides Wigan Athletic and Peterborough United in the previous rounds.
The 35-year-old, an FA Cup winner with Manchester United in 2016, has made it clear he would like the Rams to embark on a run in the competition this time around.
“It is a massive competition; the tradition of the cup is huge,” Rooney told RamsTV.
“I loved going to Wembley as a fan to watch the FA Cup games and obviously played in a few finals and won the competition as well at Manchester United.
“We won’t be taking the Chorley game lightly, it’s a competition we will give the respect it deserves so we will try and go on a cup run.”
Rooney has made it clear that Derby need to be on their game at Victory Park.
He knows the cup can be a great leveller, regardless of the level clubs find themselves at.
Considering Chorley’s giant-killing acts already this season, Rooney isn’t taking anything for granted.
He said: “The game won’t be an easy one.
“I have played in many games like that over the years and we have to respect our opponents and respect the competition.
“For the fans, they are obviously not here, but hopefully we can give them a good cup run.”
