THE nation's gaze is on the FA Cup this weekend and there is certainly a real buzz around Bootham Crescent as we look forward to welcoming Barnsley on Sunday.

It will be a massive test for us. Barnsley are playing well and riding high in Division Two.

We have had them watched a couple of times and they are a hard-working outfit but we have nothing to fear or lose and it promises to be an entertaining game.

It is another Yorkshire derby too and with Barnsley promising to bring a couple of thousand fans it should make for a cracking cup-tie atmosphere.

We have home advantage and have always performed well in the FA Cup while I have been at the club, so hopefully that form will continue on Sunday.

A few people have been asking whether our match preparations have had to change because the tie is on a Sunday and not the traditional Saturday.

The straight answer is no, not really. It doesn't really change anything apart from the fact it can be a bit strange on Saturday.

We will train on Saturday morning as if it is a Friday and the routine won't change.

After training, I'll take advantage of a free afternoon to take in a game.

The players will be resting up and no doubt watching Sky Sports Soccer Saturday and seeing the results come in.

That can be quite a strange feeling and a bit bizarre for a footballer. I had to do it last season when I broke my cheekbone and I didn't enjoy it.

You start to realise then what it would be like to be out of football.

To be honest, I've not played that many games on a Sunday. It is something that has crept more and more into the game since the arrival of Sky Television.

When I was at Burnley they often use to cover our derby games with Preston and they were always Sunday games.

You normally find you got a better crowd on a Sunday, for whatever reason, and hopefully it will be the same at Bootham Crescent.

It is always a bit strange after a Sunday game.

On a Saturday, you normally start looking out for the other results straight away.

That won't happen this weekend but the good thing for us is that the draw for the second round is on Sunday on BBC1, just prior to our match with Barnsley kicking-off.

At least we know we are already definitely in the hat and we should know who we will face in round two.

Players don't need any extra motivation in the FA Cup, but if the carrot of another home game is there it could certainly sharpen minds and add a bit more spice with our fate laid out before us.

As I have said before, even though we are at home there is certainly no pressure on us because the pressure is always on the team from the higher division.

I think we just have to go out and give a good account of ourselves.

For at least three-quarters of the games at home this season we have done that and if we can keep performing like that we have a realistic chance of progressing.

Updated: 10:23 Thursday, November 06, 2003