Bernard McNally: Stage set for Shrewsbury Town to grab the limelight

I’m really excited for Sunday’s FA Cup tie with West Ham. It will be good to see my old team-mate David Moyes at the Meadow, as well as Joe Hart, hopefully, in goal!

I think the Shrewsbury players and staff have their eyes firmly fixed on it. I’m hoping West Ham look at it and think ‘we could do without this’.

It could be that potential banana skin. Hopefully Town go into the game away from the league pressure of three points and enjoy the occasion.

Football being football it always throws up Cup defeats and hopefully we can continue the form we have shown this season, which has been tremendous.

It was fantastic, from our point of view, to hear that David Moyes has said Premier League survival may take priority over the FA Cup.

West Ham fans will not be happy to hear that. It puts a little bit of pressure on their team and Dave.

Let’s face it, these are Premier League players. If he rests a few and puts some in, they are still expected to win.

But he must be saying that West Ham cannot take Shrewsbury lightly, you cannot go into tie side thinking ‘we’ll be alright because we’re Premier League players’.

Town’s league position will be a warning enough, and they took 10 points from 12 over the festive period. Moyes will be worried that if they take the game lightly they will come undone. They have to be on their game. Moyes knows players at the lower level will raise their game 10 per cent, give more effort because of the occasion.

We had the Cup run against Leicester in 1982. That was a great one and I remember fondly, it finished 5-2 in the end and we had three goalkeepers.

It was quite an eventful day, it was pouring with rain and then there’s the final results. I think Gary Lineker’s said it was the most eventful game he’d ever played in.

They had to use three goalkeepers with two goings off injured. It was eventful and great to be involved in. These Cup games are a welcome distraction for players. The lads have done fantastic with the pressure over the last half of the season and Christmas – this will be a welcome distraction.

It will be interesting for Joe Hart, he’s still got family in Shrewsbury. It just shows how in football – even though Joe’s been an England keeper – he’s had a slight fall from grace in the last 12 months or so.

He is going to try and pick himself up. I know the Shrewsbury fans would like to see him in goal

Being on television is an added bonus. Let’s face it, we’ve all got a little bit of vanity in us to some degree. You want to see yourself on the screen, they will be recording the game – I would if I was playing anyway!