BHA’s Will Buckley on the upcoming Liverpool game
If this weekend’s FA Cup fifth round tie at Anfield is still level in the dying seconds, there is probably one player Albion fans would like to see bearing down on goal more than most. Will Buckley has become synonymous with last-gasp winners this season, and it was his shot in the latter stages of the fourth round tie against Newcastle that crashed in off Magpies defender Mike Williamson to send the Amex into delirium.
Not surprisingly, Buckley says it’s a habit he could get used to: “To score in the last minute of any game is unbelievable.
“To bring Newcastle to the Amex was fantastic, but to win the game was even better for the players and the fans.”
As incredible a night as that was, it still won’t top his injury-time winner in the season opener against Doncaster, Buckley reveals: “A few 90th minute winners have been special, but nothing will beat the first game of the season for me.”
Looking ahead to Liverpool, Buckley says the Seagulls will take confidence from their performance against the Reds in the Carling Cup third round last September: “The result might not have been the right one, but we played some good football and if we play as well we’ll certainly have half a chance.”
Of course, Buckley is well aware that the last time the Seagulls beat Newcastle in the FA Cup (in 1983) they went on to beat Liverpool at Anfield and made it all the way to the final, but he refuses to look too far ahead: “It’s a massive fifth round tie and anything can happen once you get that far. We’ll just be looking to cause them a few problems, enjoy it and see what happens from there.”
He admits that his game has come on “100 per cent” since joining from Watford in the summer, and gives most of the credit to manager Gus Poyet’s possession-based brand of football: “It’s not just going gung-ho forward all the time; the way we keep the ball gives me a chance to move about and get into some good spaces.
“When I first arrived it took a few weeks to get used to. Now everyone’s pulling in the same direction you can tell it’s much better and we are definitely benefiting from that style of play.”
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Words: Nick Norton
