‘Definitely’- Dennis Cirkin confident Sunderland can win FA Cup
Sunderland defender Dennis Cirkin is confident the Black Cats can win the FA Cup this season.
Regis Le Bris‘ side scraped past Championship relegation-strugglers Oxford United on Sunday, with Habib Diarra’s 32nd-minute penalty the only goal of the game.
Sunderland don’t yet know who they’ll play in the fifth round, however, as they were drawn as the away side against either one of Port Vale or Bristol City, with that game having been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
Whichever one of those two it is, the Black Cats will be confident of victory and progression into the quarter-final, which at that point, Wearsiders may truly start believing that their side can lift the trophy at Wembley.
What Dennis Cirkin has said about Sunderland’s FA Cup chances
It goes without saying that Sunderland will need to be better than their performance against Oxford if they are to get their hands on the trophy.
However, cup competition is just all about winning the game of football in any way you can, and that’s what Le Bris’ side did in testing conditions at the Kassam Stadium.
So, with Sunderland sitting 11th in the Premier League and in possession of a playing squad laden with quality players, they certainly aren’t without a chance of winning the FA Cup this year.
Their fifth round draw, whichever one of Port Vale or Bristol City it will be, is a favourable tie for the Black Cats, and offers them a big opportunity to make the last eight of the competition.
And, speaking in an interview via The Northern Echo, Cirkin certainly feels that there is enough quality and belief within the group to go on and create history in the competition this season.
“There’s definitely a feeling we can give it [the FA Cup] a good go, 100 per cent,” Cirkin said.
“That has definitely been emphasised in our meetings, just to make sure there’s no underestimating what this is and how much of a chance we have this year.
“The emphasis is there, and I think these cup games provide an opportunity for us. Obviously, we want to get to the final, we want to try and win it.
“And a lot of us lads can do the job and are happy to be getting the opportunities.”
Cirkin is using FA Cup run to make strong contract case
It’s looking like an uncertain few months ahead for Cirkin as a Sunderland player, with his contract set to expire this summer.
The 23-year-old left-back played a big part in Sunderland’s promotion-winning campaign last season, making 36 Championship appearances and starting each of the three play-off matches.
However, the full-back has been limited to just eight appearances in all competitions this term, with two of those coming in the FA Cup.
But, he played excellently in their third round win over Everton, and was another one of Sunderland’s top performers against Oxford, so he could certainly do with the team going even further in the competition for the sake of his playing time.
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