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The PNE man was on the score sheet as Paul Heckingbottom’s side knocked out Burnley in round five
Preston North End striker Will Keane clinched his side’s spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals and is now relishing Sunday’s big occasion.
The Lilywhites host Aston Villa in the last eight of the famous competition. Paul Heckingbottom’s side are the only non-Premier League side left in the hat, having knocked out Burnley, Wycombe and Charlton - all at Deepdale - in the previous rounds.
Keane tucked home the third goal against the Clarets as Preston stormed to a 3-0 victory over their Lancashire rivals. He feels manager Paul Heckingbottom’s attitude towards all cup games has been refreshing this season.
Will Keane celebratesWill Keane celebrates
Will Keane celebrates | AFP
“I think it has,” said Keane, on Thursday afternoon. “From day one, he told us the importance of it and even in the earlier games, it’s an opportunity for lads to try and make their mark on the team. The further you progress, we know what’s in front of us.
“You get that one step closer and there’s a great prize to get through to Wembley, potentially. We have not wanted to over-build it up. We’ve just treated it the same as any other game in terms of preparation, but we know it’s different to typical league games and we can’t wait for it.”
While North End have tried to keep the approach throughout the week as similar to usual, Keane admits there has been an added buzz in and among the squad. Picturing a trip to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final with Preston is a difficult thing to avoid for him.
“You’ve got to have that in your head because in order to achieve it, you’ve got to believe it is possible,” said the striker. “So to visualise that, we are obviously not going to get too carried away and look beyond Sunday, but knowing that’s what would await if we get a victory is amazing.
“We saw in the last round, the atmosphere... it definitely helps the lads when it’s like that and when you can get positive results, it just makes it that bit more special when you see the fans there in full voice. It’s a great fortress when it’s a full house.
“It’s obviously been a long time since we got to this point; we’ve got to try and enjoy it and make the most of it. It is a chance to try and leave our own bit of history at the club. It’s probably made a few lads look into it and realise how much tradition and history the club has got.”
“We need to be clinical.”
Keane, if he gets the nod on Sunday afternoon, will be up against some tough centre-backs - whether it’s England international Ezri Konsa, the experienced Tyrone Mings or Spaniard Pau Torres. Villa have shown a vulnerability at times this season and North End have been looking closely at how they can try to find a moment in the final third.
“Yeah, just like we would analyse any team,” said Keane. “We know they’ve got plenty of strengths and not many weaknesses probably, but we look into that with a lot of detail and the areas we can potentially cause them issues. We know there might not be many moments in the game where we get the opportunity to do that, so when we do we need to be clinical and take them.”
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