Boreham Wood boss Luke Garrard will not stop his players swapping shirts with Everton’s – because he has his eye on Frank Lampard’s clobber.
Vanarama National League side Wood have beaten AFC Wimbledon and Bournemouth to earn a dream FA Cup fifth-round trip to Goodison Park.
Many lower-league managers clamp down on their players exchanging shirts with top-flight sides, claiming it shows the opposition too much respect.
But Garrard is having none of that, especially after defender and Toffees fan Kane Smith memorably celebrated on the pitch at Bournemouth with a replica shirt of his hero, former Everton full-back Tony Hibbert.
“I’m taking Frank Lampard’s shirt off his back! His zippy, his ball. I’m getting everything,” Garrard said.
“Seriously, though. This isn’t too much respect. We’ve done our analysis on them. So the respect’s there. Hugely. I’m not foolish in any way, shape, or form. They are unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.
“These are international players playing week in week out the highest level. So trust me, there’s a huge respect.
“But we go there with a purpose, we go there with a job. And if we can implement our game plan, we will cause them problems. But we need to be lucky. And sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.
“Through this cup run we’ve been lucky. It’s been really simple – working hard and working together as a team and riding our luck. And if we can do that on Thursday night, we have a chance.”
Garrard revealed Toffees counterpart Lampard sent him his congratulations after they sealed their trip to Merseyside.
“He texted me after the Bournemouth game and I think he’s a class individual,” he added.
“Just to have the luxury of five minutes with him before the match or potentially an hour afterwards, I’m really looking forward to it.
“We can all talk about his playing career, which is amazing: Champions League winner, what he achieved with England, and obviously his managerial career, but to do what he did for me was incredible and shows you the measure of the man.
“It was just on a coach-to-coach level. He wanted to congratulate us on our result at Bournemouth and say that he was looking forward to welcoming us to Goodison.
I think the closest I’ve managed to get to this has been playing on FIFA
“It was just a real nice message which you don’t expect from a Premier League manager.”
Right-back Smith, 26, was plying his trade for Southern League outfit Hitchin Town just five years ago.
“Did I ever dream of playing at a Premier League ground then? No, honestly,” he said.
“I think especially in the FA Cup, at Hitchin Town’s level you start at the second qualifying round. And to get to the third round you’ve got to play something like five games. So that’s hard in itself.
“But obviously to get to the fifth round, I’ve never ever dreamed about that. I think the closest I’ve managed to get to this has been playing on FIFA.”
