At Brighton this week, it had been suggested the club supply fans with special flags to give Saturday a proper sense of occasion, but this was rejected by manager Fabian Hurzeler and the wider staff. They want the players to treat this FA Cup quarter-final at home to Nottingham Forest as if it’s just another home game. That tends to be an attitude more conducive to actually winning, especially when you can sense the excitement building around the training ground.
Brighton are far from the only club wrestling with such competing emotions this weekend, because the majority of those left in the FA Cup are keenly aware this isn’t just another game. It’s a historic, and maybe unique, opportunity.
