Up For The Cup

Glen Johnson and Brent Rahim are included in the squad to face Chesterfield in the Worthington Cup second round on Tuesday evening, while Fredi Kanoute misses the trip, still unsure how long he will be out for after sustaining a groin injury at Chelsea on Saturday.

Glenn Roeder insists he is taking the competition seriously and explains: "We are preparing like we would do against a Premiership team. We have given Chesterfield the respect they deserve, having watched them three times the way we watch Premiership sides, and they are in a purple patch at the moment, playing out of their skins.

"It will be a very tough game but it is a game the players are all looking forward to, as you can imagine - there is no one wanting to miss this game.

"The Worthington Cup is an important competition, and at a time when football needs money in my opinion it would be wrong not to give it the respect it deserves.

"Apart from Fredi it is a full strength squad that we are going up there with."

Squad: James, Van der Gouw, Forde, Schemmel, Repka, Dailly, Winterburn, Breen, Cole, Sinclair, Cisse, Carrick, Minto, Garcia, Di Canio, Lomas, Rahim, Defoe, Camara, Johnson.