Middlesbrough: Michael Carrick’s verdict on Exeter Carabao Cup draw
MICHAEL Carrick is excited about Middlesbrough’s Carabao Cup fourth round trip to Exeter City – but has made it clear his side won’t underestimate their League One hosts.
Boro’s reward for their comfortable victory at Bradford City is a trip to St James Park to face one of only three teams from the bottom two divisions still left in the League Cup.
There’s no getting away from the fact it’s a huge opportunity for Boro to reach the quarters finals of the League Cup for the first time since the 2018/19 season, but Exeter will be no pushover.
Gary Caldwell’s side are sixth in League One and sent Premier League Luton Town packing to book their place in the fourth round.
“We’re delighted to be in the draw. That’s all you can do, put yourself in the draw and see what’s thrown at us,” said Carrick.
“The draw is the draw, I don’t want to say it’s a good draw or not a good draw. They’ve proved what they’re capable of, beating Luton.
“It will be a long journey for the supporters and a few days before Plymouth, which is challenging in itself but for us it’s a good game, we’re in the next round of the cup. We’ll look forward to it.”
As mentioned by Carrick, Boro face a mammoth week of travelling, facing Exeter on Tuesday, October 31 before heading for Plymouth four days later.
But there’ll be no complaints from Carrick, who has welcomed the boost that cup wins have provided so far this season. Although Boro endured a difficult start in the Championship, not winning their first game until last Saturday, they’ve made relatively comfortable work of their cup outings, beating Huddersfield and Bolton before swatting Bradford aside.
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The cup ties have also handed Carrick the opportunity to give crucial match minutes to those on the fringes and experiment with one or two things.
Carrick said: “Winning games is great, whatever competition and level.
“We’ve changed the team a bit and freshened things up. It’s important to feel everyone has a part to play.
“For me staying in the competition as long as we can and seeing where we can go is important, and we have the squad to do it.”
Asked whether he wanted a draw like Exeter or a glamour tie against a Premier League club, Carrick said: “We just try to win games. There’s the magic and the fairytale side of getting one of the big teams but it’s about focusing on the next game and trying to win it.
“It’s a new challenge, I’ll look forward to it.”
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