The Blades entertain Port Vale on Tuesday in the opening Round of the Carling Cup. Despite appearing over 130 times for the Tigers, Blades midfielder Ryan France had no real good Cup runs in his long period at the KC Stadium. Last season he featured for the East Yorkshire outfit against the Blades in an FA Cup Replay in Hull, which ended 2:1 to Phil Brown's side due to an inexplicable linesman's decision.
Ryan is pushing for a start against Micky Adams' contingent Tuesday evening. He said: "We didn't do too well in the Cups at Hull. In fact, last season was the first time we got past the 3rd Round (First Round for Hull and the Blades), and then we eventually went on to play Sheffield United. I've not had the best experiences of Cup football, but it would be nice to have a good run this year."
Cup games are sometimes not taken as serious as in previous years due to other commitments for clubs around the leagues, such as promotion or survival. But France believes it can only be good for himself and the squad for Cup ties to be arising. He finished:
"I don't think it's an hindrance playing in the Cups. I think it gives the players the chance to impress. Everyone wants to play as many games as possible."