Port Vale manager Jon Brady admitted his side’s impressive FA Cup run has created challenges during their relegation battle, even as they celebrated a memorable 1-0 over Sunderland to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1954.
Port Vale secured their spot thanks to a 28th-minute header from Ben Waine. The goal came from the home side’s only effort on target but proved enough to eliminate the Premier League visitors.
Despite the historic result, Brady acknowledged that the extended cup run adds pressure to an already demanding schedule as the club attempt to climb away from the bottom of League One.
“It’s a bit of a pain in the bum, to be honest,” Brady said.
“It is really because what it’s doing for us is adding to our fixture list and as you saw we lost one of our best centre-halves [Cam Humphreys] and we haven’t got the size of the squad to cope with the amount of games at the moment.
“It’s a privilege, but it’s tough as well.”
Port Vale remain 11 points from safety despite an improvement in performances since Brady replaced Darren Moore earlier this year. However, the victory over Sunderland provided a major boost in morale during a difficult campaign.
With potential quarter-final opponents including Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, Brady insisted his attention remains fixed on the league.
“I wouldn’t have a clue because I’m thinking about Bradford City on Wednesday,” he said.
For Sunderland, the defeat ended hopes of reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2014. Head coach Regis Le Bris admitted his side fell short in key moments.
“I was really disappointed,” Le Bris said.
“We went strong with the ambition to win, with the knowledge as well that it was a tough challenge because of the challenge here, with the crowd, the team fully involved, full credit them.
“In this competition, it’s more about mindset, fighting spirit, rather than the tactical or technical qualities, and probably we were not consistent enough. I think some of the players were at their level, but especially to create situations today, we were not good enough.
“I don’t think we were complacent. It’s not my feeling. It’s more about the ability to reset.”
