Tranmere Rovers’ teenage striker Terry Gornell has FA Cup fever ahead of tie against Leyton Orient

Nov 6 2009 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Echo

TERRY GORNELL reckons FA Cup week has brought a fresh sense of excitement into the Tranmere dressing room.

The 19-year-old striker says Rovers can forget their struggles near the foot of the League One table for a few days and sees the first round tie against Leyton Orient at Prenton Park tomorrow as an opportunity to start a Cup adventure.

“The FA Cup is a massive thing for me and I think it is the same for a lot of the lads here,” Gornell said.

“Once the draw is made you begin to get the feeling of excitement. All week in training the mood is different.

“No matter how well or how badly you are doing in the league, you know this is a different type of game – and you just don't know where the FA Cup might take you.”

Gornell may be in only his second year as a professional at Prenton Park but he can remember, as a member of the school of excellence set-up, being taken to watch Tranmere's FA Cup fourth round win at Everton in 2001.

“That's still a vivid memory for me,” Gornell said.

“For us to beat Everton 3-0 at Goodison was a huge upset but it seemed anything was possible in those days.

“A few weeks later I was at Prenton Park when we came back from 3-0 down at half-time to beat Southampton 4-3.

“Everyone gets so fired-up by the FA Cup and everyone is looking forward to the game.”

Gornell made his FA Cup debut last season, twice coming off the bench to make substitute appearances in the second round ties against Peterborough United.

Rovers lost in extra-time of the replay at Prenton Park.

The youngster from Liverpool has notched more than 20 appearances since turning professional at the start of last season.

Caretaker manager Les Parry gave Gornell a starting role in the recent games against Stockport, Brighton and Hartlepool and a 30 minute run as a substitute in last weekend's 4-1 defeat to Swindon.

His hard running style is being harnessed in a 4-3-3 system designed to cut down the number of goals Tranmere were conceding in the early part of the campaign.

Gornell said: “I had a taste of this kind of role in the pre-season games of 2008, when Ronnie Moore was trying out a 4-3-3 formation.

“It's a different kind of role for me but the system was working pretty well until the Swindon game.

“There's a lot of defensive work for the front players to do and Les let us know what we had to do from the first day.”

Rovers have a fitness concern over centre-back Ian Goodison and right-back Shaleum Logan. Parry describes Goodison as a “major doubt” as the defensive strongman battles to overcome a stiff neck. Logan has a groin strain. Ash Taylor can expect to be put on stand-by to play alongside Marlon Broomes at the heart of the defence if Goodison fails to pull through.