Joey Barton: I won't watch FA Cup draw but my Fleetwood team deserve their place
He said: “I usually play five -a-side on a Monday with my pals. I’ll probably forget the draw is on. I think I’ve watched it once in my career.
“I’d prefer a very easy game at Highbury but is there such a thing in the FA Cup?
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Hide Ad“There is no point wishing we can play one side or another because we have no control over it. I won’t waste any time or energy on the uncontrollables. You play who you play.
“I don’t care where we play. We have been good away and not so good at home, then good at home and not so good away.”
Paddy Madden and Ash Hunter put Town 2-0 up inside 20 minutes at the Derbyshire club’s Impact Arena.
Madden made it three from the penalty spot on the hour after Hunter was fouled by Bobby Johnson.
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Hide AdJordan Sinnott pulled a goal back in the 70th minute but Ged Garner had the final say with his first senior goal in injury time.
Barton said: “The lads had it in their minds that we were coming here to be ruthless and get ourselves in the second round of the cup.
“There was a weird little spell when we got a little bit complacent.
“We made some changes but on the whole I felt we were good value for a very comfortable victory.
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Hide Ad“We knew coming into the game that we would have to play severely under par and they would have to play severely over par to cause an upset.
“We paid them professional courtesy about what we were going to do and how we were going to approach it.
“The mantra from the group was to be clinical, be professional and keep working hard. The basis of the performance is built from there.
“A lot of credit goes to the lads. They were thoroughly professional in their conduct in the build-up to the game and got their rewards. It was a comfortable victory in the end.”
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Hide AdChed Evans missed the game with an ankle knock, while illness ruled out Craig Morgan. Paddy Madden and Cian Bolger replaced them in the starting line-up.
Madden’s goals moved him to eight for the season and Barton revealed his first was inspired by Chelsea.
He said of the move involving Lewie Coyle down the right: “We pinched it off Maurizio Sarri. We watched Chelsea do it a couple of times. It never came off for them last week. Luckily enough it came off (for us).
“Credit to the lads and the coaching staff who work hard on the training ground.
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Hide Ad“It was a good pick-out from Coyle and Paddy did what he does best with a first time finish in the box.
“I said to Pad that barring a couple of good saves he could quite easily have had the match ball. He was first-class up there.
“We got a little bit sloppy with a couple of chances. They got a goal with a good strike from a free-kick but I think Al (keeper Alex Cairns) will be really disappointed.
“He’s such a good shot-stopper that you expect him to save everything he gets his hands on.
“They threw everything at us. We put Demps (Kyle Dempsey) on and it rebalanced the side.
“We got the other goal, then just cruised through to the final whistle.”