Cousins ready to do battle with home town club (From Gazette)

Cousins ready to do battle with home town club

8:30am Friday 2nd November 2012 in Sport By Jonathan Waldron

Mark Cousins insists there will be no room for sentiment when he takes on his home town club Chelmsford City.

The Colchester United goalkeeper lives within walking distance of the Clarets’ Melbourne Park home, the venue for tomorrow’s FA Cup first-round showdown.

Cousins was born and raised in Chelmsford and still lives in the city.

The 25-year-old used to watch Chelmsford as a youngster and admitted he still has a soft spot for the club he grew up watching.

However, the shot-stopper’s primary focus is to help the U’s avoid an upset in this weekend’s Essex derby and make it through to the second round.

Cousins said: “It’s a very big tie for me personally but it’s just another game really and we have to go out and win it."

See Friday's Gazette for more on this story and a full preview of Colchester United's FA Cup tie at Chelmsford City, including interviews with boss Joe Dunne and skipper Anthony Wordsworth ahead of the big tie.