|
Intent on going on such a run again Royals boss Alan Pardew has insisted he will field his strongest side against lowly Cambridge United in the first round tomorrow night.
"We'll be putting out our strongest side against Cambridge tomorrow night because the U's are going well at the minute. Also, we had a disappointing result at the Abbey Stadium last year so we'll be looking to put that right," said Pards who was speaking to the Official Site.
In the past managers up and down the league have been accused of devaluing the competition by putting out weakened sides.
However, Pardew's determination to do well in the competition has not prevented him from naming 17-year-old academy player Simieon Howell in the squad for tomorrow's game.
Meanwhile, Ricky Newman looks set to continue at right-back as Graeme Murty has not recovered from the whiplash that he suffered in a car crash last week.
However, Andy Hughes, who limped off just after half time during the 0-0 stalemate at Rotherham, has recovered from the knock he sustained on his ankle and looks set to play.