SWINDON Town head coach Ben Garner says his players can use the carrot of a mammoth FA Cup third-round tie as a motivating factor to beat Walsall in round two on Saturday.

After easing past Crewe Alexandra in the first round, Town were drawn away once again as they aim to feature in a January FA Cup tie for the first time since 2012.

On that occasion, Premier League Wigan Athletic was the prize – a game that will live long in the memory for those involved as Paul Benson’s controversial winner booked a tie with Championship big fish, Leicester City in round four.

With the possibility of a Premier League giant in round three if Town are successful against League Two rivals Walsall, Garner says his team must remain focused on the process if they are to have the chance of enjoying Monday’s draw.

He said: “For any player, especially at a League Two club as we are, the opportunity is there to get into the third round and have the hope of drawing a big club.

“There will be players within our squad that will have the team that they supported growing up and would love to go and play at that ground against that team.

“So there’s that optimism going into the game, and we need to use that as a motivation, but also be focused on the process to make sure we don’t get carried away or ahead of ourselves.

“I’m confident if we play well then we can get through into that third-round draw.”

While the third-round dream can be used as a motivating tool, Garner stressed his players will not be giving any more than they normally would – every game is played at 100 per cent, according to the Town boss.

He said: “The potential to draw a big club can be a motivating factor that we can use to our advantage, but I’m never one for finding that extra five or 10 per cent because why are we short of 100 per cent in the first place?

“Regardless of who we’re playing, we represent this football club and that shirt, so every single player and member of staff should be giving 100 per cent.

“If we’re finding an extra five per cent, I’d like to know where that’s come from – we should be giving that anyway.

“But every game has got a different reason to go out and perform, so that third round can certainly be a factor for the players on Saturday.”

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