JOSH Eccles feels he has ‘something to prove’ to Coventry City head coach Frank Lampard ahead of the club’s FA Cup third round tie against Sheffield Wednesday.
Eccles came off the bench in City’s 2-1 defeat at Norwich City last weekend following a run of five consecutive starts which included scoring a brace against Plymouth Argyle on Boxing Day.
The 24-year-old wants to ‘showcase his talents’ to head coach Lampard and admits it is ‘surreal’ to work under the former Chelsea and England midfielder.
Eccles said: “I’m like most players, I want to start every game. If you’re starting, you always give your all and I want to start.
“I feel like I’ve got something to prove to the new head coach and I feel like he’s still trying to find his team at the moment, so the more I start the more I can showcase my talents.
“The gaffer has been great since he came in and I’m really buying into the way he wants to get us playing.
“It was a bit surreal because I looked up to him when I was a kid, so for him to be my head coach now is a good feeling.
“As a midfielder it’s good to see him passing on his experiences and he’s giving us license to get forward and I’ve picked up a few more goals, so hopefully I can kick on from there and get a few more.”
Eccles featured in every round as Coventry enjoyed a memorable run to the semi-finals of last season’s competition which culminated in a cruel penalty shootout defeat against Manchester United at Wembley.
And the academy graduate, who signed a new contract to remain with the club until 2028 in November, admits the FA Cup has given him memories he will remember forever.
Eccles added: “They’re memories that you will cherish forever, and it was unlikely to come from behind against Wolves so late on.
“Those moments stick with you forever and you remember the celebrations in the changing room after the game and all of that stuff and that’s what the FA Cup brings.
“I mean it’s painful [the Manchester United defeat] but it’s one of those experiences where you come away thinking, I’ve just played Man United in the semi-final of the FA Cup and we should have won.
“That’s down to VAR, but you can’t let that effect you too much. You see clips still now of the offside and you think what could have been still.”
Coventry host Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, January 11 with kick-off at 6pm at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
