Mansfield Town's James Perch on why tier 3 fans' ban feels like a 'dagger through the heart' and his memories of famous FA Cup run with Wigan Athletic

Nacho Monreal and James Perch compete for the ball during the FA Cup Semi-Final match between Wigan Athletic and Arsenal in 2014. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Midfielder James Perch admits knowing fans cannot return to watch Mansfield Town any time soon felt like a ‘dagger in the heart.’

Nottinghamshire was placed under tier 3 restrictions on Thursday meaning Stags must continue to play behind closed doors for the foreseeable future.

“It's really disappointing not to have fans back,” he said. “It is also disappointing that they can have fans back in down south.

“It is dividing the north and south and it is ruining things for the north.

“We were all waiting for this moment and thought people would be allowed back in, it felt like a dagger to the heart.

“We want people to come back in. It gives teams in the south an advantage now.

“When we play Cambridge they will have fans in the ground and that will have an influence. This will be a factor in games coming up.”

It means Mansfield will face Dagenham and Redbridge on Sunday in front of an empty ground as they look to bag a spot in the FA Cup third round.

And Perch, who made the FA Cup semi-final with Wigan back in the 2013/14 season, is expecting a tough test against the non-leaguers.

“It will be a tough game,” he said. “They will make it a fight for us and be better on the ball.

“They will come with a mindset to cause a shock. We can’t underestimate them and if we do that we will be fine.

“It would be massive for us to get to the third round. I'm not saying we are going to win it, but we could go on a cup run if we get through.

“If you get on a good run you can use it in the league and you never know where it will take us.

“We might get Liverpool, we might get Chelsea. We’re doing it for the fans and the community.

“We never thought we would do so well at Wigan. We just managed to get good draws and beat good teams on the way.

“We played Man City in the quarters and managed to beat them. I scored the winner and it was a great feeling.

“We were beating Arsenal 1-0 in the semi and they scored late on before beating us on penalties.

“On the day we should have won it and I’d have fancied us of beating Hull in the final. It was a good run, but disappointing as we could have won the cup.”

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