I can´t wait to face Arsenal in the FA Cup

I had a bad case of food poisoning last week. I felt awful and I didn’t eat anything all week, up until the Friday night and then I played against Birmingham on Saturday. I wasn’t in tip-top condition but I played well and the team did well too. I just had to get through it really. The first half was fine but after that I had no energy left. I stayed on until the 80th minute and by then there was absolutely nothing left in the tank. I have been training all week and I´m feeling fine now.

It was a good point earned against Birmingham but we were disappointed not to take all three from the game, especially after conceding a late goal which we´ve had a habit of doing recently. But I look at it this way - we have got 18 games left and our aim is to get at least ten wins. If we get that with minimal losses I am sure we can get automatic promotion.

Our run of ten games unbeaten stands us in good stead for Sunday´s game against Arsenal and we´re feeling confident. They are a great side but we feel that we have nothing to lose. We are just going to go out there and hopefully put in a good performance. It´s an FA Cup game and anything can happen.

Burnley knocked them out of the Carling Cup but Wenger played the kids against them and, although they´ve got some quality youngsters, you need to complement that with some experience. Burnley really used their strength against Arsenal and they had lots of experienced players as well. I think that´s what won them the game.

Obviously I have history with Arsenal and it would be sweet to score but the main thing is that we need to go out there to get the right result. We have nothing to lose and even if we do lose I hope we play well. I want us to put a performance in against a world-class team.

I don´t blame Arsene Wenger for letting me go when he did. He didn’t let me go because of my ability, it was because of my attitude more than anything else. I think he was right to do it and the experience has turned me into a better person and a better player. There is a new Jay Bothroyd now and that probably wouldn’t have happened if I´d stayed at Arsenal.

None of us are nervous, not even the young lads. They made it to last season´s final at Wembley so they won´t be overawed by the occasion at all. These are the games you thrive on and look forward to. Also, as Arsene Wenger has said, the gap between the Championship and the top-flight is smaller now than it ever has been before in terms of talent. The clubs in the top four are a lot different in class but Arsenal are not the team they once were, certainly not compared to the Invincibles team of 2003/04. You don’t fear them like you used to.

We want to win every game we play but it is a bonus game for us. Although we are ten unbeaten we are disappointed about our league position. It´s good to be in sixth, it´s still a play-off position, but we want to be even higher. As long as we go about the Arsenal game in the right manner and work hard, we can take something from the game. That will be great for our confidence and a bonus for our season.

Loads of my friends and family are coming up. I was actually brought up in an area of London that´s about 5 minutes from Highbury and all my friends and family are Arsenal fans. I asked them who they want to win and they said Arsenal! I couldn´t believe it. But they said they still want me to score as well. It´s a big occasion for them too, but hopefully I´ll score AND get the win.