Ben Davies / Ben Davies / 11 February 2010 / Leave a comment " class="free-bet-btn" rel="external" onclick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/G4/inline-freebet');" target="_blank">Free Bet View Market

The Notts County midfielder looks ahead to one of the biggest matches his team have played in years as they prepare to face Fulham. Plus the importance of giving something back to the community and the chosen career of a prospective Ben Davies Junior.

"The match is not only a great occasion for everyone involved with the club but the cup run itself and in particular this game will provide much-needed revenue for the club. One should not underestimate how far a good Cup run goes in terms of providing financial stability to clubs outside the Premier League."

Hello to you all again and welcome to my column in what is a very exciting week for me and Notts County football Club. We are currently preparing for our last sixteen F.A Cup tie against Fulham this Sunday.

With all the League games that we have been playing, the Cup match has been put to the back of all of our minds as we have been concentrating on getting in to an automatic promotion place. The Fulham game is now the next game in line and we cannot wait for it. After beating Wigan in the last round this game has been the talk of the City and we will be taking around five thousand fans to the game, which is fantastic. The match is not only a great occasion for everyone involved with the club but the cup run itself and in particular this game will provide much-needed revenue for the club. One should not underestimate how far a good Cup run goes in terms of providing financial stability to clubs outside the Premier League.

It is great to test yourselves as players and as a team against the very best in the business and we see it as a great challenge. The difference between playing against these boys is massive to what we get week in week out but we have proved already that we can hold our own in Premier League company. The main differences when you play against a Premier League team is how much quicker they move the ball about and that you cannot afford to switch off for a second or else you will be punished. These are the sort of games that as a player, you dream of being involved in.

Away from the pitch, I have recently been to a school to do a visit as part of the "Football in the Community" scheme. I think this is a very important initiative because football can help out a great deal, to children especially. Some clubs are more active and more involved in the community than others and Notts are very good in this department. Our players take it in turns to visit a variety of places. I have found over the years that children will always listen to someone who they look up to and will try to take on board the advice that you give them. Mind you, they do tend to fire you some very awkward questions in the question and answer sessions! You can see the enjoyment they get out of spending time with professional footballers and I think that is priceless. I think visits to schools and hospitals should all be part and parcel of a footballer's life, not just the training and playing.

I have not got any children yet, just a pet dog! I've often been asked whether I would want my own son to be a footballer. The answer is I don't really know. I have had a great life through being a footballer and have loved every minute of it. It's a fantastic lifestyle while it lasts and while there are a lot of downs along the way, you cannot beat being out on the football field. Having said all this, you have to make huge sacrifices in your life and miss out on a lot of things such as birthdays and Christmases every year. It has all been worth it for me but if there is to be a Ben Davies junior, it will be entirely his own decision what he does in life but I will be there waiting with a pair of goalie gloves if ever he needs a goalkeeper, like my Dad did for me.

I also think players should regularly attend club functions. They give players the opportunity to interact with the fans and people behind the scenes at a football club. It is the fans who pay our wages and these events give everyone a chance to come together and for the fans not to just see the lads out on the pitch, but meet them face to face. The fans are the most important people at any football club as they are the people who support us week in week out, so I think it is important that clubs give them something back.

This weekend's bet sees me delve in to the Southampton v Portsmouth cup tie. This promises to be an absolute cracker of a game. It better be anyway because they have televised this match instead of ours against Fulham! With all that has gone on of late, this would be a massive boost for Portsmouth to win the game. But sorry Pompey, I am going for a Southampton win at [2.9] and I think the correct score will be 2-1 at [12.0].

Tags: Ben Davies, FA Cup fixtures, FA Cup odds, football tips, Fulham results, Notts County, Notts County players