BOLTON'S FA Cup trip to face Tottenham Hotspur is a match made in heaven for the Trotters' London lad Anthony Barness.

The former Charlton and Chelsea defender is relishing the chance to return to the capital as Sam Allardyce's men look to avenge a 6-0 thrashing in the Worthington Cup.

Bolton also lost 3-2 in the league at White Hart Lane and so need little motivation against Glenn Hoddle's side.

But Barness has an extra reason to relish the trip.

"I used to play youth and reserve games at Tottenham when I was a kid and it has always been my favourite stadium in London," he said.

"To go there is great for me because I think it is such a fine place to play."

Despite Bolton's aim for the season being to stay in the Premiership, Barness is keen for a lengthy cup run.

'Want to progress'

"A lot has been said about the value of the FA Cup these days and , with the money involved, clubs do give priority to the Premiership.

"The cup sometimes has to take a backseat but, as a player, you want to progress every time you are in it."

Versatile Barness, who can play in either full-back position has unhappy memories of the club's last visit to face Spurs.

"The cup game was embarrassing," he said.

"It was a terrible game to play in and I suppose it was terrible to watch from our fans' point of view."

With Simon Charlton a doubt, Barness could be forced to play in a back three - a role he undertook against Middlesbrough last week.

There could be other changes to the team depending on whether Allardyce decides to rest players for Tuesday's match against Manchester United. However German international striker Fredi Bobic is likely to start to help in his quest to reach full match sharpness.

Key opponent: Teddy Sheringham - Manchester United's loss was very much Spurs' gain as the England striker continues to live up to his reputation as England's most creative forward.

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