Leeds United midfielder Jamie Shackleton spoke exclusively to LUTV ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup tie with Crawley Town.

The Whites head to The People’s Pension Stadium in the third round in what will mark a first ever meeting between the two sides.

Shackleton began by reflecting on the festive period and was pleased overall with the outcome.

“It’s the busiest time of the year, we’ve had games thick and fast over the past couple of weeks, so we have been in pretty much non-stop, but that’s what you want as a player, non-stop games and that competitive edge,” said Shackleton.

“There have only been a couple of days before games, so recovery has been the main thing, especially for the starting players, to go again for 90 minutes in such a short space of time.

“It’s been a great return getting six points on the board and two great victories.

“The two wins couldn’t have been more different, the first one we had to do it the scrappy and the dirty way, but we have that side and we will fight like we did for the last 20 minutes to get anything we can from games and against West Brom we really showed the attacking flowing football we can play and we managed to grab five goals there.

“In the third game against Spurs, they are a top side and have a lot of quality going forwards and we couldn’t shut that down for 90 minutes, but overall I think it has been a good period.”

With attentions switched to cup football this weekend, the 21-year-old insists the players will be raring to go in the competition Leeds won back in 1972.

He said: “It will be a bit different to the types of games we have been playing weekly, but we know the challenge to expect and we will be bang up for it.

“We’ve looked at the way they play and the shapes they line-up in and we will use what we know and what we’ve learnt in the past few days to try and help us come Sunday.

“We’re not going to approach the game in a different way, it’s a match day and every time we go out onto the pitch we play to win, no matter where that is.”