PAUL DICKOV insists his Oldham side will look to attack when they chase an FA Cup upset against Liverpool tonight.

A second-round replay victory over Southend at Boundary Park in December booked a mouth-watering trip to face Kenny Dalglish’s side for Latics, who currently lie 14th in npower League One.

Only veteran striker Shefki Kuqi has played at Anfield before among Dickov’s largely youthful squad and, while acknowledging the magnitude of the task in hand, the former Manchester City forward is determined that his players enjoy the tie.

“I’m not going to say we’re going to go to Anfield and win the game – I think I’d probably get taken away in a straightjacket – but the one thing we are going to do is go there and have a right good go,” he said.

“People are saying you’ve got to go there and play five at the back or five in midfield, but we don’t want to change too much. We’re trying to keep it as normal as we can this week.

“As to how the players will react, we won’t know until eight o’clock (tonight), but the one thing we’re just trying to say to them is go and enjoy the occasion by doing the right things.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play in big games over my career at big stadiums and at Wembley. You can get carried away with the occasion and before you know it the game’s finished.

“I want all my players to remember every single minute of the game and take it with them for the rest of their careers.”

This term Oldham began their 15th consecutive season in the Football League’s third tier – the longest tenure of any side in the division – but a pair of famous cup occasions over the past decade have allowed supporters to hark back to the club’s early 1990s’ heyday in the top flight.

On their previous third-round trip to Merseyside, Gary McDonald’s goal sank Everton 1-0 in 2008, three years after Manchester City fell foul of the Latics at the same stage.

More than 6,000 travelling supporters will make the short journey down the M62 dreaming of a repeat, with Liverpool’s recent history of cup mishaps at the hands of Barnsley, Reading and Northampton providing further encouragement.

“We know that economically times have been hard for the town and the fans, and the support we’re getting is quite humbling for myself and the players,” said Dickov, who was on hand to pour hot drinks for fans queuing outside Boundary Park for Anfield tickets last week.

“(Tonight) is a big thank-you to the fans, but that’s not to say we’re going there to make up the numbers.”