DAVID DUKE is not interested in crying over FA Cup spilt milk however refreshing a clash with mighty Middlesbrough would have been today.

In an ideal world Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Stewart Downing, Gareth Southgate and friends would be strutting their stuff at the County Ground this afternoon.

Sadly, a woeful display at Notts County last month put paid to the dream but Duke says little time has been wasted on wondering what might have been.

The 27-year-old, who scored Town's third goal in the 4-1 FA Cup win over Wednesday, said: "There's no doubt it would have been great for the players and the fans to face Middlesbrough but once the opportunity had slipped away I didn't really think any more of it.

"What use is dwelling on it to be honest? We have a big game at Sheffield Wednesday and that's what I'm focused on, I'm sure all the other lads are the same.

"With a big crowd in a stadium like Hillsborough I'm sure it will be a great atmosphere anyway."

While Duke is confident Town can complete a hat-trick of victories over the Owls, he feels Paul Sturrock's men will be a force to reckon with over the remainder of the season.

He said: "We all believe we can go there and get a result but we also know they'll be desperate to beat us.

"As a club they've had some very difficult times but I think they could be on the rise very soon.

"In the past they've had a lot of names but now they seem to be bringing through some good young players."

Wednesday aren't the only team boasting youngsters though and while some young Owls have struggled to cope in front of the demanding Hillsborough faithful, Duke feels Town's 'kids' are well equipped to cope.

He said: "When I first came into the club it was difficult because there were a lot of us all thrown in together and we struggled to adapt.

"Now the young lads have been introduced more gradually and I think that's helped.

"They certainly don't seem fazed by it all.

"The last 20 to 25 minutes at Bradford was a real test and all the boys showed strength and mental toughness."

Duke highlights right back Luke Garrard as an example, saying: "I think the biggest compliment you can pay Luke is that you don't notice that he's just a youngster who has recently come in to the team.

"He has settled very quickly and is doing a great job for the team. Christmas brought a decent haul of points and it's important we now build on that into the New Year."

On the injury front there was encouraging news for Sean O'Hanlon and Steve Robinson, who both trained with the squad yesterday although both will be assessed again ahead of kick-off today.

However, Steve Jenkins (back), Christian Roberts (groin) and Matt Hewlett (neck) all look set to miss out. None of the trio trained yesterday.