Troy Deeney gave a warning to Arsenal fans ahead of the Hornets' FA Cup quarter final against the Gunners: “If they aren’t up for it the travelling Watford fans will make sure it will be a day for us to remember.”

Almost 9,000 Golden Boys supporters will be making the trip to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday to see if Watford can clinch a high profile last four clash at Wembley.

Arsene Wenger’s side, who have won the trophy in the last two seasons, stand in their way.

A tough opponent but Watford’s players will not be intimated, especially given the strength of the travelling support.

“It won’t be quiet from our guys,” Deeney said. “Those who went to Manchester United away last week were excellent. We had 3,000 versus 75,000 but we won hands down.”

He continued: “We’ve sold over 8,000 tickets and they only went on sale on Tuesday night. That shows how much everyone is looking forward to the game.

“I am pretty sure if we got to Wembley for the semi-final we’d sell it out. That’s one aspect that people sometimes forget, it is a fans' game.

“As a player you can be frustrated for a couple of days if you lose but as a fan it kills someone’s whole week. So I think they are buzzing for it.”

When the two sides met earlier in the campaign in the Premier League Arsenal ran out 3-0 winners at Vicarage Road.

But for much of that game the Hornets matched the Gunners. Ultimately a poor ten minute spell from Quique Sanchez Flores’ side proved costly.

But Deeney stresses Watford will not make the same mistakes they did that day. They will not panic if they do fall behind.

“That’s the only spell this season where we were too gung-ho,” the 27-year-old explained.

“They’d scored and instead of holding what we had for ten minutes we went at them and we shouldn’t have done that. They picked us apart and it ended 3-0.

“So we have to be smart in our play. If we go a goal down it isn’t the end of the world. We don’t have to try and score in the next five minutes.”

Sunday will be the first time Deeney has ever stepped foot in the Emirates Stadium. He’s had plenty of offers to attend a matche but has never taken them up.

Partly because the Watford captain says he didn’t feel he'd earnt the right and partly because Roy Keane put him off.

“I’ve never been to the ground,” Deeney explained. “I’ve had a few chances. I think Roy Keane scared me off because of the prawn sandwich brigade comment, every time I’ve been offered the chance to go it’s been in the corporate section.

“Also, it may sound strange, I didn’t want to go unless I’d played in the Premier League. I wouldn’t have felt worthy of going there.

“So it will be interesting. My pals have been and says it’s a lovely stadium. But it’s just another football pitch with a lot of people watching.

"You’ve just got to do what you do out there on the training pitch but just in front of more people.”

Deeney’s immediate family - his wife Stacey, his son Myles and his daughter Amelia - will attend Sunday’s game. But one of the three will be cheering on the Gunners, six-year-old Myles.

“He is buzzing,” Deeney said with a broad smile. “It’s the first time I’m taking him to the Emirates so he will be happy.

"He’s six though so it doesn’t matter if Daddy is playing, he wants Arsenal to win.

“It’s just one of those things. Maybe there will be no pocket money for him this weekend.

“We’re in a privileged position that somebody has put my family in a box and I appreciate that.

"They will get to watch the game but I’ll be making sure he doesn’t cheer if Arsenal score.”

The match comes at the end of an emotional week for Deeney. On Wednesday his father Paul Anthony Burke, would’ve turned 51 had he sadly not passed away from throat cancer a little under four years ago.

“It’s getting easier the longer the time goes on,” Deeney said.

“I can be fine during the week but on then on the day…I didn’t cry…it was kind of ‘what if?’ thing. It’s been a long week.

“But I have two kids and they don’t care what day it is. Myles had Watford training Tuesday, swimming Wednesday and then Taekwondo. We had lots going on.

“So I don’t have time to sit around, sulk and be reflective. The 45 minute drive into work is where I have time to reflect.

"That song, 7 Years came on the radio [on Wednesday]. I turned that straight off, put on a bit of talkSPORT and listened to Alan Brazil.”