Harry Redknapp backs Tottenham to win FA Cup

Redknapp is the only English manager to win the FA Cup since Joe Royle in 1995

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp believes his side have "a big chance" of winning the FA Cup after they scraped past Watford to reach the fifth round.

Rafael van der Vaart's 25-yard strike secured a 1-0 win at Vicarage Road despite the Championship side dominating throughout.

Redknapp said: "We're still there and we've got a big chance of winning the cup. I think this could be our year.

"They say it's better to be lucky than good, and we were lucky."

Spurs, missing the pace of wingers Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale, were poor from the off, with the hard-working Hornets shutting them down all over the pitch.

Redknapp admitted they were fortunate to progress but insists they are capable of winning the trophy for the first time since 1991.

"That was not the Tottenham side I see every week; we were poor," he said.

"Watford were fantastic - top class. We rode our luck and we got away with it. I don't know what was wrong with us. We were off colour but we got the luck.

"But a win's a win and we are in the hat - that's all that matters. When I won the cup with Portsmouth [in 2008] I remember going to Preston and getting absolutely battered for 90 minutes and scoring in the 90th minute and going on to win the cup.

"You want to win the cup - that's our ambition this year."

Spurs' preparations were disrupted by Redknapp's ongoing tax evasion trial and he revealed his absence from training this week led to the selection of an unwell Luka Modric.

Redknapp said: "I haven't been with the boys this week, obviously, and the doctor said to me after I picked the team that Luka Modric hadn't been feeling well, but he always wants to play. He gave it a go but he wasn't right.

"We were scruffy with the ball and found it hard. We couldn't have had any arguments if they'd knocked us out but I've been on both ends of it through the years in the FA Cup.

"I've knocked out Man United with Bournemouth earlier in my career and I've been knocked out by Wrexham. Teams raise their game in the cup.

"If Watford played like that every week they'd be top of their division."

The Hornets are 18th in the Championship and manager Sean Dyche challenged his players to build on their display to climb the table.

"We don't want to be over the top but I thought the magic of the cup was going to strike again," he said.

"We didn't get what we deserved and I'm gutted we haven't gone through.

"We made it a real cup tie, we played on the front foot and it is important that we use this experience to better ourselves as a team."