Darren Powell reckons his FA Cup days in semi-pro football trumped any of those in his Football League career.
The Hampton & Richmond player-boss began his career with the Beavers but had moved on to Brentford by the time his former club reached the dizzy heights of a first round proper clash with Barnet in 2000.
The Beavers are now just one step away from the first round proper again, and will be in the hat along with Brentford and 50-odd other Football League clubs if they can beat Gloucester City tomorrow.
And Powell claims the expectation which came with FA Cup day in those early years at Beveree was in stark contrast to the fear of being on the wrong end of a cup upset it later on evoked with the likes of Brentford, Southampton and Crystal Palace.
He said: “When I was playing back then it was all about seeing if the club could be part of a giant-killing and dreaming of getting through the rounds to try and get that big draw, so there was more of a sense of expectation.
“Playing the FA Cup in non-league was always a chance to make a name for yourself. Turning that on its head, when I was in the Championship, for example, if you drew a League Two side you were always conscious of them being a potential banana skin.”
The Beavers are also through to the second qualifying round of the FA Trophy after goals in each half from Joe Turner and Charlie Moone gave them a 2-0 replay win at Bedford Town on Tuesday night following Saturday's stalemate at Beveree. Hampton will host Met Police in the next round on Saturday week.
