Town boss Paul Cook says he has great memories of the FA Cup as a fan, player and manager, and wishes it was the Blues having the eyes of the world watching them as AFC Sudbury will have this evening for their game against Colchester United at King’s Meadow in the first round’s standout tie.
Asked whether, as a manager, he is excited by the FA Cup, Cook was enthusiastic: "Yes, 100 per cent. It’s traditionally our biggest cup competition in England.
"I think historically everyone remembers every cup final day, how it used to be, how the cameras used to be on the coaches going to the stadium, the fans, the build-up to the finals, the semi-finals, which I don’t think is particularly correct being at Wembley, personally.
"They used to always be at Villa Park, Highbury, all the big stadiums. Fans just love a cup run, don’t they, that’s for sure.”
Cook says the first final he attended was his boyhood club Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Newcastle in 1974: "That was my first Liverpool final. A coach from our street went, that’s how big it was there, where all families would go.
"I was lucky enough to get in the stadium with my dad, ‘Keegan two, Heighway one, Liverpool three, Newcastle none!’, you don’t forget, do you?”
He says he remembers the Blues beating Arsenal to carry off the trophy for the first and only time four years later.
"One hundred per cent, you watched all the Wembley cup finals if you go back historically to all the famous ones, the Sunderland one where they beat Leeds, the Ipswich one winning and fans love it,” he recalled.
"I think the FA Cup is a really special competition and I’m sure our supporters will be delighted to know how seriously we’re going to take it.”
As a player Cook reached the quarter-finals with Wolves in 1994 where they were defeated by 1-0 by Chelsea - having beaten Town 2-1 in a replay at Portman Road in the previous round - and also with Burnley in 2003 when they were knocked out by Watford.
"I think we got beaten at Watford on the Sunday 2-0,” he recalled. "I think we got beaten at Chelsea, I think I was sub at Chelsea that day, if I’m not mistaken, I was coming back from injury and I think the Burnley one we got beaten on a Sunday at Watford 2-0 under Stan Ternent.
"I didn’t have great cup runs, although I suppose quarter-finals isn’t bad, I suppose, it depends on how you look at it.
"I love the fact that league clubs play non-league clubs, I think it’s just great for supporters, I think it’s great for everyone, including us staff and players because, no different than the first round draw, the excitement of sitting there and watching the balls come out of the bag and hoping, if you’re a smaller club, that you can be the one who gets that gets a giant-killing opportunity.
"If you’re a bigger club, what draw can you get? We’ve got a tough draw tomorrow with Oldham Athletic, without a shadow of a doubt.
"And every team must be treated with the utmost respect and prepared for properly because, as we all know, there’ll be a lot of cup upsets because that’s traditionally what the FA Cup does.”
All eyes will be on the AFC Sudbury-Colchester tie which is live on BBC2 this evening and Cook says he wouldn’t have minded Town having that sort of attention.
"I’d love that to have been us tonight, I really would,” he said. "I think it’s great for everyone, the supporters of all teams.
"I think it’s great that the cup represents clubs with those opportunities, the opportunities that we’ll all watch tonight and, as poor Colchester will understand, probably 90 per cent of the population will be supporting Sudbury, that’s the FA Cup, isn’t it?”
Cook’s best run as a manager was back 2018 as Wigan boss when the League One Latics beat three Premier League sides on their way to the quarter-finals.
"You’ll never forget, that’s part of management, that’s part of your journey, that’s part of your career. People can’t take them away from you, those results,” he reflected
"I think we beat Bournemouth first 3-0 [in a replay], we beat West Ham 2-0, we beat Man City 1-0 and went into a quarter-final with Southampton full of optimism and played very well on the day and probably should have got something out of the game.
"But unfortunately with the bigger clubs, they have players that can hurt you, that’s what big clubs have.
"Great days, Wigan fans loved it. I’m now Ipswich manager and I know how much the cup means to our supporters and that will be reflected in our team selection.”