SKY Sports will be bringing their cavalcade of vans and crew buses with them to Easington for this afternoon's match and, as midfielder Andy Davies says, the eyes of the nation will be on the club.

He said: "It's different for me, but for some of the younger lads they're in the shop window and it's their chance because they're in the spotlight with the cameras being there."

Wolverhampton-born Andy's first club was Torquay and he left them in time to join Hartlepool for their 1990/91 season in which he played a part in their promotion campaign.

Pool fans may remember Andy for getting sent-off at Burnley shortly after making his debut. He added: "I played about four games in a row. I played at Torquay, against Huddersfield, Wigan and at Burnley when I was sent off in the second half."

He recalls during his time at Plainmoor being in the first team ahead of a current Scottish international.

"At Torquay there was a lad I was keeping out of the team called Matty Elliott. I've got all the cuttings at home."

But as he focuses his attention on today's Cup clash, the 28-year-old supermarket worker, who finishes work at 5am this morning, is cautious about his team's chances of progressing through to the next stage.

"If they fancy it they're going to turn us over. If they're switched on they'll beat us because they're a better team. You've got to be focused and you don't just focus when you're playing, you get yourself ready hours before the game.

"It's not the prettiest place in the world. The surroundings aren't what they're used to and the changing rooms aren't as good as in their Deva Stadium.

"We'll just get stuck into them, hope the ball bounces our way and we'll see what happens."

Davies is hoping to make up for lost time as his career has been plagued by injuries.

He explains: "On my first day at Hartlepool I pulled my thigh muscle and I was out until about Christmas. I played my first game at Torquay and we won 1-0 but I missed an open goal from corner. I headed it against the post and it went wide - I was really sick."

It would seem disaster follows Andy around as his return to Plainmoor in mid 1992 was soured when a nasty knee injury curtailed his career.

"I was playing in a reserve game on a Tuesday night, I'd cut my knee in another reserve match a few days earlier and had 12 stitches put in.

"Ten minutes in it burst open again and when I came in at half-time the bandage was just red. When they took the bandage off the cut my knee just burst open like a beanbag!

"The cut was about four inches wide. The doctor couldn't put stitches in it because it was so big."

"They took me to a BUPA hospital and did the operation straight away. New Year's Eve it was!"

And so Andy began his slide into non-league wilderness.

But does he have any regrets regarding his career as a footballer?

"No not really. You can't say that because you could look back and look at things like, one year at Torquay the captain was sent-off and the FA gave him an eight-match ban. It was his third red card of the season.

"So I got in the team but he appealed and got the ban reduced to six. Had it been eight I would've played at Wembley."

That season Torquay played Burnley at Wembley in the Sherpa Van Trophy - Andy wasn't even among the substitutes as the captain made his comeback.

But he can make a belated name for himself today as Easington take centre stage on their big day.