Goalkeeper Alan Marriott is relishing the chance to play against one of the world giants of football, Liverpool, in the FA Cup Third Round at One Call Stadium this weekend.
The 34-year-old, who has over 500 professional appearances to his name, has proved to be one of the most reliable and consistent custodians in non-league football in recent years.
Nevertheless, Sundayâs televised clash against the Reds will be the first time that the shot-stopper has featured in the Third Round of the competition.
And Marriott has admitted that he canât wait for an occasion which he has longed for during his 16 year career.
He said: âItâs a massive moment for me. Iâm 34 now and coming towards the end of my career, but Iâve never played in the Third Round and itâs something that Iâve always wanted to do.
âItâll be mind-blowing coming up against players of Liverpoolâs calibre.
âWhen you see the potential of players that can come up against you, itâs hard to grasp the reality of it. For example, some of their players are worth ÂŁ12 million pounds, which is probably more than our entire club.
âWhether they put out [Luis] Suarez, [Steven] Gerrard or some of the youngsters, theyâve got a fantastic squad, who will all be eager to prove that theyâre good enough to play for Liverpool.
âIâm sure they will come determined, professional and want to get a good result against us.
âBut we also want to do our best. We can go out there and enjoy it, but thereâs no point in doing so if you donât have the belief that you can win, so we want to pull off a shock.
He added: âThe fans have missed out on so many big games because of being in the Football Conference, so itâs good to see them smiling again and itâs given everyone a massive lift. It fulfils a lot of dreams for a lot of people.â
Prior to joining us in January 2009, Marriott enjoyed a short spell at Rushden & Diamonds, but is best remembered for his time at Lincoln City, for whom he spent nine years with.
During his glittering Sincil Bank career, the Bedford-born custodian kept 106 clean sheets from 351 league appearances to cement his place in the Impsâ record books.
And having helped to deny his former employers the chance to meet Liverpool in Round Three, Marriott has revealed there have been some âinterestingâ conversations with his Imps-supporting family members.
âMy brother-in-law is a season ticket-holder and my missusâ dad is a Lincoln fan too,â said our joint-longest serving player.
âSo there have been some interesting conversations, or lack of conversations, rather, since the replay. Iâve had a bit of stick at my ladâs school too, so Iâm just keeping a low profile.
âMy little boy actually canât stop talking about the game. Heâs the mascot on the day, and rather than Christmas, heâs been on the countdown to the Liverpool game instead.â
âSo this is extra-special as not many players get the opportunity to play against Liverpool. My career has been full of upâs and downâs and to have this in the later stages of it is fantastic.â
Only two years ago, the veteran pondered retiring altogether from football, amidst a series of injury problems that forced him to spend several frustrating months on the sidelines.
Nevertheless, Marriott, who is currently training to become an electrician during his spare time, recovered, and has since become firmly established as our number one âkeeper.
He continued: âA few years ago I had a few injuries and thought about retiring, but my family helped me through it.
âEveryone, from people who have bought things off me in the past, to the local shopkeeper, has been asking for tickets [for the Liverpool game] â itâs been a bit ridiculous really.â
âIâve had a few people who have followed me closely, and supported me throughout my career, so theyâll be there and Itâs going to be a brilliant occasion.â