THE FA Cup is the most famous cup competition in the world and the third-round draw the most eagerly awaited.

There will be excitement all around the country on Sunday afternoon when the big clubs come into the draw for the first time and at Chester City we aim to be among them.

Players and supporters love the FA Cup and I have more reason than most to hold a special affection for it with the honour of having scored more goals than anyone in the history of the competition.

I can still remember my first taste of it with Chester back in the 1979-80 season. I had just broken into the first team and we drew Workington at home, beating them 5-1. I scored two goals that day and although I didn't find the net in the next round in the 1-0 win at home to Barnsley I scored our second goal in the shock 2-0 win at Newcastle United.

I'll never forget that day - and neither will the Chester fans for different reasons. Many didn't arrive until half-time because the special train was delayed on the journey north but, happily, they were there in time for my goal and to celebrate a famous victory.

The atmosphere was fantastic and easily the biggest game I had played in. I made up my mind that day that I wanted more of that.

We went on to beat Millwall in the next round and I scored again as we earned a fifth-round tie at FA Cup holders Ipswich. It was only the second time Chester had been that far in the competition, but we lost 2-1 and this time Brynley Jones was the scorer.

Since then I have had my hands on the famous trophy three times and on each occasion I scored the winning goals. These are very special memories, especially as I had always dreamed of scoring in a cup final at Wembley when I was a boy.

My favourite final was in 1986 when Liverpool beat our old rivals Everton. I think we were the two best

teams in Europe at the time and we came from behind to win with me scoring twice.

And I will always remember Liverpool's victory over Sunderland when my goal made me the highest scorer in FA Cup Finals.

Undoubtedly, everyone associates the FA Cup Final with Wembley, and many probably believed the occasion wouldn't be the same once Wembley had closed.

But most people who have been to a final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff agree that this is an amazing venue with such a fantastic atmosphere that they didn't miss Wembley. As a Welshman, I am obviously biased, but the Millennium Stadium is a great venue for such a showpiece event.

Our exit from the LDV Vans Trophy on Tuesday was a big disappointment, but a bonus was the performance of Robbie Booth.

Inevitably, he is going to attract media attention if he continues to play as well as this. We hadn't intended to play him in three games in a week, but the situation dictated we should send him on for the second-half and he responded superbly.

We are obviously concerned about playing him too much, too soon. He is full of energy at the moment, but this will dip sooner or later, so we will have to monitor him very carefully.

He is a level-headed lad and I am sure he can handle being thrust into the spotlight. Many young players think once they have made the first-team they are too good to go back in the reserves and that can cause problems, but I am confident Robbie will keep his feet on the ground, both on and off the field.