Blackpool FC: Brett Ormerod discusses the magic of the FA Cup, helping Southampton to the final, and 'Jekyll and Hyde' Seasiders' second round tie

The FA Cup is the biggest domestic cup competition in the world- I used to love it.

I was a kid in the 80s so when I was growing up, it was always on at 3pm on a Saturday. The first final I remember was Everton V Watford in 1984. There was also Manchester United V Everton 85’, Everton V Liverpool 86’, Coventry V Tottenham 87’, Wimbledon V Liverpool 88’, Liverpool V Everton 89’. I remember all of those games off the top of my head.

Everyone would get around the tele to watch the match, so the FA Cup was always massive. The competition will always have a place in my heart.

At one time, the cup could save your season. It saved Alex Ferguson his job when he was first at United.

The final is a huge occasion. I was able to get to one myself in 2003, beating Watford 2-1 at Villa Park in the semis. Setting one up and scoring made it a special day for me.

Southampton hadn’t gone that far since 1976, which was the year of my birth. Watford were a league below us so there was optimism we could progress.

We played really well in the final, but unfortunately we didn’t win it- Arsenal beat us 1-0. I remember David Seaman pulling off a worldie from me.

The Premier League and the Champions League have probably diminished it slightly for the bigger clubs, but it’s still a prestigious thing, and because of the prize money for the smaller sides- it’s a massive deal. It can create important revenue.

The competition has a history of upsets. For the underdog it’s a free hit, but for the teams higher up there’s a lot of pressure on you because you don’t want to be in the headlines for the wrong reasons. The last big one I remember is Lincoln City beating Burnley at Turf Moor, when they had the likes of Joey Barton in their team. Those shocks are always on the cards.

The league is always going to be your bread and butter but it’s always nice to have a cup run.

I’m looking forward to being at Bloomfield Road on Saturday for the Forest Green game. I can’t wait for it, it feels like ages since I’ve seen Blackpool.

They’re a bit Jekyll and Hyde at the moment. When they’re good, they’re very good, but they’re inconsistent as well. Neil Critchley must be banging his head against the wall.

No one would’ve predicted that they’d smash top of the league Portsmouth 4-0 away from home, and then get beat off Northampton, but that seems to be Blackpool at the moment.

Hopefully the lads can get a nice comfortable win on Saturday, but as we know, in the FA Cup it doesn’t always happen like that.