Stevenage in the FA Cup, featuring Nuneaton Borough and Ketting Town

It’s that time of the year when plucky non-league underdogs – such as Luton Town, Woking and Barnet – know that a win in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round will earn them a chance to take on Football League opposition.

For Boro, it is an annual occasion that we became familiar with during our Conference days and, as our record proves, a time that often marked the start of memorable cup runs.

But we didn’t always get it right – like at the turn of the century.

On October 28, 2000, we travelled to Nuneaton Borough a week after winning there 3-0 in the league. It is no surprise the cup tie proved trickier, but in getting a 1-1 draw courtesy of Richard Leadbeater the replay at Broadhall Way ought to have been straightforward.

However, things didn’t go according to plan three days later under the lights and despite a goal from Robin Trott, the visitors ended our cup run for that season rather abruptly.

If we were going to exorcise those demons the following season, it was not going to be easy.

Kettering Town were the opponents and keen to prove that relegation from the Conference the previous season was a blip.

On October 27, 2001, they came to Broadhall Way. The game finished goalless and there wasn’t much to write home about from it.

Boro lacked the penetration to break down their opponents and they couldn’t avoid a tricky replay at Rockingham Road; one that was lost 2-1.

It was, however, the last time that we failed to progress from the Fourth Qualifying Round and the last time we failed to win a FA Cup game in a season until 2012/3.

* Pete Hayman runs BoroGuide, the Stevenage FC internet resource. For more information visit www.boroguide.co.uk or follow him on twitter @boroguide