'The cup holds a great place in my heart' - Burnley assistant boss Ian Woan on his FA Cup memories

But he admits, he still feels the hurt of losing the 1991 showpiece 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, having joined Forest in March 1990 from Runcorn.

And the fifth round exit, as assistant boss at Burnley, to National League Lincoln, also rankles five years on.

Ahead of what was traditionally one of the most anticipated days in the English football calendar, third round day, with the Clarets at home to Championship side Huddersfield Town on Saturday lunchtime, Sean Dyche' s right-hand man looked forward to entertaing a competition that remains dear to his heart.

The 54-year-old, taking on press duties after Dyche tested positive for Covid on Tuesday, looked back at his memories of the world's most famous knockout competition: "The cup holds a great place in my heart and it's a competition you always want to do well in and progress in.

"It's part of the fabric of English football, and it pains me to see people dismiss it as not that important, it's the way me and the gaffer have been brought up, it's always been important and we have to hold onto that, you don't want to lose the FA Cup.

"The final (in 1991) is a great memory, but we got beat so it's always tarnished a little bit.

"The experience is something you can take away with you forever - it was incredible, my 12th professional game coming out of non league - the seventh was the semi-final against West Ham - but the FA Cup, in my house growing up, with my mum and dad, was just a huge occasion, the whole neighbourhood stopped."

The 1991 final was the first, and last, time Brian Clough had got to Wembley in the FA Cup, his only chance to add to a First Division title, four League Cups, two European Cups and a European Super Cup with Forest.

Woan is still gutted not to beat a Spurs side that many felt should have been down to 10 men early in the piece, after a fired-up Paul Gascoigne, ahead of a switch to Lazio, avoided punishment from referee Roger Milford for a foot in the chest of Garry Parker, before scything down Gary Charles.

Stuart Pearce scored from the free kick, before Gascoigne was stretchered off, with torn cruciate ligaments.

Woan said: "At Forest, it took me about nine months to break into the team, it wasn't like I went straight from non league, but I think that was about my 12th game for Forest, which, looking back, was way too early.

"The gaffer had a habit of doing everything you didn't expect him to do, and he left Steve Hodge on the bench for me to play, and Lee Glover played up front, but that was Brian Clough, he did whatever he wanted to do.

"Looking back, that was the one, he'd have had the full house if he had got that, I think that's why we were so disappointed because we wanted it for him.

"We knew he was coming to the end of his career, there would be limited chances to do it again, and it would have been nice for ourselves to win it, and to give him the full house.

"It does still hurt, I've never watched the game back, it still irks me the fact Paul Gascoigne wasn't sent off. I can feel myself rising now!

"Roger Milford...honestly! You're getting me going now...

"The Garry Parker challenge, and then the Gary Charles challenge was shocking, terrible.

"He was so up for it, it was incredible, I've never seen someone so hyper in my life!

"Wha a talent though, a great player. He was just on a different level at the time. But he was so hyped up, it still irks me to this day!"

Woan accepts Burnley's FA Cup record has been poor under Dyche and himself, with the fifth round the furthest the Clarets have gone in their time at the club - although the club only have two quarter-finals, in 2003 and 1983, since their last semi-final in 1974!

But the shock defeat to Lincoln in 2017 rankles: "I think our track record isn't great in the cup, but you always pick a team you think can win the game.

"Probably the one you most remember is the Lincoln game, we picked a team that day that was more than good enough to see Lincoln off.

"They performed well on the day, and we were poor - you get criticised for rotation, but you have a Premier League squad, you have to have the trust in those players to beat, with all due respect, any team in a lower division, you'd think they are good enough to go in and do a job.

"You're just not going to learn about these players otherwise.

"You have to have faith in them, they are Premier League players, in your squad, you have to see them in action, and we were confident they'd go and get a result.

"That one still narks, that was a real good opportunity for us that season, we had a real solid outfit, it was an odd game - I think they targeted Joey Barton, he got a few slaps, and for some reason, the referee managed it as he would a lower league game, even though he was a Premier League referee.

"He let so much go, Joey wasn't best pleased!

"That was one that hurt, it was a good opportunity to go and progress, but the team was more than capable."