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James Rogers returns to the scene of some of his best times in football when Hythe visit Dartford in the FA Cup.
Cannons midfielder Rogers was part of the Darts side who won the Conference South play-offs in 2012 and finished eighth in the Premier Division - the top part-time club in the country.
He’ll get a good reception at Princes Park this Saturday but knows he’s in for a tough afternoon as Isthmian South East Hythe take on Steve King’s National South leaders in the second qualifying round.
“They’re absolutely flying,” said Rogers, 36. “When you look at the players and the manager, it’s a club built for the league above already.
“In that sense, we’re coming up against a Conference Prem club really.
“I’ve always said this, when you play Conference Prem teams, you come off the pitch and you feel like you’ve been beaten up physically.
“It’s just the amount of extra work you have to put in because the players are that little bit quicker and wiser and physically stronger, and trying to keep up is quite difficult, especially at 36.
“It’s going to be tough but hopefully I can use my brain and my experience to cover space and not have to run too much.
“When I was growing up, non-league football was a different scene.
“There was a bit of a drinking culture and going out but the players all look after themselves now and the game seems quicker than ever.
“I do miss the non-league of old but the players today know no different.
“To be fair, they’re doing the right things and giving themselves the best chance to progress.
“In my day, we were happy to play at a good level, and obviously we all wanted to win, but it was different.
“I haven’t played at Dartford’s level for a good five years now but even the boys at our level look after themselves.”
Rogers played for Dartford for during a golden run of six promotions in nine years for the midfielder, who also enjoyed big success at Dover and Maidstone.
His first full season, after joining from Margate, ended in play-off glory and Darts enjoyed a superb first season in non-league’s top flight under Tony Burman.
“I had a brilliant time at Dartford,” said Rogers, who will face former team-mate Tom Bonner this weekend.
“Tony didn’t need to sell the club to me - you only have to walk in and see the stadium.
“It’s one of my favourite grounds in non-league football - it’s all enclosed and tight and when there’s a lot of fans in, it’s intimidating for the away team.
“It was a great experience when we went into the Conference Prem, going to places like Luton and winning games we weren’t expected to win.
“It brought the boys even closer and there would be a few beers flying about on the coach on the way home.”
Few give Hythe much chance at Princes Park but you never know in the FA Cup.
Rogers said: “I was hoping to go a few more rounds before we played a club like Dartford.
“We’ll do our best and, to be fair, we’ve got some good players.
“DJ Oldaker on his day is probably a Football League player, Noel Leighton’s a handful up front, you’ve got Frannie Collin’s experience and we’ve got a few quick players.”
