Memories of his historic FA Cup appearance in front of the live TV cameras has got Chatham boss Kevin Watson dreaming of another run in the competition this season.

Watson was the Team Bath captain in 2002 when they became the first university side for more than 120 years to reach the first round proper.

The students lost 4-2 to Mansfield live on Sky Sports in front of a 5,000-strong crowd on campus and the day inspired Watson.

He said: “I still remember that. I was lucky because that was a unique achievement.

“I look back on it as a highlight in my career and hope my players, at some point, get to experience something similar.”

Now Watson wants to end Chatham’s miserable recent record in the FA Cup, which has seen them fail to go beyond the first qualifying round since 1995. They visit Erith & Belvedere in the preliminary round on Saturday.

Watson said: “We haven’t had a cup run since I’ve been at the club, or for as long as many people can remember.

“You will probably only once be involved in a considerable FA Cup run. In the league, you get a chance to recover but the cups are unforgiving.”