Greg Cunningham has some happy Cup memories - a Manchester City debut in the FA Cup and a narrow defeat to Arsenal in 2017 while at Preston.
But now he wants to create some new memories on this side of the Irish Sea with his hometown club, Galway United.
Cunningham was born in 1991, the year the Tribesmen claimed their first and only success in the competition, when they beat Shamrock Rovers in the final at Lansdowne Road.
A win on Friday against neighbours Salthill, who had a brief spell in the League of Ireland, and they are into the quarter-finals.
“1991, yeah,” he said. “It’s a case now where, without getting ahead of ourselves, we look to Salthill on Friday, and once that’s done we look to the next game and we take every game as they come.
“When you look at the Cup and who’s left and what draws could be made, you lose focus and you take your eye off the ball.
“So it’s important to approach this game on Friday night with a mindset and professionalism and we go from there.”
Cunningham’s only cup winners’ medal to date came in the Football League Trophy in 2015 with Bristol Rovers.
“Players can go through their careers without winning trophies, so it’s nice to have that medal at home,” he said.
“When it comes to the FA Cup, we had a nice one, Arsenal at home, when I was at Preston at the time. It was an early January evening kick-off under the lights at Deepdale.
“Although we didn’t win the game, it was a great occasion having a packed out Deepdale there.
“There were a few occasions over the years that kind of stick with you. But now I’m here, I’m hoping to create some memories.”
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As for his City debut in January 2010, he recalled: “I came on as a half-time sub against Scunthorpe away, which was a fond memory many years ago now.”
Cunningham featured in the same team on that occasion as Sylvinho, Vincent Kompany, Martin Petrov, Stephen Ireland and Robinho.
He made two Premier League appearances off the bench after that, against Birmingham City and West Ham, but the writing was on the wall as the money poured into the club and City’s big spending began in earnest.
Cunningham moved on loan to Leicester and Nottingham Forest, before he cut ties with City in the summer of 2012 and left for Bristol Rovers.
But he made the most of his time on the training ground with the club’s star players.
“When I signed for City, it was a case of going over there because they had a great track record at getting academy players into the first-team set-up,” Cunningham revealed.
“Then the money came and these big players came in and it was a case where the door slowly shut.
“But at the same time, you approach it in a manner of trying to soak up as much experience from these world-class players, and I’ve got some very fond memories from being there and learning so much, and that put me in good stead moving forward in my career at a young age.”
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