IT'S one of my favourite times of the year - FA Cup first round proper weekend.

It's the start of the road that leads to Wembley and, for the teams lower down the pyramid, a time to dream.

A chance to dream of being the hero, getting to score a goal on television, getting your face in the papers for a giant-killing act and, on the horizon, the prospect of playing at one of the top stadiums in the country and rubbing shoulders with your idols.

Some heroes have had sponsorship deals from the papers, some - like Ronnie Radford - ink their name into an annals of history.

It's always fun to get a betting slip and look down the list at some of the names this round throws up.

Leiston, Brackley, Evesham etc are just a few of the names that could have their 15 minutes of fame this year.

There's no time of the year like it really. The third round is good because it's always nice to see who the lower league sides that make it through will get.

After that, it rarely changes from a procession of the "Big Four".

Last year was an exception, and Blackburn came within a whisker of making the final a couple of years ago, but usually it's the same names that make the latter stages.

So drink it in for there's nothing like it in the world and it will pass all too quickly.