THE FA Cup first round win against Chesterfield on Saturday represented Town's first appearance at this stage of the competition since the 1998-1999 season, when AFC Bournemouth won 2-1 in front of 3,830 fans at the Camrose.

They had beaten Backwell (1-1; 1-0), Chalfont (2-0) and Dover (2-2; 2-1) to earn the Bournemouth tie.

The previous season, in 1997, the club was put on the football map during the famous FA Cup run to the second round under ex-boss Ernie Howe, with current assistant manager Steve Richardson still playing in defence for the side.

It was the replay run, if ever there was one.

After winning against Havant Town (1-1; 2-0), Bath City (1-1; 3-1), Calne Town (0-0; 2-1) and Braintree Town (5-1) in the pre-qualifying stages, Town drew division two Wycombe in the first round.

And a 2-2 draw at Adams Park - where Richardson scored one - was followed by a 2-2 draw at the Camrose, before a thrilling 5-4 triumph on penalties.

Town's reward was another division two club, Northampton, and they drew 1-1 at the Cobblers' Sixfields home, before a bumper 4,993 descended on the Camrose for the replay.

On a memorably bitter Camrose December night in front of the live Sky Sports cameras, Town drew 0-0 after extra-time, before suffering the agony of a 4-3 demise in the shoot-out, Chris Ferret missing the crucial sudden-death kick.

Since those heady days, the FA Cup has not been so kind to Town, with defeats to Merthyr Tydfil (0-0; 2-1) in 1999-2000 and Bath City (1-1; 2-0) in 2000-2001, both in the second qualifying round.

The following season, Dagenham and Redbridge (2-2; 0-3) defeated Town at the fourth qualifying stage, goalkeeper Tony Roberts creating history in the first match, equalising deep into stoppage time to become the first 'keeper to score in the cup.

In 2002-2003, Dover won 2-0 at the second qualifying round, before the deeply disappointing lower-league opposition defeats to Bracknell Town (1-1; 0-1) and AFC Newbury (2-4) at the same stage over the next two years.

Chippenham Town (0-1) ended Town's interests in the competition last season at the fourth qualifying round at the Camrose.

Ernie Howe's men had beaten Bognor Regis (1-1; 2-1) and Worthing (2-4) to progress.

Town now face a second-round trip to either Chelmsford or Aldershot on the weekend of December 2