SIMON Royce knows the unpredictably of the FA Cup means anything could happen when two of his former teams meet at Roots Hall tomorrow.

The popular former Southend United shot-stopper also had two spells with Charlton Athletic during his career.

And the 53-year-old is intrigued as to what might unfold in Saturday’s first round tie.

“Charlton are a good side and they’re a big club in League One,” said Royce, who is now goalkeeper coach at Leyton Orient.

“Nathan Jones is doing a great job there but I know and you know, it’s the FA Cup so anything can happen.

“We’ve got Boreham Wood on Sunday and a couple of years ago they went and won at Bournemouth so anything is possible.

“I’ve been on the end of a giant killing cup shock when I was in the quarter-final with Leicester and we lost to Wycombe so anything is possible and it’s just down to what happens on the day.”

Charlton will head into the clash as favourites to progress to the second round.

But Royce feels it is important for Blues to triumph in what he believes will be an entertaining encounter.

“I think it’s got the makings of a good cup tie,” said Royce, who made 169 appearances for Southend in the 1990s.

“I don’t think I can remember playing in the FA Cup for Charlton and to be quite honest even though I was with Southend for about seven and a half years I don’t remember having a big tie with them either.

“I know Southend’s league form hasn’t been as they would’ve wanted this season but if they can get past Charlton and get a decent one in the next round that would be great.

“For me they do need a good cup run for finances and for confidence too.”

But it is not just the teams which connects Royce to this weekend’s cup tie as he also played alongside both side’s managers during his own career.

“There’s a nice connection there with the managers,” said Royce.

“I played with Nathan and he’s done really well in management.

“Kev (Maher) is a really, really good manager and he’s doing a great job.

“He played a lot for Southend and I played with him too at Gillingham as well as Southend.

“My loyalties are slightly split but I’m rooting for Southend in this one.

“I was there a lot longer and it was my first pro club so for me I’d like to see Southend get through.”

However, Royce’s main focus is now on Leyton Orient where he continues to enjoy working with the club’s goalkeepers “This is my fourth season and it’s been great,” said Royce.

“We’ve been on the up and had some real highs getting the League Two championship.

“We had a decent League One season last year but this year it’s the hardest I’ve ever known at this level.

“You’ve got some massive clubs in there with huge budgets.

“Our budget is probably around 20th so it’s difficult and we haven’t had a great start.

“We’ve actually been playing well though, we just need to cut out some silly mistakes.

“It’s nice to have a game in the FA Cup this weekend away from the league and if we can get a positive result we can then take that mood into the league.”