OUR attention turns back towards cup football this week, with two knock-out games in the space of four days.

First up is Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup at Roots Hall on Saturday and it’s a cracking tie for us to be taking part in.

We’re one win away from being in the third round draw with the Premier League sides and that’s when things get exciting.

We all dream of being paired with a Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool but before we can start to even think about that we have to beat Oldham and that will not be an easy task.

They’re a strong side from a division above us and they will also be just as determined to get in to the hat for the next round.

After playing Oldham, we face Swindon Town in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and that’s a different scenario all together because we’re near the end of that competition now.

We have the chance to win some silverware and to play at Wembley, which is an awesome experience.

I was lucky enough to play at the old Wembley in this competition and I’ve played at the new Wembley a few times too and it’s just fantastic.

The whole day is awesome for friends, family, fans and players and it’s one I would love all our players to be able to experience.

I’d certainly like to get there again and this is when the JPT really starts to hot up.

Swindon are bang in form but so are we so we want to try and keep the run going.

We’re 16 matches unbeaten which is fantastic news for everyone at the club, apart from our media manager David Scriven.

Like a few of the lads, Dave did not shave during September to raise money for the Beards4Boobs charity but he’s decided to carry it on as a superstition.

It’s getting a bit ridiculous now and, without any disrespect to Jon Parkin, Dave is starting to look like a scruffier version of him!

The beard has stayed for another week after we battled to another positive result against Bristol Rovers.

But the 1-1 draw did actually feel like a defeat in the dressing room afterwards.

We have spoken about it in training since though and we have to realise we’re not going to win every game this season.

For me personally, it was nice to get on the score-sheet but I would have swapped the goal for another three points.

FULL COLUMN IN THURSDAY'S ECHO