The third round of the FA Cup has long been an opportunity for talented players from the lower leagues to showcase their talents to a wider audience.
Scott Bevan, the Tamworth goalkeeper, is one such player. Until 11.30 on Friday morning, the 26-year-old was still on loan at Tamworth from Milton Keynes Dons and thus ineligible to play. The League side, though, terminated his contract so that he could play.
Bevan said: "Everyone in the non-League, when it comes to the third round, you just want to perform and hopefully a League club is looking."
While Bevan has enjoyed playing regularly again he is, after ten years at professional clubs, back at the bottom having to start again. At a club like Tamworth the possibility of having to do a job outside football is very real.
He said after Saturday's match: "I'm signed on a non-contract basis, week-to-week type of thing. I was at M K Dons but Danny Wilson didn't fancy me, which is fair enough. I had to go in search of first-team football and Tamworth offered that.
"The last 18 months have been a real eye-opener. I had a few injuries, then being released. But today, hopefully, is a sign of things to come. I'm obviously hoping to get back into the League but, if it comes to it, I've been in football since the age of 16 and if I have to stay at this level I will be looking for a job.
"I haven't thought about what I'll do if I have to get one. It's a scary situation to be in. I think the PFA [Professional Footballers' Association] offers people in my situation good help and I have to take a course in a trade or computers or something."
Bevan's performance was a major factor in Tamworth's draw.
"I don't think I had a bad day," he said. "There were a couple of kicks that were pretty poor, and I come out for a cross in the first five minutes and dropped it and was thinking 'oh know, I hope the rest of the day isn't like this'. But apart from that it was a good day."
He foiled Mamady Sidibie when a defensive mixup put the forward clear.
"I had such a long time to think about it," he said. "And I'm thinking 'please don't score, please don't score'. He over-touched it slightly and I managed to come out and block it.
"You dream of getting a result, but to actually get it, the feeling is fantastic.
"The team was fantastic. The defenders were like giants. They were heading everything, blocking everything. It was good to play behind them. When you know they are going to put their body on the line, you know it's going to take something special to get past them, so it breads confidence."
