YOU might think the last non-League side maintaining the FA Cup romance by beating Bolton on Saturday is a bit of a stretch. But for a former factory worker used to making the elastic on women's underwear, nothing could be further from the truth.
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| James Constable has played for England's C team between 2007 and 2009 |
Eastleigh, fourth in the National League - helped in no small part by the 12 goals scored by non-League international striker James Constable - have every right to believe they can provide the shock of the weekend. After all, Bolton are rooted to the bottom of the Championship with just two wins all season.
So why shouldn't Constable dream? "I used to make the elastic for women's underwear in a factory while I was playing part-time for Chippenham," said the 31-year-old, who went on to play for Walsall, Shrewsbury and Oxford.
"It was bras and pants, all sorts of stuff. The fastenings for the bras, the waistbands for the pants. I used to get all sorts of stick from the lads at the club at the time. But I needed to earn money.
"I didn't like the job much and got out as soon as I could - after about seven months."
His 29 goals in 66 appearances for Chippenham won the attention of Bristol City, Swindon, Swansea and Walsall - and he signed for the latter for just £4,000 in 2007. His journey then took him to Kidderminster, Shrewsbury Town, Oxford and now Eastleigh. He has even scored a goal for England C - who represent the country at non-League level - scoring against Italy to send England to the International Challenge Trophy final. Hardly pants, then.
But it was Oxford where he really started to shine, scoring 106 goals over six years - one short of the club record - as he helped them out of the Conference and into League Two.
But when offered a pay cut with a one-year deal by Oxford, he had no hesitation in opting for the Eastleigh project in 2014, after a chat with ambitious insurance tycoon owner Stewart Donald.
"It was a tough decision to drop out of league football," he said. "But in the later stages of my career I am enjoying my football again. It felt like I was excess to what Oxford wanted. There were a few league clubs interested but I talked to the chairman here and I knew it was the right move.
"When you come to a club you look at the squad and you think, 'Have we got a chance?' - and for me here it was a definite 'yes'. There are a lot of players with Football League experience here. We went to Crewe in the FA Cup first round and beat them 1-0 - and it could have been by a few more. And in the league we are in with a great chance of at least the play-offs this year."
Bolton be warned. Eastleigh are no tin pot outfit having their day in the limelight. Along with former QPR and Fulham winger Lee Cook - who once cost £2.5million and appeared in the 2007 semi-final with Watford - and Ben Strevens, they will present the major dangers to cash-strapped and struggling Bolton inside their 5,192-capacity Silverlake Stadium in Hampshire.
"If they have an off day and we play really well then we have a chance," said Constable. "It's whoever copes with the conditions and deals with them best."
When Eastleigh decided on a change of manager 13 weeks ago, they opted to hand the job to former Swansea, Exeter and Torquay player Chris Todd.
His battle with leukaemia has been well chronicled but that he will remain on a course of chemotherapy tablets for the rest of his life will have the hearts of cup romantics up and down the country thumping in support.
"I'm fine and healthy now and it won't stop me having a beer if we win on Saturday," said Todd. "In fact I'll have more than one!"
Quite right too.
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