Back in January 2021, the Barnsley head coach was manager of a Cheltenham Town side who led Pep Guardiola's star-studded Manchester City 1-0 in a fourth-round tie before the Premier League giants struck three times in a late rally against the League Two hosts, 72 places below them in the football pyramid.

Duff said: "Cheltenham is a big rugby area, so the local joke is that rugby matches are 80 minutes long and that if it had been, we could have won!

"But them bringing 167 quid’s worth of talent from the bench - and we had two lads on the bench who hadn't played all season - made the difference.

Barnsley head coach Michael Duff. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.

"That is probably my fondest memory of the FA Cup. I have said before that a little bit of the magic has gone for the big boys.

"For the Premier League clubs, it gets in the way a little bit now. But the magic is still there for the smaller clubs and non-league clubs.

"It can be a big day out when you get a little team and the whole village goes to see them play at a Football League club or there is a Cheltenham v Man City where that opportunity never presents itself again."

Alongside the kudos, the financial windfalls of a money-spinning cup run can be huge for lower-division clubs and Barnsley are certainly no different in that regard.

But first things first. Bolton Wanderers, which Duff views to be one of the toughest first-round draws which his Reds side could have received.

Duff, whose side drew 0-0 at Wanderers exactly three weeks ago in a League One fixture, added: "There's three different things.

"You want it for the football club because financially it is really beneficial.

"You want it for the supporters because they want that day out where they don't even care about what the result is as they want to enjoy the day out.

"And it's also an opportunity for the players to test themselves against world-class players.

"They can be brilliant days out for three different reasons.

"But you have to win a couple of games to get there and Bolton is a really tough one.

"Don't start thinking too much down the line as if we don't beat Bolton, it does not matter what we hope."

Bolton v Barnsley FC: Michael Duff on why the FA Cup will always be close to his heart