Havant & Waterlooville defender Justin Gregory is no stranger to FA Cup fourth-round trips to Anfield.

As a Brighton & Hove Albion fan, the full-back made the journey to Liverpool to watch the Seagulls earn a fourth-round replay 17 years ago.

Now Gregory is looking forward to going one better by playing at Anfield in the FA Cup - thanks to tonight's Blue Square South trip to Thurrock.

Gregory was due to miss the Hawks' big day through suspension but tonight's match will now serve as his one-match ban for his fifth booking of the season - a mistimed tackle in a 4-1 defeat at Bishops Stortford earlier this month.

He said: "Hopefully we can get a similar result at Anfield as Brighton did in 1991. We were 2-0 down to two Ian Rush goals but Mike Small and John Byrne got the goals that gave us a replay at the Goldstone.

"It was a fantastic atmosphere and as a Brighton ball boy in those days I also watched Liverpool close up a week and a half later - they won 3-2 and broke my heart.

"I played at Highbury for Farnborough Town when we lost 5-1 to Arsenal in 2003 but playing in front of the Kop will be a lot better. Anfield is the home of football as far as I'm concerned."

Gregory, who still lives in Hove, cheered as Brighton & Hove Albion cult hero John Crumplin kept John Barnes quiet at Anfield in the 1991 fourth round.

He hopes to have a similar impact on either of Liverpool's current wingers, Jermaine Pennant and Yossi Benayoun, this weekend.

But tonight the 32-year-old physiotherapy student is focused on Thurrock.

The rescheduling of the trek to Essex has not gone down well with other clubs in Blue Square South - before beating Swansea City last week the Hawks were due to be at home to Weston-super-Mare this weekend - and the FA are investigating.

But secretary Trevor Brock said: "Our cup run has caused massive fixture congestion and we've got to alleviate that somehow."

Manager Shaun Gale said: "Thurrock will be relishing playing us. Their manager will be telling his team that we won't relish the tackles and won't fancy it because we won't want to get injured.

"Of course they are going to have one mind on Saturday, that's only natural, but my lads will go there and be professional."

Since beating Notts County in the second round of the FA Cup on December 1, Havant have dropped 11 out of 21 league points and slipped down into mid-table.

But Gale, who took over from Ian Baird at the beginning of October, says promotion remains the priority.

"The cup run is a bonus," he said. "It's been a long and fantastic road but the aim is to get this club into the Conference and that won't change.

"There are plenty of points to be had but we need to get a run of form and consistency on the field."