SIXFIELDS Stadium is where  it all starts tomorrow night,  but we all know where we  hope it will end . . .

Wembley is the prize for those  reaching the final of the Johnstone’s  Paint Trophy and that’s not  something to be sniffed at.

Fair enough, the early rounds  usually feature teams giving fringe or  previously injured players a chance,   or experimenting because things  aren’t quite going right in the  league.

Changes are limited these days to  basically five, but it was no surprise  to me to here the gaffer, Lee Clark,  saying how determined he is to do  well in the competition this year.

We all remember how bitterly  disappointed we were last year when  we went to Carlisle in the Northern  Final and lost 4-0.

When you have got two games to  reach Wembley you will take a  one-goal deficit from the first leg, or  perhaps even the two, but four left us  with a massive mountain to climb.

It almost happened in a brilliant  second leg at the Galpharm, but in  the end it was Carlisle who went  through and it left us all feeling very  empty.

All we should need to do for  motivation is remember that feeling,  because the players – who were  absolutely gutted about what  happened against Carlisle – will not  want to feel like that again.

The chance to play at Wembley is  fantastic for everybody – the players,  management, staff and supporters –  but we can’t get there without  performing against Northampton  tomorrow night, so it’s an important  match.

Mention of Sixfields brings back a  mix of memories for me.

Firstly, I scored a hat trick there  once in what was Leon Knight’s first  game for the club.

I hadn’t scored for ages and was  wondering where my next goal was  coming from, especially when I hit a  post early on and then headed over.

But I managed to scuff one in  eventually and it turned out to be a  perfect hat trick – right foot, left foot  and then Thomas Heary crossing for  a header.

I also remember the match there  which was abandoned because an  advertising board was blown from  the stand roof and fell in the crowd.

We were playing so badly that day  it was unbelievable, and we were  losing, but when we went back we  won and Paul Rachubka played out  of his skin to keep a clean sheet.

I’M feeling a bit down in the dumps  about Yorkshire cricket at the  moment with us struggling to avoid  relegation from Division I of the  Championship.

Things are not going too well  right now for Martyn Moxon and the  boys and I’m particularly gutted for  the skipper, Andrew  Gale, who as  everyone knows is a  big Town fan.

He is injured at the  moment and the fact  he can’t get out there  on the pitch and do  what he does best will  be massively  frustrating for him.

I was fortunate  enough to play with  the Yorkshire lads  recently in a benefit  game for gloveman  Gerard Brophy  (pictured inset) and it  was very enjoyable.

It was the day after  that very worthwhile  football match for the  Huw Thatcher Trust  at Brighouse and,  having played for over  an hour in that, I could barely move  the next morning when I was  supposed to be playing cricket.