While Mark Hudson leads the bid for a Championship victory at Ipswich today, his namesake who used to be a fixture in Town’s midfield has his sights set on FA Cup success.

The 34-year-old is skipper of Shildon, who head to Stoke for a fourth round qualifying clash with Norton United.

The target is a place in the first round proper, something the County Durham club last achieved in 2003-04.

That season they beat Workington, Duham City, Frickley Athletic, Shirebrook Town and Stocksbridge Park Steels to set up a trip to Notts County, where they lost 7-2.

This season, they have already come through five rounds, with two replays, their victims including Stalybridge Celtic.

You have to go back to the Fifties to find the only other post-War campaigns in which Shildon mixed it with Football League clubs in the cup, first Scunthorpe United, then Oldham Athletic.

It’s not surprising that there is an air of anticipation around the Northern League club, whose roots stretch back to 1890 and who were among the opponents during Town’s inaugural season of 1908-09, when both clubs played in the North-Eastern League.

Town’s first Mark Hudson (far right) was signed from Chesterfield by Peter Jackson in June 2005.

Bishop Auckland-born, he had begun his career at nearby Middlesbrough.

He made 69 Town appearances, scoring six goals, before a move to Rotherham United in June 2007.

He also played for Blackpool before dropping into non-league football with Gainsborough Trinity.

Grimsby Town, Worksop Town and Bradford Park Avenue were other stopping off points before a return to his native North-East brought spells with West Auckland Town, Ashington, Sunderland RCA and then Shildon, who are the sole remaining Northern League  representatives, while Norton United play in the Northern Premier League Division I South, one rung above on the pyramid.

Other minnows left in the competition are Willand Rovers, from the Western League Premier Division, who are at home to Gosport Borough, and Greenwich Borough, of the Southern Counties East League, who are away to Worcester City tomorrow.

FC Halifax Town visit Conference North side Chorley. And Kidderminster, who reached the fourth round last season and sold Joe Lolley to Town after a third-round replay win at Peterborough, head to Eastleigh.