Get set for a big and busy week.

We go to Hull City in the third round of the Capital One Cup tomorrow before facing Blackpool at our place in a Championship match in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday – and both are massive matches.

Bradford City showed last season that the League Cup can provide the perfect platform for upsets, and even though we were on level terms with Hull last season, winning tomorrow would be a real scalp for us.

Given the demands of the Premier League and the need to stay in it, I would imagine Steve Bruce will make a few changes, but the extra income provided by promotion has allowed him to build a big and strong squad.

He’s a good manager, and I well remember a chance meeting with him on holiday the summer before I came back to Town from Sheffield Wednesday in 2001.

He casually mentioned the possibility of me coming back and how I might feel about it, and even though he had left the club, with Lou Macari taking over, by the time it happened in the March, the way he made me feel good about myself stuck in my mind.

The Blackpool game will be another big test for us, because they have made a strong start under Paul Ince, another man who knows just what he is doing.

I recall talking to Keith Southern over the summer and he was saying his old club could struggle because of budget cuts and the impact on the squad.

But Ince has created a strong spirit and keeping hold of his son Tom, a very good player, has been a big bonus.

It proves the old saying that a team is better than individuals, and we will have to be at our best to get the better of them.

The presence of the Sky cameras – they were there when we won over at Blackpool last season – and that fact that the match is taking place under lights will add an extra dimension, and it’s a match I’m really looking forward to.

I’d also like to mention that we are using the match to showcase our Give and Let Live campaign, when supporters can sign up for the organ donor register.

It’s the third season we have done this, and we are looking for another successful drive.

It seems early in the season to be talking about the FA Cup.

But I’d like to give a shout out to Brighouse Town, who have a huge second round qualifying clash at Stockport County this Saturday.

It doesn’t seem long since I was playing at Edgeley Park.

I remember going there during my last season as a player, 2008-09, and us being held to a 1-1 draw, and in my first spell at Town, we played them in the area semi-finals of the Autoglass Trophy in 1993-94, the season we made the final at Wembley.

Stockport had players like Kevin Francis, Andy Preece (inset) and Mike Flynn, and they were a real handful, big, powerful and direct.

We were very much the underdogs.

But we won the game 1-0 with a goal by Iain Dunn (see picture).

And it was a win which gave us a real injection of confidence for the remainder of the season.

The signs that Stockport were starting to struggle came the first season after I retired, when we went over there and won 6-0 on our way to the League I play-offs.

They were relegated, and dropped out of the Football League in 2011.

They now find themselves in the Conference North, but that’s still three levels above Brighouse of the Northern Counties East League.

That alone makes it a big game, but add the history of their hosts and the venue itself, and it’s going to be a great day for Paul Quinn’s side.

Victory would be a massive achievement, and given we play on Friday night, it would be great to think some Town fans might go over and lend their support.

It's great to see my old teammate Nathan Clarke and his club Leyton Orient doing so well this season.

They go to Brentford tonight aiming to make it eight wins out of eight and maintain their push for promotion from League I.

I’ll never forget the fantastic response of the Orient fans when I played my last match for Town.

Because of that, I’ll always have a soft spot for them and their club.

Manager Russell Slade has made Clarkey his captain, and I’m not surprised, because he is a natural leader and a strong character, both on the pitch and in the dressing room.

He’s also a very good player, and I’m delighted at the way things have turned out for him since leaving us.

Nathan was very unlucky, because every time he seemed to be kicking on, he suffered some kind of injury, and that probably cost him a big move as a youngster.

He’s still managed to play a lot of matches over the years, and at 30, he has a good few seasons left in him yet. Hopefully he’ll be playing Championship football this time next year.