Veteran defender relishing another crack at the Emirates FA Cup.

Alex defender Nicky Hunt says he cannot wait to participate in another FA Cup third round encounter this weekend.

The veteran defender has had a professional career spanning almost 20 seasons now and has experienced some fantastic cup ties as a Bolton Wanderers player when they were back in the top flight.

Now the 36-year-old is targeting another memorable afternoon as a Crewe player.

Ahead of this weekend’s home tie against Barnsley, Hunt told iFollow the Alex: “The FA Cup is always special for any player. It doesn’t matter if it is the first round or the third round.  It is a special occasion and for some of our younger lads, it will be the first time they have played in the third round.

“As a player it tends to get better and better the older you get. You savour these moments more and our aim will be to get through. We know it will be a massive test against Barnsley because they are a very good side and they are in the Championship for that reason.

“They have turned a bit of a corner and they will be wanting to progress just as much as we do. It is a one off game and anything can happen. It tends to happen in the FA Cup and has done so throughout history.

“Sunday’s game is a free hit for us. We can give it a right go and let loose and let’s see how we get on.

“We know what the incentives are for us. We want to get into the draw and we might just get that big draw against a Premier League club.

“We are scoring a lot of  goals and not conceding too many, so we have play to our potential and if we do then anything can happen – but we know it is a massive test. “