JULIO ARCA knows all about dumping Hartlepool United out of the FA Cup. Almost 14 years ago, the South Shields midfielder scored the only goal of the game as Sunderland edged a third-round victory over Pools at the Stadium of Light. More than 10,000 visiting fans made the short trip north to Wearside, but while their side acquitted themselves well against higher-division opposition, a moment of magic from Arca left them heart-broken.

Fast forward more than a decade, and Arca finds himself lining up against Hartlepool again. He is a fair bit older now, 36 in fact, and instead of plying his trade for a Sunderland side playing in the Championship, he finds himself turning out for a South Shields team based in the Evo-Stik North.

Hartlepool are playing in the FA Cup’s fourth qualifying round for the first time in their history, while Shields have already had to beat Witton Albion, Darlington and York City just to get to this stage. When Arca pulls on his boots this afternoon, though, the magic of the Cup will still be evident.

“I remember there were a lot of Hartlepool fans there that day, and we managed to win 1-0,” said Arca, who was part of the South Shields side that won at Wembley in the final of the FA Vase in May. “It was a very competitive game, and it was fantastic for me personally to get the winner.

“Hopefully, history can repeat itself and we can get the win, although I don’t care if it’s me who scores or someone else.

“We’ve got a fantastic record over the last year, and we’re all hoping it can continue. It’s a great opportunity for us to play against a really good team, and try to progress in the competition.”

Three leagues separate today’s opponents, but South Shields are hardly your archetypal underdogs. The Mariners have won 50 of their last 52 matches in all competitions, and proved their mettle as they outclassed Darlington in the second qualifying round.

They were at it again as they scored a last-gasp winner against York last month, and while Hartlepool’s own form has improved after a shaky start to life in the Northern League, Craig Harrison’s side will hardly be taking anything for granted as they head up the A19.

“We’ll show them respect, as we do to every opponent, but we believe we have a chance,” said Arca. “The team has been competing very well in all competitions this season, and we put in excellent performances against Darlington and York City in the last two rounds of the FA Cup. Hopefully, we can do the same thing again.

“We’re happy to be playing at home, but we know they are going to be very difficult to beat. Hartlepool had a tough start to the season, but have got some confidence now and the last thing they will want is to lose to South Shields. I guess that like our last two games in this competition, the pressure will be more on them than us.”

Cup fever has certainly gripped South Shields, and today’s game is a 2,900-capacity sell-out. Roared on by the packed home terraces, the most in-form team in the whole of non-league football will rightly fancy the chances of pulling off the biggest upset in their history, and their managerial duo of Graham Fenton and Lee Picton have spent the last week telling their players they have nothing to fear.

“Across pre-season and the competitive games we’ve had so far, we’ve played seven teams that are higher than us in the pyramid,” said Picton. “And we are yet to be beaten.

“We fear nobody in non-league football. People can take that however they want to take it, but we’re oozing with confidence at the moment.

“We’ve got lots of different options within our squad. I’m not saying we’re going to win every game – far from it – but we’re going to go in to every game thinking that we’ve got a really good chance, including this one.”