Salisbury City player-coach Tommy Widdrington believes reaching the FA Cup third round is non-league football's equivalent of winning it.

The Whites have never progressed as far as the third round but on Sunday they will be contesting their second ever second-round tie.

In 1959 they were knocked out at the second-round stage by Newport County but will be in unchartered territory if they beat League One leaders Nottingham Forest - whose only FA Cup win ironically was also in 1959 - on Sunday afternoon.

For Widdrington, the visit of the former European Cup kings to the Raymond McEnhill Stadium for the BBC-televised tie is Salisbury's FA Cup final.

Widdrington, who is currently injured and therefore misses Sunday's tie, said: "If we got to the third round that would be tantamount to winning the FA Cup.

"That would be six wins, which is how many the winners need from the third round stage, so on a relative scale it is our final.

"To have a high-flying League One side with the history that Nottingham Forest have is massive.

"I hate the term sleeping giant' but they are a club with the potential, a fan base and a very good manager in Colin Calderwood."

Midfielder Widdrington, 35, played against the Forest boss many times for Saints when Calderwood was a defender with Spurs and Swindon.

He hopes the former Northampton boss leads Forest to promotion this season but, like many football romantics, still regrets their post-Brian Clough decline.

"I remember Trevor Francis's diving header at the far post against Malmo in the 1979 European Cup final and Kenny Burns lifting the cup.

"It's not long since they were at the height of British football.

"I played against them on a few occasions and they always played football the right way. I remember getting walloped 3-0 there, it was Gordon Watson's debut and Bryan Roy was our tormentor that day."

In-depth interview in today's Daily Echo