IT is a good time to be a Tottonian.

Not so long ago, Totton was best known for being the largest village in the UK, a hinterland on the edge of Southampton passed through en route to the New Forest.

When the football team was mentioned, the name was sometimes confused with Tott’nham. Which was where the similarity ended.

Totton might not be on the Olympic torch route but the place is now firmly inked on the football map, thanks to an FA Cup performance that Spurs would be proud of.

Like the 1901, 1921, 1961, 1981 and 1991 winners, Totton have saved their most memorable FA Cup run for a year ending in ‘one’.

A home tie, even against League Two Bristol Rovers, gives them a great chance to extend it into 2012 in the lilywhite and blue kit marking the club's 125th anniversary.

No-one knew what to expect of the Stags’ debut in the FA Cup proper.

With home advantage on their side, Totton were always slight favourites and it was no surprise to see Bradford Park Avenue’s supporters outnumbered by around eight to one.

But no-one would have believed that would be the result on the pitch.

Or that Stefan Brown would write himself into the history books as the scorer of the quickest FA Cup hat-trick by a substitute with finishing that Theo Walcott, his former Newbury Schools teammate, would be proud of.

By the final whistle, the Stags were making national headlines as the first non-league club to score eight in the FA Cup proper since Walthamstow Avenue’s 11-3 win against Sutton United at the same stage of the 1945-46 competition.

Of course, Totton are not the only Southern Premier side enjoying the welcome distraction of the FA Cup.

Oxford City will be confident of winning their replay at home to Redbridge while Stourbridge have a second go against Plymouth Argyle.

But after the disappointment of two fourth-round qualifying defeats in recent years, this tie captured the imagination of football fans far beyond Totton’s boundaries and at higher levels of the game's fraternity long before kick off.

Saints star Adam Lallana tweeted his support for pal Jamie Whisken, the Totton centre-half, as the big day approached and the club was inundated with enquiries throughout last week.

So packed was the Testwood Stadium you half expected to see fans shinning up the oak trees on the other side of Salisbury Road to catch a glimpse of the action.

You wonder how far the Stags can go, not just in this competition but beyond.

The management team of Stuart Ritchie and Sean New deserve much of the credit for leading the club into these unchartered waters, with a third promotion in five years also very much a possibility.

A place in Blue Square South is the ultimate aim but, as Bradford PA chairman John Dean pointed out during the build up, this tie was hardly a hindrance to the club’s league ambitions, being worth a potential £100,000 to the winners.

As well as being all about the romance of the FA Cup, Saturday’s win was about serious cash; £18,500 in prize money alone, not to mention gate receipts and a whopping £72,000 if the second round tie against Bristol Rovers is chosen for live television coverage.

That would only pay the average Premiership player a couple of weeks’ wages but, amazingly, Totton are now only 90 minutes away from a place in the third round draw with Tott'nham and the rest of the big boys.