When Lee Worgan was growing up, he admitted that he loved watching football, and his FA Cup memories are testament to this.

He told Kent Sports News that “much to my dad’s dismay, I did used to support Manchester United through my sister and brother-in-law when I was younger, and I used to watch loads of football then. My clearest memories of the FA Cup were, funnily enough, of Stevenage playing Newcastle and the game where Roy Essandoh scored for Wycombe against Leicester.”

Now in his second season with Maidstone United, Worgan is making memories for the Stones’ supporters with his performances, especially those against League Two Stevenage in the First Round. In the first game, at Broadhall Way, he made a timely save from Chris Whelpdale just before half-time to keep the scores level. He then followed this up in the replay with four outstanding saves to deny Lee Barnard, Roarie Deacon, Charlie Lee and, once again, the former Gillingham midfielder, Whelpdale, with a one-on-one block with his left leg.

Worgan explained “I spoke to Frannie Collin before the Stevenage games, and he’s of the same opinion as me. We both came out of League football early in our careers, and you look for the chance to progress and prove that you can perform at that level. It was nice to play well in both games personally, but we needed everyone to play well to beat a League side, and we came through it with flying colours.”

“The supporters really are our 12th man. They pushed us through from the warm-up onwards; they were so loud. They created a great atmosphere, and for us to score so early, that seemed to gee them on. When they equalised, you thought that could be the turning point, but the crowd showed they are real supporters and got right behind us.”

So it’s on now to Wrexham, and the former Wales U21 international, who celebrates his 31st birthday on Monday 1st December, is enjoying his moment in the spotlight. After 5 years at Tonbridge Angels, where the side could never progress beyond the Fourth Qualifying Round, Worgan is loving being in the competition proper.

He added “I think this is my fifth season with Frannie and we both knew that it never really happened there in the FA Cup. As a non-league player, you want to do the best you can in the competition, but you want that League draw and be on TV, and we’ve had both in the last round. This is a club we both love playing for, and to get that chance to show you can perform was a reward for everyone.”

“This is a fantastic club, and every time I’m asked, I seem to say the same thing. It’s such a professional set-up, it’s why I came to the club, from the board down and the management. I can’t speak any more highly of how the club is run. The boys have kicked on this season, with the guys who’ve come in (including Sonny Miles, James Rogers, Matt Bodkin and Jay May), and when we get along so well, everything else seems to go along with it.”

“From this run, the standout moment for me is Frannie’s goal to beat Stevenage. That led to the longest six minutes of my life. When the whistle finally went, seeing the supporters coming onto the pitch just topped the night off. For a club that was out of the town for so long, being in the FA Cup, on TV against a League club, and winning, just captivates you, and that is what I will take away from it.”

The closeness of the squad was highlighted as the BT Sport cameras caught the unforgettable sight of Worgan and Chief Executive Bill Williams tangoing across the changing room. The keeper admitted “I do watch Strictly Come Dancing, for my sins, and when Bill grabbed me I thought I’d just roll with it, until I realised how stiff I was. It’s not something I’ve lived down yet because it was caught on camera, but it shows how close everyone is from top to bottom with the joy that it brings the Board. He wanted to be with us and a part of it all, so I thought I’d join in.”

Employed at Gillingham as a goalkeeper coach, Worgan said he had to laugh at Peter Taylor’s comment after the Stevenage game, that at least there was one Gillingham person still in the FA Cup. “He did say to me, as I was working the morning of the Stevenage game, that he would be commentating on the game, and not to let him down. We had a bit of banter about it, and since then, he’s given me a pat on the back.”