THE ghosts of Curzon Ashton still haunt Exeter City and their manager Paul Tisdale. It was almost 12 months ago to the day that the Grecians, then a League Two side, travelled to the Manchester outfit and were on the wrong end of one of their most notable FA Cup upsets.

Unibond League First Division North side Curzon lay four rungs lower then the Devon side in the pyramid system, yet they stormed into a 3-0 lead which had Exeter reeling. Late strikes by Steve Basham and Dean Moxey gave the scoreline a more respectable look, after Matt Gill had seen red, but it was a dark day in Exeter's FA Cup history.

Today, they face a similar banana skin with a first round clash at Zamaretto Southern Premier League side Nuneaton Town. The Midlanders play in the same league as Tiverton Town and Truro City, to put their position into context, and Tisdale is determined to avoid another embarrassment.

"We experienced that disappointment last year and those that were a part of it will be slightly scarred by the disappointment of that day," Tisdale said. "We are well aware of what can happen if we are not at our best and we get outplayed by a very hungry home team.

"We are well aware of how that felt last year. It is still in our minds and I don't think I will need to play on it too much because it is irrelevant. The players are aware of it. It has been a long wait since last November.

"We have no excuses for last year, they just outperformed us. But that was a long time ago, it is a different game and we are a different team.

"We treated it like any other game last year and prepared in the same way as we would a league game. They are there to be respected, but they are not to be feared. We need to be very focussed, but we don't need to be over anxious either. We just have to play well and make sure we respect them because they have been winning games."

With the draw for the first round made under two weeks ago, it has given Exeter little time to get the inside track on today's hosts. Maybe that is not such a bad thing given the extensive research that went into Curzon Ashton and Tisdale could not really tap into the knowledge of Tiverton manager Martyn Rogers or Truro counterpart Sean McCarthy, both former Exeter players, for the lowdown as Nuneaton have not faced either of the Westcountry's premier non-League clubs.

"We have a brief synopsis of what they can do, but ultimately, it will come down to us," Tisdale added. "I think the crux of it is how we perform. We have to realise that the opposition have won a number of games to get to this point, they are on a cup run and if they are lacking any kind of spirit or performance before the cup run, then they certainly have one now because you don't get to the first round of the FA Cup as a non-League club unless you have some kind of form and competitive spirit.

"I am sure Nuneaton will have that and I am looking forward to the game very much knowing that they will be competitive. We have had a brief bit of information about them, but it is not as much as a league game.

"It is a big game for them and I have experienced their situation. But I am sure they are expecting to give it a very good go at us and I would be surprised if we don't have a very difficult game. They will be buoyed by their run so far and will no doubt be very excited about what it potentially could be."

Tisdale hit the headlines in by leading Team Bath to round one in 2002. The Students become the first university team to play in the FA Cup proper for 122 years and although they lost 4-2 in front of the television cameras, it is such memories that make the competition so special.

City's last decent run came in 2005 when they reached round three and drew Manchester United and lost 2-0 in a replay after holding the Red Devils to a goalless draw at Old Trafford.

"It is such a fabulous competition and everyone wants a run. I am no different as manager of Exeter and we haven't had a run for a while, so it would be nice to have one this year," Tisdale said.

"It is a renowned competition that everyone looks at and considers to be a highly acclaimed tournament and any cup run at any level is fantastic. I have experienced it as a player and as a non-League coach and every FA Cup match holds as much excitement and potential reward as the next. We are looking at the Nuneaton game no differently than any other."

The Grecians go into today's game without striker Marcus Stewart who serves a one-match suspension following his red card against Brentford last week. The only other enforced change will be finding a replacement for winger Craig Noone, who returned to Plymouth earlier this week.