Andrew Crofts loves FA Cup football and has some vivid memories of ties in which he played.

But the Albion midfielder can understand why his old boss might be harbouring some reservations about the world’s most famous club knockout on third round weekend.

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert, the man who signed Crofts from the Seagulls for Norwich City in May 2010, has made headlines by claiming several Premier League clubs could do without the FA Cup right now.

You will not hear similar sentiments from Crofts as the Seagulls take a break from their 46-game Championship programme and look to add another match to their fixture list by beating Reading.

Crofts said: “The FA Cup has got that tradition and is a special cup to be involved in and I think all the boys are really looking forward to it.

“But I think different clubs and managers will look at things differently.

“They will look at what is more important to them and obviously at Villa he sees the league to be more important.

“A lot of Premier League clubs will do that.

“But I know Paul Lambert and every game his team plays he will want them to win.

“He is a natural born winner and, whatever team he puts out there, he will know they have got a good chance of winning that game.”

Crofts' Cup memories - in The Argus today