Former Albion assistant manager Colin Calderwood is hoping to shock his old club.

But he recognises he found some “really good people” in his time at the Amex.

Calderwood was right-hand man to Chris Hughton during the near-miss season of 2015-16.

He quit to join Aston Villa midway through the promotion campaign which followed.

Calderwood is now No.2 at Blackpool.

He said of his time with Albion: “We really had a great time there.

“We joined when the club was struggling towards the bottom of the Championship.

“The manager Chris did a terrific job turning around the shape and the balance of the team.

“We found, as I’ve found at most clubs I’ve been at, there’s a core group of players that have an appetite and an ability level that can give you a chance of success.

“When it falls into place, it is really nice to watch and it is very heart-warming and you feel justified in what you preach and practise.

“A lot of the time you are determined by the quality of the person and the player within the club.

“I think we found some really good people down there."

Blackpool visited Sussex in the first round, beating Eastbourne Borough 3-0 after a goalless first half.

Towering ex-Bolton centre-forward Gary Madine made the difference at Priory Lane with two goals and has seven in all competitions.

Former Swindon striker Jerry Yates added the third at Eastbourne.

Yates has scored in each of the last two games, including the FA Cup tie versus West Brom, and has eight goals in total this term. Borough and Blackpool have remained in contact since their cup tie.

Calderwood texted boss Danny Bloor wishing him good luck before the recent win at Havant and Waterlooville.

And fans are calling for the clubs to arrange a friendly in pre-season if the turnstiles have re-opened by then.