The 72-year-old former midfielder had a "really, really terrific" time in football as both a player and manager but can't help but lament the fact his lengthy career never saw him lift the coveted trophy.

He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I’ve had, by normal standards, a really, really terrific time as a player and a manager. But, you know, like everyone, you still have moments when you think, ‘if only’.

“Absolutely, I have those thoughts. As a player or a manager I didn’t win the FA Cup. The FA Cup is what I grew up on. I knew all the FA Cup winners from after World War Two and I didn’t win it.

"The only thing I didn’t win. I won the European Cup, the League, the League Cup, which are major things. When I was growing up, it was THE major thing."

And Martin in "so sad" with how the competition has changed, including the recent decision to scrap replays as he thinks the FA Cup has been devalued beyond recognition.

He said: "I’m so sad about what has happened to that competition, it’s just thrown in there now almost as a distraction, the replays scrapped. The demise of the FA Cup is the worst thing that has happened to football in my lifetime. No question, that’s how I feel about it.”