Former Bishop’s Cleeve footballer Andy Dudfield has flown in from Portugal to watch the biggest game in his old club's history.

The 65-year-old will be one of an expected 1,350-plus sell-out crowd packed into Kayte Lane for the showpiece FA Cup second qualifying round game against Torquay United on Saturday (3pm).

Dudfield arrived in Bishop’s Cleeve on Wednesday afternoon – he’s lived in Portugal for the past 10 years – and like everyone else in the village is counting down the hours to the big day.

Torquay, who dropped out of the Football League 10 years ago, now play in National League South but still attract crowds of 3,000-plus to their home games.

Bishop’s Cleeve, who play two levels below the south coast club in Southern League Division One South, go into the game as heavy underdogs, but Dudfield, a left-sided midfielder back in the day, believes they could spring a surprise.

“I think we could get a sneaky draw,” he said. “You never know, it’s the FA Cup.

“A draw would be a fantastic result, it would be ideal for the club because it would mean a replay in Torquay.”

Dudfield, who went to school in Cleeve, played in the first ever Cleeve Colts team more than 50 years ago.

That was for the under-12s and it was a team that included current Bishop’s Cleeve manager Paul Collicutt as well as the likes of Clive Rawlings, Tim Bayliffe, Bob Styman, Mark Hill, Steve New and Greg Blake.

“I’ve known Colly for a long time, we’ve been mates since we were nine,” said Dudfield, whose daughter Kathryn, who lives in Sevenoaks in Kent, is also attending the game. “He’s phenomenal, he deserves all the success he gets.”

Dudfield, who comes over to England a couple of times a year, is due to fly back to Portugal on Sunday, but what would he do if Bishop’s Cleeve were to force a replay?

“I’d have to see what my flights are like,” he laughed.