Sylvain Distin is relishing a return to Fratton Park when AFC Bournemouth visit his former club Portsmouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Veteran centre-back Distin spent two years at Portsmouth between 2007 and 2009, helping the club to a famous FA Cup victory in the 2008 final against Cardiff City.
"At the start of your career you don't really realise it is going to end at some point and you just play game after game," he told The News.
"So being able to come back to a place where I had such a good time and good memories is fantastic.
"I never had the chance to say goodbye to the fans, how I left happened really, really fast.
"I was about to sign a contract, then the following day was asked to leave because the club needed the money."
"I just think it's a great occasion. The build-up builds slowly from Friday then into the expectancy of a Premier League club coming to Fratton Park," he said.
"From days gone by this was a normal fixture for us but it isn't [any] more. It's a game we're looking forward to and one we want to win.
"The reality of … playing a strong team [is] if they turn up and play well, then we'll have our hands full. We're looking forward to it."
Cook's men are fifth in League Two, having lost 1-0 to promotion rivals Oxford United last weekend.
