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Jack Muldoon, 35, has made a home for himself at Harrogate with just over 300 appearances, 75 goals and a promotion to the Football League. Prior to his time at Harrogate, in the FA Cup, he made history.

Right back at the start of his career Muldoon had to claw his way up the hard way, scoring and making goals for a host of part-time non-league sides like Brigg Town, Sheffield FC and Alfreton Town. With Worksop Town he was part of a team that pulled off a surprise, if not a pretty big shock, in the FA Cup's second qualifying round. They travelled to Stalybridge Celtic and hit five in an eight-goal thriller.

"I remember going there at the time and in my head it was a big game, because they were two leagues above us at the time, and we were just sort of cruising along in the Evo-Stik," he said. "We just sort of blew them away in the first half an hour. I think we won 5-3 and after that game we kicked on in the league. That sort of thing can help with the mental side of things with all the boys, gives them confidence."

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Muldoon scored from 30 yards in that game, assisted another and played a part in a third. He and his free-scoring Worksop side would come to the end of their FA Cup adventure away at Solihull Moors that season. But after quitting his plastering job and moving into full-time football with Rochdale, Muldoon's love affair with the competition truly blossomed.

At National League Lincoln City he reached the 2016/17 quarter-finals thanks to a famous run that accounted for Guiseley after a replay, Altrincham, Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town after a replay, Brighton and a Burnley team that included Joey Barton. The run just got better and better for Lincoln and a growing army of fans.

"We had like 5,000 fans at Portman Road," said Muldoon. "We've gone out for a warm-up and they were all in the stadium for like an hour before, so the warm-up was a joke. They got us going. As far as Lincoln's concerned with the capacity, we were getting like 3,000 fans at the time and then by time Ipswich came for the replay, we were pushing on 9,500 fans.  And then it sort of just became the foundation at Lincoln for the foreseeable really, because they're still getting roughly about 8,500 or 9,000 now."

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The win over Premier League Burnley will be remembered by some neutrals for Imps striker Matt Rhead's entertaining battle with Barton, who tried unsuccessfully to use theatrics to get the targetman sent off. Sean Dyche's Clarets failed to find a goal from sustained pressure and a number of chances, before conceding from a set-piece in the 89th minute. The final whistle was an historic one because it signalled the arrival of a non-league in the quarter-finals for the first time in the competition's current format. That record remains.

And then came the draw. The dream draw.

"When we beat Altrincham at home in the November I posted on Instagram and put 'blah, blah, blah, good win, hopefully we get Arsenal away' and a hashtag or whatever," Muldoon told the YEP. "And then I kept putting it after every game. Then all of a sudden we get Burnley, beat Burnley which was a one in 50 chance at the time. And then Arsenal came out. As an Arsenal fan I was wanting it the whole way through.

"The whole weekend was just so surreal, so surreal. It started off with training down at West Ham's training ground because we had a link from our goalkeeper, Jimmy Walker. I did some, some gig with the Times. It was a naked photo shoot and I'd done loads of photos with them. The day of the Arsenal game my gaffer Danny Cowley has come down with his wife and slapped the newspaper down and it's just me naked in the back of The Times, jumping for a ball.

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"We had a walk around London, got the bus into the Emirates and there's like 20,000 fans on that road on the way in. You start going into the dressing rooms, get onto the pitch and warm-up. When we walked out of the tunnel for the game it was 59,500, virtually a full house. Walking out in front of that many was obviously new to me. It was just a big whirlwind that whole six months at Lincoln and obviously your CV looks really good after it because of what you just accomplished. We got to the FA Cup quarter-final, semi-final of the FA Trophy and won the league. It was unbelievable."

There was no shame in the 5-0 defeat that ended Lincoln's run at the Emirates, not with 88 places between the two teams. Arsenal took the game seriously, as Muldoon and Harrogate knew they had to earlier this season when they were drawn against Gainsborough Trinity of the Northern Premier League. First though, came Hollywood-backed League One promotion contenders Wrexham and a Muldoon headed winner.

"We went into the game optimistic, we knew how good they were but last season they were in our league and we drew both games," said Muldoon. "We knew it would be a tough game, they're flying in League One. They were top three at the time or even top two. We were just going out with no fear because we had nothing to lose, which is obviously a lot of people's problem really, when you're playing a higher team. We got Gainsborough next and were thinking 'God, this is the biggest banana skin ever' and it was a tough game, we only won 1-0. It's hard to go into a game like that with the right mentality sometimes."

The win over Gainsborough put Harrogate in the hat for the third round and put the players in the mood for a big day out. Drawing Leeds United was a topic of conversation prior to the fixture being made.

"A couple of days prior to the draw we all had breakfast together and all agreed that if it was to be anything outside the [Premier League] top 10 we wanted Leeds away," said Muldoon. "To be honest if you said like Brentford, Bournemouth, Ipswich, I would genuinely have wanted to take Leeds over them. It'll just make the day so much better. We're taking the most we've ever taken to a stadium, 2,900 I think, just shy of 3,000 and I'm looking forward to the day."

For Harrogate captain Josh Falkingham it was the perfect draw, even if his current injury status means he will play no part on the pitch.

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"He's a massive Leeds fan," Muldoon told the YEP. "When we're on the way home, sometimes Leeds are on a bit later and you should see him on the bus - his fingers are all bitten off, like screaming at the telly. He's massive Leeds he is, and there's a few more as well."

It will be special for Muldoon too, not just because it's Leeds United at Elland Road but that will obviously play a part. "This morning I woke up and I was thinking, my mum and my in-laws are coming on Saturday," he said. "I'm really close to them and they came to the Arsenal game eight years ago but my little boy is coming too and he's six, he's at a great age to understand what's going on and loves football. I was driving to the shopping centre thinking I'm actually really looking forward to it because he's going to be there. It's going to be, what, 35,000? My first ever Premier League game when I was 10 years old was at Leeds' ground. I'm really looking forward to it."

When Leeds' League Two neighbours make the short journey across to Elland Road and the squad assembles in the away dressing room behind the West Stand, Muldoon will be one of those experienced voices for the younger players to listen to. They’re out to make club history and reach the fourth round for the very first time. Muldoon has been there and done that. And this is what he believes will be the secret to giving themselves a chance of a famous giant killing.

"Just personality within the group," he said. "Obviously, we're a very close-knit group, so that can put you in good stead. And you've got a sprinkle a bit of quality on top and have a bit of luck on the way. So there's all that really, that would get you over the line. Obviously, we go in there optimistic. We know how good Leeds are, and how good they're doing at the minute compared to what we're doing in the league. So you've just got to be optimistic, and hopefully on the day the boys get together. I think we showed a lot of that on Saturday against Barrow away in the league, it was our first win in eight games. So hopefully we can put a good performance together and try and at least get to penalties. That'd be my tactic really. Get them to penalties."