Former Arsenal defender Justin Hoyte will pass on the wisdom of Arsene Wenger to his Dagenham & Redbridge team-mates before they play the biggest match of their lives in the FA Cup at Everton on Saturday.
Hoyte, 31, started his career as Ashley Cole's understudy at left back and can claim part-Invincible status having made his Gunners debut against Southampton in the game that began their record 49-game unbeaten run.
'Arsene Wenger used to tell me before matches to go out and envisage I was in the playground kicking a ball about with my friends,' revealed Hoyte.
'That was his philosophy because he believed players who were relaxed felt the freedom to perform at their best.
'I'm one of the players in the Dagenham dressing room who has experience of big grounds like Goodison Park so I will take it on myself to check everyone, particularly the younger players, is feeling good. I'll say the same as I was told, pretend you're going into the playground to have some fun.
'I've been lucky in my career. I supported Arsenal as a boy so to play for them was a dream come true. Ashley (Cole) and Sol Campbell were always there to help me with bits of advice and the best player for me was Patrick Vieira.
'On and off the pitch, he was the leader, you sensed it the first time you trained with them. Thierry Henry was there too, I was in awe of them to be honest when I started.'
Hoyte played 68 times for Arsenal before furthering his Premier League career with a £3million move to Middlesbrough in 2008. A later move to Millwall turned sour when he was frozen out by Ian Holloway but he jumped at the chance to resurrect his career this season, albeit in the lower reaches of League Two.
'It's been good for me to get a taste of the other side, having to clean my own boots, take my own kit home to wash,' he admits.
'Millwall was tough, I didn't play for a year and a few of the experienced players — Richard Chaplow, Danny Shittu and myself — weren't even allowed to train with the first team. I was never told why and people must have thought I had a bad attitude but that was never the case. Holloway told me to lose weight at one stage but nothing I did got me back into the team, and I wasn't the only one.
'I was grateful to join Dagenham and play regularly again. Our new manager John Still has put me in the middle of a back three where I have to be more of a leader and I'm enjoying it.'
Dagenham are 22nd in the table but won Still's first match in charge last Saturday and the new boss introduced a more direct style that could unsettle Roberto Martinez's side.
'The game at Everton is a shop window for the players to show what we can do, myself included,' added Hoyte. 'I'm only 31, there's no reason I can't play at a higher level again or go to another league like the MLS.'
Hoyte's FA Cup record is chequered. He played in Arsenal's run to the final in 2005 but watched from the stands as his team-mates beat Manchester United in Cardiff.
In 2009, he played in a quarter-final at Saturday's venue but Middlesbrough let a half-time lead slip as Everton beat them 2-1 en route to the final.
He hasn't won in four previous visits to Goodison. If he makes it fifth time lucky, Dagenham will be the FA Cup story of the weekend.