The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Qualifying
Player of the Round
Byron Bubb has been inundated with people wanting to accompany him to The FA Cup Final after he was voted Player of The Third Qualifying Round.
The AFC Wimbledon midfielder was nominated for The FA Cup Player of the Round, in partnership with E.ON, by BBC Five Live's Mark Clemmit after his goalscoring display against Evesham United.
The fans, who voted in their thousands, agreed with Clemmit's choice and Bubb received 51 per cent of the poll making him a clear winner over the other four nominees.
Bubb's prize is VIP hospitality at this season's Cup Final for two, plus an engraved silver salver and £500 of football equipment to donate to a local school, courtesy of E.ON.
"I'm delighted," said the 24 year old. "Lots of people want to come to the Cup Final, even my boss at work. But I'll probably just take my little brother."
Bubb's place at The Cup Final is already assured but he will be doing all he can to ensure his club progress as far as they can in the competition.
Standing between AFC Wimbledon and a place in the First Round proper is a trip to Exeter City this Saturday - a club who enjoyed a glorious Cup run two years ago which ended at the hands of Manchester United in a Third Round replay after the Grecians had held the mighty Reds to an unlikely 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
"I think we'll do well," predicted Bubb. "We play an up-tempo game and can match their fitness. We have already sold 1,300 tickets for the game but we'll probably take 2,000.
"If we get through I'd love to play MK Dons or Millwall, then Arsenal away in the Third Round."
Bubb started his football career at Millwall under Keith Stevens and Alan McCleary and played in the same youth team as Tim Cahill and Steven Reid. But after making a handful of appearances for the first team, he left in 2001 and following spells with Kingstonian, Slough, Dover Athletic and Hendon among others, signed for AFC at the start of this season.
"It's such a big club and so professionally run," said Bubb, who wants a return to the professional ranks.
"I just want to play football. I would love the opportunity to go back into league football. Hopefully that will happen with AFC."
Playing semi-professional football has not hindered Bubb's international career although even he admits he was surprised when he was called up to play for Grenada.
"I just got a call out of the blue. I was asked to go for a trial and after one session I was in," he explained.
Four goals in ten games suggests Bubb knows where the net is at international level, even if the same can't be said of his knowledge of the Grenadian national anthem.
"I still don't know the words," he admitted.