On Sunday, Craig Mackail-Smith returns to the ABAX Stadium with Luton Town and today speaks to theposh.com ahead of the tie.
He scored an astonishing 99 goals for the club during his stay at the ABAX Stadium, yet it took Craig Mackail-Smith a good few minutes to select his top three Peterborough United goals. 'I only ever scored tap-ins and one on ones,' Mackail-Smith recalled.Thankfully, with a bit of prompting, the striker, who returns to the club with Luton Town in the second round of the FA Cup on Sunday (2pm) was able to compile a top three.
'It brings a lot of happy memories looking back at my time with Posh and I am really excited about returning to the club on Sunday. It was the tie that I was looking for when the draw was made and there are a few of us really looking forward to it because of our connections with the football club.
'Selecting a top three of Posh goals is a bit difficult for me because unlike George Boyd, I didn't ever score from the halfway line, but the goal at Oldham Athletic is definitely number one. It came in a 5-0 away win and to this day, I still don't think the TV camera angle did the goal justice, I hit it pretty well with my left-foot.
Mackail-Smith scoring against Bristol Rovers.
'I would say the goal against Bristol Rovers in a live TV game would be number two. I think we won that game 5-4 and I managed to score a pretty good one with my left-foot after a bit of a dribble. The other goal I have selected is a volley at the back post against Charlton Athletic from a Mark Little cross. Every goal is a memorable goal though, they all count whether they are tap-ins or from outside the box and I am confident that I will start scoring again for Luton, I am working really hard,' Mackail-Smith said.
During his time with Posh, Mackail-Smith played with some talented players and it is no surprise that George Boyd and Aaron Mclean are on his top three, but who also made the list?
'I would put George top and Aaron second which will definitely annoy Aaron if he is reading this. The other player is difficult, but I am going to select Grant McCann. He has a bit of influence at Peterborough now he is on the coaching staff so maybe he will let me score on Sunday if I put him in. Lee Tomlin runs them close though, he was a superb player and still is,' Mackail-Smith continued.
Mackail-Smith celebrates a goal with George Boyd and Aaron Mclean.
Of course, FA Cup memories are at the forefront of Mackail-Smith's mind ahead of the second round tie on Sunday.
'I remember scoring four in a game at Staines once, but although that was a good personal achievement, I think the tie away at West Bromwich Albion is the one that sticks out in my mind. I think we had nearly 5,000 supporters there that day and we did so well to keep in the tie at 1-0 going into the last few minutes.
'I think it was Aaron Mclean who pretty much scuffed a shot into my path and right at the death I managed to convert from close-range to earn us a 1-1 draw and a reply back at our place. The noise when I scored was a great feeling and it was just a shame we couldn't do the job in the replay,' Mackail-Smith said.
Mackail-Smith wheels away to celebrate after scoring at West Brom.
Luton are set to bring close to 2,000 supporter to the ABAX Stadium for the tie and Mackail-Smith is expecting a cracker. 'I think everyone is looking forward to the tie. It should be a very entertaining game because Peterborough are scoring for fun at the minute and we have some excellent players at the club.
'There are a few of us (Mark Tyler, Scott Griffiths and Josh McQuoid) who have links to the club and that adds a little bit to the contest as well. I can't wait,' Mackail-Smith concluded.
Sunday's game is ALL TICKET with supporters able to purchase tickets at www.theposhtickets.com, via the Ticketmaster hotline 0844 847 1934* and in person at the ABAX Stadium Box Office. As of 10am on Wednesday, over 6,000 tickets had been sold (home and away).
* Calls cost 7ppm plus your network access fee