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By Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has expressed his hopes of seeing Notts County repeat the heroics against Brentford in knocking Swansea City out of the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage.
The Magpies have done superbly in the competition, seeing off two higher-league teams in the Bees and Bristol Rovers, plus a banana skin in non-league Oxford City, to find themselves up against the Premier League side.
Hardy has described the third-round win over Brentford as the greatest day of his reign as chairman so far and is hopeful to become "the centre of the headline-writers’ attentions across the world".
"When I bought the club just over a year ago, never did I envisage Notts County playing a Premier League team in the FA Cup fourth round at Meadow Lane," Hardy wrote in his weekly Nottingham Post column.
"But it has now become a reality and we are hoping that, come 5pm, we will have become the centre of the headline-writers’ attentions across the world.
"I accept that nobody will give us a chance of winning, but earlier this month there were plenty who dismissed our hopes of getting a result at Championship side Brentford.
"In the end we produced a quite magnificent performance to win 1-0, in which determination was matched with inspiration as Jon Stead’s wonderful goal sealed a memorable victory.
"I said afterwards that it was the greatest day of my reign as chairman so far. I was so overcome with emotion I felt as if I couldn’t breathe.
"Should we do the unthinkable against a Premier League team blessed with so much talent, I’m sure it will eclipse that fabulous afternoon we experienced in West London.
"I know the players are absolutely buzzing with excitement because games like this do not come around very often.
"Equally, the fans I have spoken to cannot wait for kick-off because they know our home record is extremely impressive regardless of the last couple of results.
"Like our manager, Kevin Nolan, said in the build-up, he fancies us against any side at Meadow Lane so why can’t we beat Swansea?
"We hope to have more than 10,000 fans inside the ground, generating an excellent atmosphere to give the players further inspiration.
"And with our home record, combined with determination, quality, and incredible backing from the stands, we would give ourselves a fantastic chance of causing a real upset."
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