Commentator John Helm will be at one of the biggest games in British football on Sunday.

But while he's sat behind the microphone at Anfield for Liverpool versus Manchester United, he could be forgiven if his mind wanders 70 or so miles along the M62 to the less glamorous surroundings of Horsfall Stadium, Bradford.

For there, his beloved Bradford Park Avenue will be doing battle with Bristol City in the first round of the FA Cup.

Speaking from Bucharest where he watched Liverpool in Uefa Cup action last night, Mr Helm admitted he was devastated to be missing the famous club's biggest game since it was reformed in 1988.

But he said his mobile phone would be working overtime on Sunday afternoon - and he has already made sure that he's available to watch any replay down in the south west.

"This genuinely is a dream come true for so many of us and especially those who remember Avenue in the Football League and never thought they would see a match like this again," he said.

"It is a colossus game for the club and it's fantastic for anyone associated with Park Avenue."

When the draw was made Mr Helm thought he would be able to attend the match but the later decision to switch it to Sunday meant it clashed with his long-standing commitment to commentate on Liverpool's game against Manchester United for a global television audience.

He said the match would evoke a host of memories of Avenue's glorious past, including the last time the two clubs met in 1961.

"In those days, Park Avenue cricket and football was a second home to me and just seeing the club's name again in the newspapers and on the fixture list gives you a real kick," said Mr Helm.

"It would be really nice to think we could win because Bristol City's recent run has been very poor and they'll be more worried about the game than us." And Mr Helm, who is vice-president of the club, said he hoped the game - which is expected to attract a crowd of about 2,000 - would help boost the club coffers.

"We hope that this game can give us some finances to help us on the next step back," he said.

"When we went out of the league, we were told it would take nine promotions to get back, and we've already achieved seven.

"We don't expect everyone who goes along on Sunday to attend the next home game but if we do well enough we might hold on to a couple of dozen and that would be fantastic."

Sunday will also be an emotional day for Avenue chairman Frank Thornton, a fan of the club for more than 60 years.

"It is a big, big occasion, but it is so difficult to compare it with the old days," said Mr Thornton, whose favourite memory is Avenue's 8-2 win at Manchester City in the 1940s.

"It has always been our dream to have a good cup run and we went down to see Bristol City play last week and we thought they were beatable," he said.

"It is going to be tough but the cup is a great leveller."

A crowd of 82,771 watched Avenue draw 1-1 with Manchester United in an FA Cup fourth round tie in 1949 at Maine Road, Manchester.

The tie eventually went to a second replay which Avenue lost 5-0.

The club reached the FA Cup quarter finals in 1912/3; 1919/20 and 1945/6.