Rob Lee played for England at the 1998 World Cup in France, having made his debut in senior football for Hornchurch - at the age of 15.

A product of the Urchins youth team, he appeared in a pre-season friendly for Brian Kelly's side in the early 1980s before taking up an academy place at Charlton Athletic.

After netting 59 goals in 298 league appearances for the Addicks, he was sold to Newcastle for £700,000 in 1992 and would score 44 goals in 303 league appearances for Kevin Keegan's side, who finished runners-up in the Premier League in 1995-96.

He earned England recognition during this time, winning 21 caps in all and scoring twice, before spells at Derby, West Ham, Oldham and Wycombe but looks back fondly on his early years at Hornchurch Stadium.

He said: “It was obviously the local place we went – any athletics we did was at Hornchurch Stadium. Even when I was playing Sunday League football when I was younger, if you got to a final it was at Hornchurch Stadium.

“It was the stadium to play in – it had stands, which was unbelievable. For someone playing on Hackney Marshes it was exciting going to an actual stadium. It looked so big and to play in an actual stadium was great with a few hundred people there, if we were lucky.

“Hornchurch used to play against Barking, they were our rivals, and they were a tough team. We had a few good results against them. It was lively. Kids coming through now wouldn’t realise how football was played."

Lee was a teammate of current Urchins boss Mark Stimson during his Newcastle days and is delighted to see him enjoying so much success as manager of the club now.

And he revealed how surprised he was to see them succeed in their FA Trophy semi-final at Notts County, adding: “He’s been a very good manager. It can be a lot tougher than at the top clubs, if you like. There is more pressure at the elite, but to get players who are working, who can get poached by teams if they get offered another £50, I’ve got the upmost respect for Stimmo.

“For a so-called lower-league manager he has been different class. He had stints at Stevenage and in the League with Gillingham. He’s done really well.

“You’ve got to have a great love for the game to do it and he has. He’s very astute. He always seems to get decent players. A lot of his Grays players went onto have good careers, played in the Premier League and it all started with him. He’s very good at getting players and then getting them to play.

“I’ve been wishing him luck in every round. They’ve done an unbelievable job, it’s a great achievement to get there. They’ve played some good teams. Notts County, way above them, is an unbelievable result.

“I thought Notts County would be a bridge too far. If someone gets it right they are a huge club. When I was playing they were in the Championship.

“Every time I’ve wished him good luck I’ve thought, ‘ooh, that’s a tough game for them’. Every time they’ve come through and got the result.

“So you think it’s going to be a tough ask for little old Hornchurch. But it goes to show it’s not all about the stature of the football club. It’s 11v11 and whoever has the most fight and will to win. You have to have a bit of ability and Hornchurch have that as well."

The 55-year-old Lee, whose sons Olly and Elliot became professional footballers too, also spoke about how his own father was a useful manager, but has more recently been tackling prostate cancer, having been diagnosed and received treatment.

And he urged others to get checked out if they had any concerns of their own, saying: “He’s 77 now and loves watching his grandsons play football – he’s still moaning so he’s back to normal!

“When I was playing for a team called Pegasus he was the manager. He can’t kick a ball but he was high up in the freight business so he knew how to handle people.

“Prostates and tests, it’s embarrassing for men and no one wants to talk about it. It’s this macho thing but hopefully it’s changing now where people do realise men get these problems and they do affect everybody no matter how ‘manly’ you are.

“It doesn’t discriminate, anyone can get it, but it is treatable. It’s an awareness of the fact it doesn’t hurt to get something checked out."

*One man dies every 45 minutes from prostate cancer, it's the most common cancer in men in the UK. To find out about Prostate Cancer UK's work in football and get one of the charity's iconic Man of Men badges go to https://prostatecanceruk.org/football