DARTFORD boss Tony Burman admits City’s giantkilling exploits two seasons ago can provide his minnows with inspiration in Sunday’s FA Cup showdown.

The Conference strugglers are aiming to follow in the first-round footsteps of Warrington, Worcester, Dover and Chester by dumping out league opposition.

Burman, a Dartford legend who played more than 300 games for the club and now acts as first-team manager, director and academy boss, accepts his men will need “something special” to topple the Bantams.

But he points to the upsets Phil Parkinson’s men caused during the 2012-13 campaign, when they famously bundled Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa out of the League Cup en-route to a Wembley final.

Burman told the T&A: “I don’t know Phil personally but I knew of him when he managed down in this area at Charlton and he has done very well at Bradford.

“He’s obviously a top-quality manager and what he has done at Bradford, especially two seasons ago, has been absolutely fantastic.

“They had all those televised games against Premier League sides and it showed what can happen in the cup competitions when you believe in yourselves.

“Bradford a couple of divisions above us but the FA Cup is the best competition in the world and it always brings up some surprises.

“Hopefully that might happen on Sunday but we know that, for us to achieve that, it would need something special.

“Realistically, we’re just pleased to be in the second round of the FA Cup against a good club like Bradford.

“I’ve never actually been to Valley Parade before but we are going to come up there to enjoy ourselves and have no pressure on us whatsoever.

“For us to be playing against someone like Jon Stead is excellent and we know Billy Knott as well because we came up against him when he was at Woking.

“Bradford are full of good players but the FA Cup is a strange competition at times and Worcester beating Coventry showed what can happen on the day.”

Parkinson has been to watch Dartford twice since the second-round draw was made and seen them lose on both occasions.

The Kent side lie in the Conference relegation zone but have reached the second round of the FA Cup for the first time in 30 years.

Burman was a player for Dartford when they last reached this stage of the competition against Bournemouth in 1984, drawing 1-1 at home before losing the replay.

He recalled: “The FA Cup draws in those days were made on the radio after the games on the Saturday then.

“Harry Redknapp (then Bournemouth boss) came into our changing room to listen to the draw and we all stood there in disbelief when it came out that one of us would be playing Manchester United.

“I think everyone was just flabbergasted. We tried our best but in the replay unfortunately Bournemouth beat us 4-1 and it was they who played United.”

Dartford have made steady strides in recent years and boast midfielder Peter Sweeney, who played for Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup final against Manchester United, ex-Blackburn goalkeeper Jason Brown and Mat Mitchell-King, former of Crewe and AFC Wimbledon.

Burman, whose men should be backed by around 800 travelling supporters, added: “We’ve had some money come in from the previous rounds and beating Bradford would allow me to strengthen my squad.

“We know the highlights are on the telly on Sunday afternoon and the publicity that an upset would generate for us would also be fantastic.

“We know we’re up against it but we’re coming up there to enjoy it and would love to put on a decent performance.

“Although we’ve had some strange results and not done that well leading up to this game, some of the football we have played has been very good.

“I hope we can reproduce that and take the chances that came our way.”