EX-SCARBOROUGH players Craig and Chris Short believe their former club must overcome the fear factor if they are to achieve a historic FA Cup upset against Chelsea this Saturday.

Both players joined the Seadogs from Pickering Town, with Chris having played in Boro's 3-2 win over Chelsea in the second round of the Littlewoods Cup in 1989.

Chris said: "The first 20 minutes is crucial. They must overcome the fear of playing first-class players and see them as equals. They mustn't worry about their reputation and make sure they don't freeze.

"As a local kid, I'm delighted about the tie, not just for the team, but also for the manager and the town. On paper, they have no chance, but it's not about paper. This is the FA Cup and there are so many variables."

The 33-year-old is now a personal fitness trainer in York after injury forced him to quit the game. He had spells at Notts County, Stoke City and Sheffield United, but rates the night Boro beat the Stamford Bridge men - riding high in the old first division at the time - as one of the highlights of his career.

However, that night, over 14 years ago, didn't go entirely to plan for Chris. He revealed there had been a mix-up regarding his hotel booking in the town, which meant, after celebrating his side's win, he spent the night in his Vauxhall Astra in a DIY store car park!

"I was so full of excitement that night, I'd have slept on the beach!" laughed Chris.

Blackburn Rovers centre-back Craig agreed with his brother that Boro must be fearless and believes the home crowd will have a big part to play.

The 35-year-old said: "There's pressure on Chelsea as they are expected to walk it. If Boro can get over the fear factor and realise they're not playing 'gods', they have a chance.

"Every pass and every tackle by Boro will be cheered by the home crowd. Every time they enter the Chelsea half, the crowd will be applauding.

"Russell Slade will be looking to frustrate them for the first 20 minutes. If they can do that, it might be interesting."

Craig was at the Southend match last week where he met up with familiar faces, having played for the Seadogs under Neil Warnock during the late eighties.

"It was a tense night - more like a semi-final with the winners going to Wembley. I didn't think there would be as many fans as there was."

Craig, like brother Chris, is well acquainted with Boro boss Russell Slade, who was youth team coach at Notts County when the pair were at Meadow Lane.

He also knows Mark Quayle, Boro's goalscoring hero against Southend, who was at Everton when Craig was there. He described him as a good finisher in the penalty box.

In a career spanning over 500 games, Craig has experienced the highs and the lows of the FA Cup. He was at Notts County when they reached the quarter-finals as a former second division club, beating first-division Manchester City on their way, in 1992. Whilst at Everton, he experienced defeats against first-division sides Bradford and Port Vale in the mid-nineties.

He said: "I've always preferred to be the underdog."

Craig and Chris, both former Lady Lumley's School pupils, plan to watch the match on television with their parents in Pickering.

Updated: 09:38 Wednesday, January 21, 2004