MIDDLESBROUGH boss Tony Pulis cannot wait to take on hometown club Newport County AFC in the FA Cup fourth round, admitting that he owes his whole career to his upbringing in Pill.

Pulis, who celebrates his 61st birthday tomorrow, played for County during the 1980s before going on to manage Stoke City, Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League.

He is now aiming to win promotion to the top tier with Boro, who are sixth in the Championship table after winning 2-1 at Birmingham City on Saturday.

But the FA Cup clash with the Exiles, who are managed by fellow Pill boy Michael Flynn, will be a very special afternoon for Pulis.

“I’ll have one stand for myself I think for all the people who want to travel up!” he said as he looked ahead to the match at Boro’s Riverside Stadium on Saturday, January 26.

“I left home when I was 15 or 16 years of age, which was a long time ago. My association with that area, not just Newport, but the dock area. I’ve nothing but great memories, great people down there.

“I’ve learnt everything that I know now from that community and that togetherness.

“The loyalty as a group has stuck with me and Flynny lived four or five streets down further than what I was so we were born very close together.”

Pulis wrote the forward to Andrew Taylor’s book Look Back in Amber and it’s clear that the cup tie against the Exiles will mean a lot to him, despite promotion being his main aim for the season.

“I have never forgotten my roots and I am proud of my upbringing in Pill,” he wrote.

“I set my mind to using whatever ability I had to the maximum of my potential and kept the daydreaming for my visits to the Somerton Park terraces.

“Players I liked were Len Weare, Roddy Jones and my good friend David Williams."

“In 1984 I returned to Somerton Park as a player," added Pulis. "The club clearly had financial problems and in my two seasons there, given the quality in the squad, we under-performed.

“We came frustratingly close to a Wembley appearance in the Freight Rover Trophy and lost a Welsh Cup semi-final, with European Cup Winner’s Cup qualification guaranteed.

“Despite this, those two seasons were enjoyable because of the camaraderie.

“Like most County players, I don’t have medals to show from my time there, but I do have plenty of fond memories.”

Flynn was only five when Pulis left County in July 1986, but he is a big fan of the Boro boss.

“Tony is Newport born and bred,” said the Exiles boss. "He’s played for the club, he went to the same high school as myself [St Joseph’s], we’re both from Pill and I know his family – I know his brother Ray really well – so it’s nice.

“Tony is somebody I’ve always respected. I’ve played against one of his teams and it will be good to lock horns as a manager against him.”