I KNOW how to treat a lady.

My future wife Georgina and I had been seeing each other for five months and I thought the time was just about right to share something special with her.

It was time for her to experience the passion, excitement and simply amazing feeling that I had experienced several times before.

It was time to take her to Moss Lane to watch the mighty Robins!

And I picked the perfect game for her to make her Alty bow - an FA Cup second round clash with Wigan - who were then languishing in the lower reaches of the Football League.

So on a freezing cold December day, we joined 3,000 other die-hard Robins to see if Alty could once again cause an FA Cup giantkilling. For some reason, Georgina wore a T-shirt obviously expecting to be sat in a warm executive box at Moss Lane! While I was there with long-johns and thermal vest.

But I am sure the action warmed her up. It was turning out to be a great season for John King's men. They were flying high in the Conference and playing some good attacking football, with the epitomy of a traditional English centre forward Andy Green banging in the goals.

And they didn't disappoint in front of a packed Moss Lane, with Chris Sharratt notching the only goal of the game to put them into the third round.

And would you believe it? They drew Spurs. But only after their chairman - Sir Alan Sugar - had their ban from the competition for financial irregularities overturned.

So off I went to White Hart Lane, this time not with a beautiful companion but with my brother and a couple of mates! And we were determined we weren't just going there for a day out, we were going to win.

I remember Sharratt giving a young Sol Campbell, playing right back, a torrid time. We even had them worried at one point as we scored what looked like a valid goal to make it 2-1, only for it to be disallowed.

Having heard a Scouse twang from King and several of his players in pre-match interviews, the Cockney followers assumed Altrincham was in Liverpool and started to sing songs about claiming the dole. However, a quick chant of 'Manchester' from the thousands who travelled soon put them right.

In the end Klinsmann, Sheringham et al were just too good for the brave boys from Moss Lane, and we went out of the Cup 3-0, but around £250,000 richer.

I don't think Georgina has been to Moss Lane since!