Izale McLeod insists he will be treating Barnet's FA Cup clash with MK Dons tomorrow just like any other, despite him coming up against his former club.
The striker is the Buckinghamshire side's record top scorer, netting 54 times in three years before a £1.1million move to Charlton.
His spell at the Valley was blighted by injury but, since joining Barnet last season, McLeod has been back to fitness and once again in the goals - grabbing 29 in 53 appearances and the 27-year-old is keen to add to his tally but not because he is taking on his former team-mates.
"This is a massive game for the club, it's so important to get into the third round," he said. "We've been on a great run of late, and, I know it's a cliche but winning breeds confidence. Things are looking up at the club.
"For me, tomorrow's game is obviously nice because I'm up against old friends but it's a game and you want to win. Ultimately, it doesn't bother me that it's against MK Dons, what matters is going through and keeping our momentum going and so I've not done anything different."
It is little surprise that the former England Under-21 international is anxious to maintain the status quo, having scored five goals in his last five games and with his team on a four-match winning streak.
It is a welcome relief for Lawrie Sanchez's side who after the 6-3 home loss to Burton Albion were 23rd in League Two but have since moved up four places in the table and are six points from relegation.
The fitness of McLeod appears crucial to Barnet's chances of cup and League success - the club have a Johnstone's Paint Trophy semi-final against Brentford on Tuesday to look forward to - but the former Derby trainee is loath to accept that his team are too reliant on his services. "If you look at most clubs there will be one player who contributes the bulk of goals," he said.
"Here, that's my job, to finish off the team's moves and I've been pleased with how I've done but it's not all about me in terms of goalscoring.
"Ricky Holmes, for example, has pitched in with six.
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"Yes, things have turned around in recent weeks for us but there is no single reason. Certainly bringing in a few players on loan [defenders Jack Saville, Paul Downing and Michael Hector] has helped."
The tie is also a reunion, of sorts, for manager Sanchez, who scored the winning goal for Wimbledon in the 1988 FA Cup Final before the club relocated to Milton Keynes in 2004.
But the former Northern Ireland manager's assistant, Giuliano Grazioli, stressed that, like McLeod, the fixture had no extra significance for Sanchez.
"It's just business as usual for Lawrie," he said. "All his concentration has been on winning the game, he hasn't been concerned with any of that personal stuff. Things have been going really well here."
