Leicester City striker Jermaine Beckford admits he has a love affair with the FA Cup – and he wants it to blossom further against Swindon Town at the King Power Stadium tomorrow.

Beckford's superb hat-trick in the third-round replay against Nottingham Forest will be writ large in City folklore, but it is also his achievements in the competition elsewhere which give the 28-year-old such a positive feeling ahead of the fourth-round tie against the Robins.

At Leeds, where he made his name, Beckford started nine FA Cup ties and scored eight goals.

In January 2010, he scored the winner to stun Manchester United at Old Trafford and then, three weeks later, notched both goals in a 2-2 draw at Tottenham before the Yorkshiremen, then a League One side, bowed out in a replay.

But, despite his purple patch in the world's greatest cup competition, Beckford, a £2.5million capture from Everton last August, insisted: "I don't treat the games any differently, but I have got some good memories in the competition.

"The goal for Leeds at Old Trafford was obviously very special for me and for the Leeds fans, and scoring twice at Tottenham the same year was brilliant," he said.

"It's a great competition that means a lot to everyone and the big win over our local rivals will mean a lot to the Leicester fans, I'm sure."

City's excellent 2-0 win at Southampton has also prompted renewed optimism among the Blue Army that it could be the start of a play-off push.

Beckford said climbing the Championship table is "the priority for us".

But he says a good run in the FA Cup could also be just what City need while recognising the threat of League Two side Swindon, who accounted for Premier League strugglers Wigan Athletic in the third round.

He said: "If a little run in the FA Cup helps to breed some confidence, then it can only be a good thing.

"We've got a difficult game against Swindon and they are going well in their division, so we can't look too far beyond that.

"But Cup runs can be great for the players and the fans."