Richard Payne is hoping to create a unique piece of family history.

The East Grinstead skipper will lead his side into HA Cup final action against Reading on Sunday (2.30pm).

With younger brother Ben at his side, Payne will be bidding to become only the second captain in Grinstead's history to lift the coveted trophy.

The club's only previous success came in 1984 when Richard and Ben's father was in the squad.

David Payne was back-up goalkeeper to Great Britain international Ian Taylor as Grinstead beat Blackheath 1-0 at Willesden and it would be a proud moment for the family if his sons could repeat the feat.

But personal glory and short term success are not really on Richard Payne's mind.

Grinstead's highly successful season has been built on a new ethos of looking at both the present and the future.

Previously, the club paid the price for dwelling on past glories or concentrating on short-term success.

Under the new leadership of manager Matt Jones, player-coach Mark Pearn and captain Payne, there has been a change of thinking.

Consolidation in their first season back in the top flight is the first step in a long-term plan to make Grinstead one of the leading lights in English hockey again.

Success in the national indoor championships and the HA Cup are bonuses which have increased the kudos of the club.

And that is why Payne is already looking beyond Sunday's showdown at Reading.

He said: "When we went down from the premier league six or seven years ago we had brought in a lot of outsiders who wanted to play premier league hockey and didn't necessarily want to play for and fight for East Grinstead.

"From the squad of 16 that played the last game of the season, it was only myself, my brother and Julian Mills who hung around for the next season.

"It was very important we learnt from our mistakes.

"Mark Pearn and Scott Ashdown (both ex-Reading) have been very good signings. We have tried to be very careful to bring in the right sort of characters who will hang around at the club for years to come.

"It will be a great feat to win the cup but the most important thing is we would qualify for the Super Cup.

"We could then pit our wits against the three other best teams in the country and we have a chance to qualify for the top outdoor European competition."

Payne, now 30, first went along to the club as a four-year-old and broke into the first team at 18.

Ben, 25, also played first team hockey as a teenager while older brother Jo, 35, was a first team member last season.

The Paynes have seen good times and bad, particularly in recent years.

Richard, a director of a recruitment consultancy, said,: "My father used to play for Purley. When we moved from Croydon to East Grinstead he joined East Grinstead and immediately set up a junior section which had never been done before.

"A lot of the players who have come through have done so through that youth section. I have seen the ups when I first started playing, then lots of downs and now the ups again."

Payne was in the last Grinstead side to reach the semi-final, when they lost to Old Loughtonians in 1995, and he believes they should go into Sunday's game in confident mood.

He said: "We will start the final as favourites because Reading will be missing three England players who are very influential. This is probably the best chance we will have for a long time to win the cup. It would be a great honour to win.There is only one other captain at this club who has won the cup.

"Myself and all the players are really looking forward to it and we are confident we can win."