Yeates, who made 133 league and cup appearances for Colchester over two separate spells, is assistant head coach of the Cod Army, who stunned the Gunners in one of the greatest upsets in the competition’s history.

Bruno Guimaraes saw his spot-kick saved by Jay Lynch before Fleetwood’s teenage defender Conor Haughey lashed home an emphatic penalty to spark a pitch invasion at Highbury Stadium, as Fleetwood triumphed 5-3 on penalties.

Yeates took over as Fleetwood’s assistant head coach after Matt Lawlor was appointed as their permanent boss in March, on a contract until the end of the 2027/2028 season, following a successful interim spell.

The former Spurs youngster had previously been Fleetwood’s under-21 boss and has been at Highbury Stadium since 2020, when he initially arrived in a part-time role.

Yeates had a spell as interim assistant coach at League of Ireland premier division side Waterford FC, last year.

Flashback - Mark Yeates in his Colchester United days (Image: Steve Brading)

He signed for Colchester on a permanent deal from Tottenham Hotspur in July 2007, having been a key member of the U's promotion-winning squad of the 2005-06 campaign.

Yeates joined for an undisclosed fee from Spurs thought to be more than £250,000, which beat the U’s previous club record of £50,000 for the signing of Neil Gregory from Ipswich Town in 1998 and Adrian Coote's arrival from Norwich City, in 2001.

The Irishman, who had missed just two league games for Colchester in that successful season under Phil Parkinson, penned a three-year deal at Layer Road.

Yeates played 81 games for Colchester in his second spell there and was on the scoresheet 21 times.

He scored Colchester’s first-ever competitive goal at the JobServe Community Stadium in 2008 before leaving to join Middlesbrough in the summer of 2009.

Yeates went on to play for the likes of Sheffield United, Watford and Bradford City, enjoying a successful playing career before going into coaching.