Crawley Town’s players are preparing for the biggest day of their footballing lives tomorrow, when they go to Old Trafford to play Manchester United in the fifth round FA Cup.
The Blue Square Bet Premier outfit are the last remaining non-league side in the competition and they could not have wished for a bigger draw, the sort of fixture that the FA Cup’s reputation is built on.
On Tuesday night, Crawley drew 0-0 away to Wrexham and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his assistant Mike Phelan showed respect to Crawley by travelling to the Racecourse Ground to scout their opponents.
“Sir Alex Ferguson paid us a huge compliment by taking the time to watch us himself but that is just another indicator as to what makes him the best football manager that has ever lived,” said Crawley boss Steve Evans.
“We will go to Old Trafford and give it our very best but we are aware of the task involved.”
The clash is between the Red Devils of non-league and Premier League – and Crawley, who are favourites to win promotion into the Football League, are the first non-league club to reach the fifth round since Kidderminster in 1994.
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