Eleven days ago, Cambridge United of League Two defied the odds to play out a 0-0 draw with Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Their reward is a replay at Old Trafford, which will be played this evening.
Michael Nelson was a part of the defence that kept the likes of Radamel Falcao, Angel di Maria and Adnan Januzaj at bay, and ahead of the return meeting, Sports Mole caught up with the experienced centre-back.
You kept Man United at bay for 90 minutes, but are you confident that you can do it again?
"We will set ourselves up and will do as well as we can - I can't see why we can't [keep them out]. Obviously, it's not going to be easy and we are going to need a lot of things to fall into place to do it. They have a wonderfully talented squad, regardless of which team [Louis van Gaal] picks. It's going to be a very tough night, where a lot of things have to click into place. Having said that, we're going there full of confidence and we are not just going to make up the numbers, but in an other sense we want to enjoy it."
It was quite striking how few clear chances that you and your teammates afforded United in the first game. Is that how you saw it out on the pitch?
"Second half we were sort of camped in a bit and it was a bit like backs to the wall, but first half we offered a threat going forward and had a couple of little sniffs from set pieces where we could have possibly scored a goal. From open play I thought that we limited them to very few [chances] in the first half. The second half was a little bit different, but we were still able to limit them. We've got to try to get the balance so that we can stretch that first-half performance out a little further."
You and your central defensive partner Josh Coulson received plenty of praise for your performances. He missed a good chance, didn't he, but what's it like to play alongside him?
"I put it on a plate for him and he headed it over! In all seriousness, I've enjoyed it. Before the Luton game we were having a nice little run of clean sheets against Carlisle, Newport and then United. We've formed quite a good partnership and hopefully we can keep that together, but that is down to the manager. He's a good age for a centre-back and he's played a lot of games for the club. He seems to be coping well with the step up in division since last season."
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Did you two make any special changes or allowances for the first match, particularly with the likes of Falcao in mind?
"No, not really. We got set up by the gaffer and just discussed where they like to drop off and go in behind, where they like to run and where we didn't mind them having the ball. It was the same as what we would do in any other game against any League Two centre-forward. We tried to put them where they didn't want to be and move them away from our goal. It's as easy or as difficult as that really. It just so happened on the night that everything clicked into place and went well for us."
You mentioned that you caused problems from set-piece situations. Is that going to be your best chance of scoring at Old Trafford?
"It's going to be one of our main threats, providing that we can force some corners and things like that. We can then load the box up and try to force something. We got a little bit of joy in the first game and hopefully we can do the same in the next game. Even so, we want to try to offer a threat in all ways, not just from corners."
You've played in some big games, particularly in Scotland, while Robbie Simpson was part of a Coventry City side that won at Old Trafford in 2007. Luke Chadwick has also played in some big matches. How important will you three be in this game?
"We don't know the team yet and the three of us will just be hoping that we are playing! Hopefully if we do manage to start the game the experience we have of big games and big occasions, that can have a bit of a calming influence on some of the boys that haven't experienced that sort of thing. It's a great opportunity for some of those boys to give them the hunger and drive to play in front of crowds and stadiums like that on a more regular basis."
Your manager said during his press conference that it has been business as usual ahead of this match, but have you noticed any differences in preparations or mentality?
"There have been a lot more tickets ordered! But apart from that it's been the same. Since we played United on the Friday, we've played Tuesday and Saturday and the United replay is on a Tuesday, so there has been no week-long break. There has been no real big build-up because we've always had a game two or three days away. We haven't had too long to think about the United game but we had Dagenham and then Luton to prepare for. The distractions have been good, although it was disappointing not to get the result that we wanted against Luton on Saturday, but it was very important that we finished strongly."
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Does that fact that you finished strongly against Luton give you confidence?
"It does. Being 3-0 down at the break and playing the amount of games we have played lately, a lot of people probably expected us to tire and it could have ended up being four or five. We got stronger, though, grew into the game and finished a lot stronger than Luton did. Our fitness levels showed, so hopefully that's a good sign for the United game."
And what about the results Bradford City and Middlesbrough achieved against Chelsea and Manchester City - do those provide the squad with some belief?
"The Middlesbrough result not so much because they are in a good place right now and are playing well, but Bradford does, especially after going 2-0 down. Not many Premier League sides go there and nick a 1-0 win, let alone battle back like Bradford. It does give you a little bit of encouragement, but the big confidence comes from the first performance that we put in against United. We will take all the positives out of that and try to recreate everything that we did. Hopefully, we can offer a little bit more going forward because it's going to have to be won on the night. If we want to win the game outright, we need to score."
Have you been practising penalties and will you be putting your hand up for one?
"We have. I'll stick my hand up for one, but I don't know if there will be five more that the gaffer will choose before me! Hopefully it ends before that with us getting the right result, but if we take it penalties, so be it."
Liam Apicella
