FA Cup: Curtis Weston still playing 20 years after appearing in 2004 final

London-born Weston grew up as a Manchester United fan and joined Millwall at the age of 14.

Twenty years ago he had not even made his first-team debut when the team made their first appearance in the FA Cup final with a 1-0 semi-final win over First Division rivals Sunderland at Old Trafford.

Thirteen days before the final, Weston came on as a second-half substitute in the final league game of the season, a 1–0 home win over Bradford City.

He still remembers how happy he was when he was told shortly afterwards that he had been selected for the cup final and would travel to the pinnacle of the competition together with the likes of Tim Cahill, Neil Harris and Wise.

“Remember I was 17, a kid, and I went to the FA Cup final,” he says. “To be named in the squad was a huge achievement in itself.

“It wasn’t until the day of the final that I was told I would be on the bench. I was surprised, shocked, so excited.”

Manchester United’s team that day consisted of 19-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, Roy Keane, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

“I spent as much time as possible warming up on the side of the pitch to soak up the atmosphere and get close to the action because Ronaldo was doing all his tricks,” Weston recalls.

United, the heavy favourites, were in complete control when Weston’s big moment arrived thanks to goals from Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy (2).

“Dennis shouted to Ray Wilkins (his assistant) that he was going off and the boy had to come over. So Ray called me over and told me to get ready.

“I was nervous, even though there were only a few minutes left.”

When Wise got down from the chair, he hugged Weston and told the young man, “Go and enjoy yourself.”

“I’ll never forget it,” says Weston. “I crept into the squad at the end of Millwall’s FA Cup trip, having not played a minute in the other games.”