DEVINE INTERVENTION

The FA Cup is renowned for its romance, but it has not been faithful to Sean Devine. The striker was a frustrated bystander in one of the competition's great recent tales, when Wycombe played a Villa Park semi-final against Liverpool four years ago.

A key player for Wycombe with 25 goals during the previous season, Devine was one of four injured strikers at the club. Meanwhile the likes of Roy Essandoh, the part-timer famously recruited by the Wycombe manager Lawrie Sanchez in a Teletext appeal, wrote a memorable chapter in the Cup's history.

"I was injured and didn't kick a ball all season," recalled the 32-year-old

Devine. "So I missed the FA Cup semi-final when I was at Wycombe. I watched the whole Cup run from the stands. We had four centre forwards out injured, which is so unlikely at one club, so they had to bring Guy Whittingham in and Roy Essandoh after they advertised on Teletext.

He said: "After watching that Wycombe run you can never say never in football, can you? Who was expecting us to go to Old Trafford and draw, with the quality and class they've got - but we had a game plan, worked hard and got a great result.”

"If you are thinking you are going to get beat, what is the point in turning up? We went there to win, but we achieved a massive result and we want to achieve another one."

"A few of the lads said they saw Rooney and Rio at the match but the 11 who were on the pitch were enough for me," he joked. "I don't think you can say they will field a stronger or weaker team; they are all world-class players. Whoever they put out, we are playing the biggest club in the world. You are still playing Manchester United”.

"But Roy Keane is an out-and-out winner; Alan Smith - what a great lad he is - as we were coming off, he said: 'You were fantastic, different class.”
 

"For someone at Manchester United to say that about tiny Exeter was a very nice thing to say. Phil Neville was great as well. They were genuine lads. They were not big time, just very, very professional."