FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Third Round - Salford City v Burnley - The Peninsula Stadium, Salford, Britain - September 26, 2023 Burnley's Mike Tresor in action with Salford City's Curtis Tilt Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Salford City captain Curtis Tilt was 16 when he went to work in a quarry, operating 50 tonne excavators and eating pies and sausage rolls from a food truck during his breaks, all the while believing he had played his last football match.
Far from it. On Saturday, his League Two team will take on Premier League champions Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup.
The 33-year-old centre back will have the enormous task of trying to stop one of the game's best goal-scorers in Erling Haaland.
"Many have tried, many have failed, but at least I'll just try and do what I can to stop him scoring any goals or getting any attempts on our goal," Tilt told reporters at Moor Lane.
"(I am) Very excited. Everyone's been buzzing around the training ground for the last two, three days now, just can't wait to test ourselves against the best."
Tilt's story is something of a fairytale that captures the uniqueness of the FA Cup, which pits underdogs against giants.
He was 20 and still working in the quarry when he joined his friend Tom Tonks at a one-off tournament. Two days later, non-League club Gornal Athletic signed him.
Tilt juggled his quarry job with playing until he signed with Wrexham in 2016, his first full-time football job. He worked his last shift on a Wednesday and arrived at the north Wales club on Thursday.
"I thought (the quarry) was my career path," Tilt said. "I wasn't fit when I went to Gornal. There used to be a van pulling up onto the side, and I would eat pies, sausage rolls. My diet was horrendous.
"Once I finished football at 16, I didn't think I was going to play another game, to be honest."
Tilt has Jamaican heritage and made two appearances for the Reggae Boyz in 2021.
His friend Tonks is also in FA Cup action this weekend with fifth-tier Tamworth, who face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Tilt has purchased 140 tickets for family and friends for Salford's clash at the Etihad. He also expects many of the club's famous owners -- Manchester United greats Gary and Phil Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt are all part-owners -- to be in attendance.
Giggs and Scholes are regulars at Salford's training sessions at Moor Lane, said Tilt, who marvels at their mastery considering Giggs is 51 and Scholes is 50.
"I remember Scholesy trained with us one day, and he never gave the ball away once. I think it was an possession game, some of the lads were trying to make him to make a mistake, but he just didn't," Tilt said.
"It's crazy, the way their mind thinks and how incredible they still are after 20 years of not playing professionally."
Salford are on a run of six successive wins and are third in the fourth tier standings, level on 42 points with second-placed Crewe Alexandra.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
