Coming off the bench - James Lawson replaced Gary Hooper during the second half at Roots Hall (Image: Sean Dempsey)
Coming off the bench - James Lawson replaced Gary Hooper during the second half at Roots Hall (Image: Sean Dempsey)
JAMES Lawson has revealed Southend United’s squad thought manager Steve Tilson was winding them up when he first read out Manchester United’s team.
Tilson told his players the household names lining up for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side
READ MORE: Gower recalls work-rate required to beat United
But so strong was the line-up that nobody believed him.
“A lot of us thought we would be playing against Manchester United’s fringe players,” said Lawson.
“I remember when Steve Tilson came into the changing room with the team-sheet.
“He was smiling from ear to ear and started to read out the names.
“When he got to saying Rooney and Ronaldo everyone was telling him to shut up and thought he was on the wind-up.
“Gower jumped up and took the piece of paper and told us he was telling the truth which we couldn’t believe.
“No-one expected them to field a team that strong and that’s when reality hit.”
And then things stepped up another notch when the sides lined up to walk out of the tunnel.
“I was literally right next to Ronaldo,” said Lawson.
“He liked to go out last and I was sub so I was at the back too.
“It was crazy and there was a big vibe around him at the time because it wasn’t that long after the World Cup when he got Rooney sent off and winked.
“A lot of people were offering me money to kick him!”
But Lawson was instead keen to make sure he made a positive impact after coming on.
“I just tried to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes,” said Lawson.
“It was a great night but if you make a bad pass it can get punished and then you’re the villain.
“Thankfully it all went well.”
I felt like I did really well up there with Freddy. We got on really well both being Basilon boys . He was pne of the youngers ones as well. It’s good to look back and remember it. The team had sich a good vibe and I felt lucky to be a part of a team flying high.