Going toe-to-toe with Manchester United will be a new experience for most of the Crystal Palace squad on Wednesday night, but Dean Moxey hasn’t just played at Old Trafford, he’s come away with a result.

A then 18-year-old Moxey was part of the Exeter City side that travelled to Old Trafford in 2005 for an FA Cup third round tie and held United to a famous 0-0 draw.

And it is a night that the childhood United fan remembers fondly.

“We showed no fear and had no pressure whatsoever on us being a Conference team,” he said.

“They took us around on the Friday to get a feeling of the place because we didn’t want to turn up on the Saturday and be overawed so we looked around the changing rooms and got a good feel for the place.

“We enjoyed every minute of everything and I just don’t know what came over us that day but we could have gone on to win it.”

As before, he is likely to be up against an unfamiliar United team but he insists that whatever team Sir Alex Ferguson puts out will provide a big test for the Eagles.

Although that isn’t to say he wouldn’t relish testing himself against some of the best players in the world.

“It’s going to be tough whatever team they put out but if you’ve got the likes of Rooney and Hernandez playing up front then it is going to be a tough night for the defence," he said.

“You can’t start the game slow, because Manchester United are going to tear you apart from the start.

"We’ve got to go out there and do what we do every week to start quickly, pass the ball and not just lump it forward because they will just be coming at you all day.

“I wouldn’t mind playing against any of them to be honest just to see how good I am and whether I can cope with it.”

And the 25-year-old believes that as long as the players aren't overawed by their surroundings and perform to their full potential then they have every chance of causing an upset.

“You are playing against one of the best, if not the best, teams in the world so you know that there is no pressure on us to win the game because no one gives us a chance.

“So if we do what we can do we can get a result.”

Whatever the outcome of the game, however, the left-back will be hoping to do better out of the shirt swap at the end of the game this time round after being shunned by Cristiano Ronaldo on his last visit.

"I asked for Ronaldo’s shirt but he said he was giving it to his friends and I walked away from Old Trafford without a shirt," he added.

"But then the gaffer at the time, Alex Ingelthorpe, came up to me the next day and gave me Phil Neville’s shirt and he was the captain that night so I was happy with that."