JUST three weeks ago Gary Prescott was happily playing on a park pitch for Leigh RMI Reserves, in front of a handful of spectators. On Sunday he is in line to face Fulham in the FA Cup at Craven Cottage before thousands of fans.

And if that wasn't enough to send the shivers down the full back's spine, the thought of lining up against former England winger John Salako should have him shaking in his size nine boots. But don't you believe it!

"I can't wait," said the 17-year-old. "And if I do come up against Salako that's even better. It will be the biggest day of my life and I will make sure I will enjoy it.

"If I am picked, I will be just another player in another game and it doesn't bother me in the slightest," said Gary, who was spotted playing in the lower leagues by former Bolton star Roy Greaves. "I started off as a nine-year-old at Atherton LR, before moving to open age with Daten, and it was there that Roy saw me and asked me down to Hilton Park," explained Gary.

His meteoric rise to fame includes three Unibond appearances, a place on the RMI subs bench, and an unforgettable night against the Wanderers in a friendly.

"I was very nervous before the Bolton game, especially with around 1,000 spectators inside Hilton Park, but once the game got underway I just enjoyed the experience, and that's how I hope it will be on Sunday. "All the lads are up for it, and I only hope we can give a good account of ourselves and perhaps get a draw and bring them back to Leigh."

Prescott is an attacking right full back, and with RMI manager Steve Waywell experimenting with three central defenders, the wing back role suits him even better. But whichever position he plays he knows it will be a dream come true.

Gary added: "Kevin Keegan and Peter Beardsley were by boyhood heroes and I can't wait to meet them after the match - especially if we have got a result."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.