Having been voted player of the round for his hat-trick heroics in a pulsating 4-3 victory over Dover Athletic, Canvey Island midfielder Jeff Minton spent Saturday rubbing shoulders with the stars at the FA Cup final.
The former Port Vale battler enjoyed a VIP lunch at the Millennium Stadium and was also taken onto the pitch during half-time of Manchester United's 3-0 victory over Millwall.
"I'd never been to a cup final before --I'd watched them all on TV -- so it was really good," said Minton.
"It was a real honour and I'd like to thank Umbro and the people that voted for me to win the award."
And Minton added he had enjoyed playing a prominent and award winning part in Canvey's unexpected comeback against a determined Dover.
"It was a memorable game and exciting too," he said.
"We came back from 3-1 down with not that long to go but it was a team effort, it wasn't just me. It was the only hat-trick I've ever scored as well so it was a good day and we got to the first round proper again."
Published Thursday May 27, 2004
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