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Eastleigh skipper Paul Reid does not fear Wanderers, having come up close and personal with Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo in the FA Cup.
The former Rangers and Carlisle United defender is one of several Spitfires stars with extensive league experience.
Reid once turned out for Northampton Town in a fourth round clash against Manchester United.
“I was given the job of man marking Paul Scholes in the first half and Ronaldo in the second – that was a massive learning curve,” said the 33-year-old centre-half.
“In my own mind I was a half-decent player, but they were top, top quality. It was a real eye opener.
“My job was to rough them up a bit but I couldn’t get near enough to kick them! Scholes was so clever, every time he got the ball he would take a touch away from me. By the time I made a couple of yards up they were gone.”
Mikael Silvestre and Diego Forlan scored in each half either side of an own goal as United won 3-0 before going on to win the FA Cup for the 11th and last time.
“They were a very strong side, even players you take for granted like John O’Shea and Quinton Fortune - when you’re up against them you realise how much better than you they are,” added Reid.
Reid was also at Barnsley when they reached the 2008 FA Cup semi-final, a cup run he played no part in due to injury during the last of his four seasons at Oakwell.
As captain of the club Reid’s main ambition is to lead the club into the Football League but he believes a win over Wanderers would also rank high on the list.
“All the pressure’s on Bolton, it wouldn’t be the strangest thing in the world if we got a result,” he said.
“This is huge, it’s the furthest the club’s ever gone in the FA Cup and I imagine we’ll have a record attendance.
“We just need to enjoy it.
“I’m fortunate to be at a club striving forwards. I want to play as long as I can. I’m 34 next month but I’m not treading water.
“This is a forward-thinking club from the top all the way down and it’s exciting to be part of that.”
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The former Rangers and Carlisle United defender is one of several Spitfires stars with extensive league experience.
Reid once turned out for Northampton Town in a fourth round clash against Manchester United.
“I was given the job of man marking Paul Scholes in the first half and Ronaldo in the second – that was a massive learning curve,” said the 33-year-old centre-half.
“In my own mind I was a half-decent player, but they were top, top quality. It was a real eye opener.
“My job was to rough them up a bit but I couldn’t get near enough to kick them! Scholes was so clever, every time he got the ball he would take a touch away from me. By the time I made a couple of yards up they were gone.”
Mikael Silvestre and Diego Forlan scored in each half either side of an own goal as United won 3-0 before going on to win the FA Cup for the 11th and last time.
“They were a very strong side, even players you take for granted like John O’Shea and Quinton Fortune - when you’re up against them you realise how much better than you they are,” added Reid.
Reid was also at Barnsley when they reached the 2008 FA Cup semi-final, a cup run he played no part in due to injury during the last of his four seasons at Oakwell.
As captain of the club Reid’s main ambition is to lead the club into the Football League but he believes a win over Wanderers would also rank high on the list.
“All the pressure’s on Bolton, it wouldn’t be the strangest thing in the world if we got a result,” he said.
“This is huge, it’s the furthest the club’s ever gone in the FA Cup and I imagine we’ll have a record attendance.
“We just need to enjoy it.
“I’m fortunate to be at a club striving forwards. I want to play as long as I can. I’m 34 next month but I’m not treading water.
“This is a forward-thinking club from the top all the way down and it’s exciting to be part of that.”
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