The football club created by disillusioned Manchester United fans over a curry play their biggest match this week in the FA Cup as the ambitious team of tilers and chauffeurs prove they are no protest gimmick.
FC United of Manchester, founded in 2005 in the wake of United's take-over by the Glazer family, have won three promotions in five years and expect to take 4,000 fans to an FA Cup first-round match that is being televised.
The journey to League One (third division) Rochdale means the semi-professional club stand just two victories away from a possible date with a Premier League team - including big daddy Manchester United.
However, when striker Carlos Roca is forced to go hunting behind fences to retrieve training balls, it's a stark reminder that these players earn in a week what Manchester United's Wayne Rooney earns in the time it takes him to brush his teeth.
