Salford's Tilt prepares for biggest game almost two decades after thinking career was over

MANCHESTER, England : Salford City captain Curtis Tilt was 16 when he went to work in a quarry, operating 50 tonne excavators and eating pies and sausage rolls from a food truck during his breaks, all the while believing he had played his last football match.

Far from it. On Saturday, his League Two team will take on Premier League champions Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup.

The 33-year-old centre back will have the enormous task of trying to stop one of the game's best goal-scorers in Erling Haaland.

"Many have tried, many have failed, but at least I'll just try and do what I can to stop him scoring any goals or getting any attempts on our goal," Tilt told reporters at Moor Lane.

"(I am) Very excited. Everyone's been buzzing around the training ground for the last two, three days now, just can't wait to test ourselves against the best."

Tilt's story is something of a fairytale that captures the uniqueness of the FA Cup, which pits underdogs against giants.

He was 20 and still working in the quarry when he joined his friend Tom Tonks at a one-off tournament. Two days later, non-League club Gornal Athletic signed him.

Tilt juggled his quarry job with playing until he signed with Wrexham in 2016, his first full-time football job. He worked his last shift on a Wednesday and arrived at the north Wales club on Thursday.

"I thought (the quarry) was my career path," Tilt said. "I wasn't fit when I went to Gornal. There used to be a van pulling up onto the side, and I would eat pies, sausage rolls. My diet was horrendous.

"Once I finished football at 16, I didn't think I was going to play another game, to be honest."

Tilt has Jamaican heritage and made two appearances for the Reggae Boyz in 2021.

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