It is FA Cup weekend, so Danny Simpson is dreaming of glory. Stuart Rayner reports.

IT is a dream most English boys share but Danny Simpson is still to experience a Wembley FA Cup final first-hand, even as a fan.

As a youngster on the books of Manchester United, he was in the crowd for FA Cup finals in 2004 and 2005 and even went to Moscow for the 2008 Champions League final.

However, since English football’s spiritual home was rebuilt, he has not witnessed its most famous annual event.

To hear Simpson talk about the FA Cup is refreshing.

Modern Premier League managers would often rather take a third or fourth place – or even a 17th – over a bit of glory.

Simpson, though, is still in thrall to the romance of the Cup.

“I am English and I know what the FA Cup means,” he says as he contemplates this evening’s awkward-looking tie at Brighton and Hove Albion.

“I have watched it since I was a boy. It is still a buzz. We try and tell the foreign lads, but they might not know what the FA Cup means as much as us. We tell them.

“I went to the final where Man United lost on penalties . . . to Arsenal. I went to another one, where they beat Millwall. They were both at Cardiff.

“The FA Cup means a lot and I am looking forward to winning today and hopefully going a long way.

“It is a massive tournament. Every English lad as a kid growing up watches the final and you dream about going to Wembley and winning it.

“I am no different now. I have an opportunity.

“I am playing in a great team and we have to believe we can go there.”