Deep end for Lee

Richard Lee was told to support Manchester United

before he could even walk. Today the goalkeeper

must stop them reaching the FA Cup Final.

It will be a surreal and emotional

day for Watford’s reserve keeper as

he emerges from relative obscurity

to face a team who fired seven goals

past Roma this week.

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His father Peter is a lifelong

United fan. He has a photo of Ryan

Giggs scoring past his son on

display in the front room. But family

loyalty comes first at Villa Park and

he will proudly take his seat in the

Holte End amid a sea of yellow.

"Even if I have a bad game I’ll still

get cheered," joked Lee with a flash of his big, easy smile. He has a

developed sense of humour.

"Like a

lot of Man U fans, I grew up around

Aylesbury. I was bought a Man U

shirt at the age of three, so I had

very little choice."

Father and son would travel everywhere

to watch United home and

abroad. ‘We went to see them in the

FA Cup Final replay in 1990 against

Crystal Palace when Lee Martin got

the winner. And the 1999 final

against Newcastle: 2-0, Scholes and

Sheringham.

"As a goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel

was my favourite player but Ryan

Giggs is one of my all-time heroes. It

was quite surreal for him to score

past me. That’s one of the pictures in the lounge: Giggs going round me

to score. Brilliant!"

Taking on his heroes has become

a regular occurrence for Lee as

understudy to England keeper Ben

Foster, whose loan deal prevents

him playing against United.

When the semi-final draw was

made, one keeper’s delight mirrored

the other’s disappointment at

Vicarage Road. Lee has even

consulted Watford’s psychologist

about staying focused against his

idols.

He has already sampled the agony

of missing a semi-final. He was set

to play for Watford in the Carling

Cup semi-final against Liverpool in

2005 until a freak collision with

team-mate James Chambers in a

game against Coventry left him with

a fractured cheekbone and eye

socket.

Lee has suffered rotten luck with

injuries. He broke his upper arm in

training when he was 19, just days

after an England Under 21 call-up.

He was out for six months and still

has four screws holding the bone in

place. He has also ruptured a bicep

in his left arm, leaving him with a

freaky Popeye-style lump when he

flexes the muscle.

It would take a cruel man to deny

him this moment today, his greatest

exposure since an appearance on

BBC’s Dragon’s Den with his friend

and business partner Darren

Duraidi.

They won an investment of

£150,000 from entrepreneur

Duncan Bannatyne for their baseball

cap shop, Dr Cap, in Leicester.

Some Watford players are regular

customers and Rio Ferdinand

has been seen wearing their

products.

"That was the only time I was on

telly last season and I’d rather be on

playing football," he said. "This is

what I do. I wouldn’t say I’m

nervous. I’m probably more excited.

How many 24-year-old lads have an

FA Cup semi-final to look forward

to this weekend?

"I’ve already dreamt it — the 1-0

win and the penalty save in the last

minute. It’s that sort of thing you

dream of as a kid."