Town’s trip to Old Trafford on Wednesday to meet Manchester United in the third round of the Capital One Cup is the sort of game in which all footballers want to play, according to midfielder Jay Tabb.
The former Reading player, a winner at the Theatre of Dreams in his only previous trip there with Coventry at the same stage of the 2007/08 competition, said: "It is hard work being a professional footballer, especially when you are younger, and these are the matches you want to play in.
"It is good to have a little bit of nervous energy, but you can’t let it overawe you and you have to enjoy it. Your first few touches can settle you down, so the experienced players like me are there to help keep the younger ones calm.
"They are good games for the fringe players, to get some match practice in and to make sure they are still in shape because you never know when you will need them.
"We expect United to make changes and bring in some new faces but it doesn’t mean the task will be any easier. The players who come in will all have a point to prove as well and that can make it even tougher.
"Usually they have a mix, maybe six or seven household names and a few others that people might not have heard of or know much about.
"You get strange results from time to time and this is a competition that throws up a few. United probably have other priorities so we’ll see what decision they make regarding their team, but they will also see the Capital One Cup as a chance to get some silverware.
"There’s no way Louis van Gaal will be throwing in the towel. He is there to win things and they have had a good start to the season. I think they have a chance in all the competitions and they look stronger this year. He is a quality manager and the right man for the job there.”
Regardless of the outcome, Tabb will be in no hurry to swap shirts with one of the big-name United stars.
"I’m not really a shirt collector,” he said. "I do collect them but from players I’ve played with, like friends, but not from people I don’t know.”
Meanwhile, Tabb has claimed he is no longer the shortest member of the Town squad and insisted that particular mantle has switched to on-loan Bournemouth and Scotland U21 winger Ryan Fraser, who recently suggested he and Tabb were locked together on the 5ft 4ins mark.
Tabb laughed: "That’s not the case. He is definitely the shortest one and I am a good foot taller than him. Andy Liddell [fitness coach] gives us a bit of stick, but he is alright. Seriously, Ryan is a great addition to the squad and has fitted in really well.”