IT is safe to assume that for most of Middlesbrough's multi-millionaires, this afternoon's FA Cup third-round tie at Nuneaton Borough will come as something of a culture shock.

Away from the inviting environs of the Riverside, the likes of Aiyegbeni Yakubu, Mark Viduka and Gaizka Mendieta will be confronted by a form of football they have never experienced.

A Manor Park ground with a capacity of 6,000, a slope from one goalmouth to the other and a tonne of sand that has been piled on the pitch in an attempt to make it playable - hardly normality for a trio with experience of the Stadio Olimpico and the Bernabeu.

Yet for Middlesbrough striker Malcolm Christie, playing at Nuneaton was once everything he had dreamed of.

In March, 1998, a teenage Christie joined the Nationwide Conference North outfit from parks team Deeping Rangers. Still at college and stacking shelves in a supermarket to raise a bit of extra cash, the Peterborough-born forward saw football as nothing more than a weekend release.

He has gone on to make almost 100 Premiership appearances and commanded a transfer fee of £3m but, back then, starring for the Nuns was further than his ambition would stretch.

"At the time, playing for Nuneaton was everything I wanted," said Christie, who will be the guest of honour this afternoon as he continues to build the strength in his twice-fractured foot. "I didn't ever think things would get better than that.

"It was a fairly hectic time for me. I was at college and doing whatever hours I could in the supermarket to raise a bit of money.

"I was doing that during the day and then nipping off to play my football. It seemed like I was constantly asking the supermarket for time off for training and we agreed that I would never work weekends.

"When my football took off, the manager at the time, Brendan Phillips, told me to give up the supermarket. He thought it was something I would never have to do again.

"I remember that, when I joined, it was such a big thing for me. Everything was so much bigger than I had been used to.

"I was getting paid to play football. After shifts stacking shelves, that was pretty hard to comprehend. People were paying to watch me as well - they even had turnstiles at the stadium! That, for me, was the biggest step up I could make."

Eventually, though, the steps were to get bigger and bigger. Christie was so prolific in the Dr Marten's Premier League that Nuneaton's fans immediately bestowed him with his own song. "He's turny, he's twisty - his name is Malcolm Christie." They were not the only ones to take note of his progress.

Before long, six or seven senior scouts were regular visitors to Manor Park. Christie had trials at Leicester and Tottenham before, in October 1998, Derby paid an initial fee of £55,000 to sign the speedy striker. The goals continued to flow at Pride Park, persuading Steve McClaren to shell out £3m to take him to the Riverside.

"I made an impact straight away," said Christie. "At the time, Nuneaton had a team of older, experienced players. I think the club probably needed a young player to come and break through.

"Luckily, I showed what I could do in a few trial games and did well in their reserves. Brendan was good enough to give me a chance in the first team and I scored in pretty much every game I played. That's what got me noticed in football's higher reaches.

"No matter what level you're playing at, if you're scoring a lot of goals you're going to get noticed.

"There aren't too many secrets in football for long.

"I remember my manager telling me who was watching and thinking 'Bloody hell - they're in the league'. That was quite an eye-opener.

"I went on trial at Leicester and Tottenham, but it was being at Nuneaton that put me in the shop window. I was playing in a winning team and we were at the top of the league at the time. Everything fell into place for me and clubs took notice."

Today, Christie continues to battle his way back from a succession of injuries that would have beaten lesser players.

Successive broken legs have been compounded by similar problems with his foot, restricting him to just 14 senior appearances in the last two-and-a-half years.

There have been times when he has cursed his luck but, having come from nothing, the striker is grounded enough to appreciate what he has been able to retain.

"I think the route I took makes me think like that," he said. "It makes you want to work a little bit harder because I've lived and had nothing.

"I'm just so grateful for everything that has happened to me and I'm certainly grateful for the role Nuneaton have played in that.

"If I had gone to a different club, I don't think I would have gone on to do the things I have done.

"The lads here often ask me about my days as an apprentice and they can't believe I wasn't at a club as a youngster.

"I was with Deeping Rangers from the youth team to the adult team and then joined Nuneaton.

"It was only when I went to Derby that I started thinking about myself as a footballer. I couldn't believe it. I thought 'So this is a job is it?' It still seems like a good one."

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