Old Trafford match has Etheridge all pumped up

Filipino international Neil Etheridge seeks a positive end to a largely disappointing season when Cardiff City visits one of the most famous stadiums in the world—Old Trafford—to play Manchester United for its final game in the English Premier League (EPL) this weekend.

Named Player of the Year by his club on Sunday, the goalkeeper is relishing the experience of facing United, where his buddy, England international Chris Smalling, plays.

The match is set on Sunday, but will have little importance to both clubs as Cardiff’s relegation was confirmed last weekend, while United’s Top Four hopes were dashed with a draw with Huddersfield last Saturday.

“For me, its a great, big thing to play at Old Trafford,” Etheridge told the Inquirer. “The stadium has plenty of history and the club remains one of the biggest in the world.”

Etheridge, who has nine clean sheets so far in the EPL, has penciled a visit to Manila late this month for a holiday.

“I didn’t expect this season to be successful at a personal level, because the club bought a goalkeeper at the start of the season,” Etheridge said. “But its a massive accomplishment to be named player of the year at the club in my first season in the Premier League. You can’t deny that there were times when everything seemed against us this season and it’s disappointing that we couldn’t avoid relegation.”