SWINDON born defender Alex Stanley says his family are so confident he will score against Newcastle United on Sunday they have put money on him.

The Yeading defender is 40-1 to net first as he prepares for the biggest game of his life in the BBC-televised FA Cup third round clash.

His girlfriend's uncle and his father have all made visits to the bookmakers as they think the defender will notch against the Premiership giants.

Although he predicts a Newcastle win, Stanley, 21, has a feeling the multi-million pound squad will not keep a clean sheet.

He said: "I am Yeading's free kick taker and have scored five this season. I always fancy myself to score from a free kick and will be looking to get on the score sheet.

"It will be a pure fantasy if I do score and I'm sure I will run around the pitch 50 times if I do. I think a few of the lads will be planning a celebration, I'm not but I will do something crazy if I do bag one.

"My girlfriend's uncle has put a tenner on me scoring the first goal and my dad said he will put a few quid on."

Yeading are outsiders to make the fourth round with bookmakers pricing the Ryman Premier League leaders at 14-1.

The left back said he has been getting butterflies in his stomach since Yeading pulled the Premiership side in last months FA Cup draw.

He said: "I can't wait, it will be by far the biggest match of my career.

"I watched the Newcastle v West Brom match on Monday and got a massive adrenaline rush. All this week I have been pinching myself to check I have not been dreaming.

"It will be a dream come true for the whole team. We are all buzzing since the draw and are looking forward to the game."

The ex-Reading reserve player, from Cheney Manor, had been looking forward to marking one of his football heroes, European Cup winner Patrick Kluivert, but the Dutch international is out injured.

"It is a big shame as I wanted to mark either Kluivert or Alan Shearer but they will not be playing. It is disappointing as they are two of the biggest names in football."

Premiership sides often field weakened sides against lower opposition but Stanley thinks that any Newcastle 11 will be strong.

"Graham Souness might not pick his best 11 but the whole squad are Premiership class. If we come up against the likes of Shola Ameobi, we will still have a tough time."

The defender will have the task of marking some of England's best players, an experience the youngster is relishing.

"I will be marking either Kieron Dyer or James Milner. They are both class, attacking players. It will be an experience I will savour for a long time.

"The whole team are staying in a hotel before the game and the manager is taking us out afterwards that will all add to the experience."

Stanley is no stranger to Premiership clubs after an encounter with the Manchester United Youth team in 2002.

"When I played for the Reading Youth side we were drawn against Manchester United and lost just 1-0. That was in front of 10,000 supporters and an amazing experience."

Yeading chose to switch the match to QPR's Loftus Road ground, and Stanley expects to play in front of another big crowd on Sunday (1.45pm).

"Newcastle are bringing at least 3,000 with them so there should be a massive attendance. Most of my family and friends should be in the ground, the atmosphere should be amazing."

Stanley's mum Julie, dad Barry and brothers Nick and Jamie will all be making the trip to west London.

Stanley, who works full time as a plasterer, knows Yeading have a very slim chance of progressing to the next round.

"I know Hereford beat Newcastle in the FA Cup a number of years ago but Hereford were a Conference side at the time.

"The gap between the Ryman Premier and the Premiership is massive."

Yeading are currently top of the Ryman Premier Division, and Stanley feels the FA Cup run has something to do with the league position.

"The draw gave all of us extreme confidence on the pitch. The whole club has been buzzing and it has had a positive effect on our results."