READ the highlights of our exclusive SPIREITES WORLD interview from the other side so to speak with then Middlesborough's  Craig Hignett

Thanks for agreeing to do the interview Craig.. it doesn't seem 10 years ago?

I know! .. when you said it was 10 years ago I began to feel really old.. for me, it only seems about maybe 4 or 5 years ago…

From a Boro perspective , whats your thoughts on the game?

My feelings before the game, I was happy to draw Chesterfield, things being well we should have been in a cup final.. but I knew 10, 20 minutes in that if we weren't on our game, we were going to get beat handsomely.

Rumours around Chesterfield suggested Bryan Robson didn't really take the game as seriously as he could have… any truth in this?

No.. he picked the strongest team he could pick, and we obviously felt very confident on the day. We started quite brightly, I felt it was just a matter of time before we scored…Then Vladimir Kinder got himself  sent off.. to be fair Kevin Davies caused him all sorts of problems..from then on, it was a nightmare day for us… of course, weve got the goal that never was.. had that gone in, we were dead and buried, fortunately for me and unfortunately for Chesterfield it  wasn't.. thank goodness technology wasn't brought in!!!

Can you remember what Robbo said to you Half time?

Don't be too adventurous.. At eleven v eleven he told us to be attacking .. I was supposed to drop back right when didn't have the ball.. but I could do what I wanted when attacking. I remember my old mate was in goal, Billy Mercer…I was really close with Billy. He made some great saves, Kinder got sent off and Chesterfield scored.. I remember When Sean Dyche was about to take his penalty I turned to Curtis Fleming and said 'what we gonna do here Curt?', to which he said.. 'not got a clue!'.

So at two down and 10 men… did you think it had gone?

No…you never think that.. especially with the quality we had with Ravelleni, Juninho and Emerson. We felt if we kept creating chances we were bound to score one.. Clayton Blackmore put a great ball in for Rav, who finished it..

And obviously you got the equalising penalty?

Yeah I did.. I looked at Ravenelli and he said do I want  to take it.. Even though Billy had seen me take penalties millions of times..

Wasn't Ravenelli the penalty taker at the time?

I'm not saying he bottled it, but I could tell he didn't fancy it!

Just squeezed under Billy didn't it?

Craig shoots

It could have been so different for me….Had I missed that penalty, Boro fans might have looked at me differently. I think  Billy just dived over it..

Are you still in touch with Billy at all?

No I'm not .. we lost touch about three or so years ago.. I know he went down to Bristol city.. think he's finished now..

Gianluca Festa gets you in the game at 3-2.. you must have thought you'd done it??

Yeah well.. from 2-0 down to 3-2.. Im thinking we've won.. the gaffer took me off to shore up the game, but it doesn't work like that…Then Jamie Hewitt  scores the equaliser.. which was no more than they deserved.. It would have been a travesty had they lost the match…We knew we very lucky.

Ultimately a season of tears for you?

Yes, but a highlight too… I got to play in every big game I wanted to… an FA cup final and a Worthington Cup final..

Ive spoken to Robbie Mustoe, who rates that game as one of the highlights of his career.. how about you?

The Chesterfield game? Definitely..its not often that your involved in a game that you realise, ' this is a classic'….atmosphere was unbelievable… It must have been a dream for you.. the Chesterfield fans! It was just a nightmare for us! We had the best draw.. and were making ear of it! I remember thinking during the game Billy (Mercer) hes gonna have my suit!

How did you feel at the end?

Disappointed, but fortunate that we had a second chance… we knew these teams don't win at the second time. But  I know three or four of our players bottled the first game.

Thanks Craig for giving this interview for the website.

Craig Hignett was talking to Simon Haywood

Hear the interview in full only on