STEPHEN Darby knows what the away fans can expect at Stamford Bridge tomorrow – because he used to be one.

The City skipper has been to Chelsea before but only to cheer on his beloved Liverpool.

Now he cannot wait to swap the stands for the pitch and lead out the Bantams against the Premier League leaders.

"It will be a great moment for myself and I'm sure it will be the same for all the lads," said Darby.

"I've been to Stamford Bridge to watch Liverpool but I've never played there. It's going to be a good day for everyone involved with the club."

Darby is one of the survivors from City's incredible cup run to Wembley two years ago and he hopes the experience of handling highly-charged ties can help them against Jose Mourinho's star-studded line-up.

"Everyone is obviously excited but the good thing is that we haven't been fazed by facing big teams on these type of occasions," he said.

"We've got the lads here who have been through that but it's an experienced dressing room anyway. We'll be using that experience.

"The pressure is off us playing against one of the best teams in Europe away from home and we want to put in a performance that does us justice.

"Even if Chelsea were to rest players, there will still be world class coming in. That's why they are one of the best because they've got that luxury.

"We know what a great side Chelsea are but we'll be going all out to give them a tough game and test ourselves against the best. That's what makes the FA Cup so special, because upsets can happen."

Fans snapped up City's 6,000-ticket allocation within hours as some queued through the night. With the demand so high, many have also missed out.

"It's unbelievable when you hear about fans queuing for hours overnight to get a ticket," said Darby.

"It just shows you how big the club is and motivates us even more. It makes you proud to wear the shirt when you've got that level of support.

"We've had some special cup games in the past couple of years. The away ones that stand out are obviously Wigan and the Villa second leg.

"Our fans were incredible in both those games and I'm sure it will be more of the same at Stamford Bridge."