City’s current loanee left back from Liverpool is ready to lock horns with another from the past.

Robbie Threlfall’s spectacular debut free-kick at Rochdale has already guaranteed more attention than Steve Staunton, who had an unremarkable two-month spell at Valley Parade in 1987-1988.

The former Republic of Ireland defender and boss returns to City tomorrow in charge of struggling Darlington. But Threlfall is wary of the threat of taking Staunton’s side lightly.

He said: “We’ve got to treat them with the same respect as Rochdale and then try to do the job. Having got that win on Tuesday, it’s vital that we kick on now.

“That was a great start, not just for me but all the lads. You could see they’ve been a bit low on confidence, which isn’t surprising when you’ve been beaten a few times.

“But everyone’s buzzing in the dressing room now and we want to keep that feeling going.”

Threlfall is on a personal high after netting his first senior goal. And he confessed that set-pieces are not usually his forte.

He added: “I never usually get a look-in at Liverpool. They’ve got some quality free-kick takers in the reserves.

“But I’ve always got an eye for one. I was up there and just grabbed the ball as quickly as I could.

“Flynny (Michael Flynn) tried to take it off me but I fancied taking it – and was absolutely delighted to see it go in.”