Thordarson has not managed in England since May 2006

Crewe manager Gudjon Thordarson reserved special praise for his young stars after the 2-2 draw at Millwall.

Luke Murphy and Danny Shelley made only their second starts for the Alex in the FA Cup third round tie with Shelley scoring a stunning free-kick.

Thordarson told BBC Radio Stoke: "He (Shelley) was excellent throughout the game, and the execution for the free-kick was superb.

"Credit to my players, we equalised, and a draw is not a bad result."

Thordarson, 53, was taking charge of a team in England for the first time in two-and-a-half years, and he admitted he was nervous before kick-off.

"I walked out on the pitch and I found the butterflies in my belly, it's nice to be back," he said.

Thordarson's main objective is to keep Crewe in League One, but he believes a good run in the FA Cup can help their cause.

"The FA Cup can bring money to the club, it can give me something extra to add to my budget, and that can only be beneficial to our situation.

"We are looking forward to the challenge, and we have to work together to restore faith in Crewe."

The third round replay against Millwall will take place on 13 January at the Alexandra Stadium.

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