Bully: No reason why Wolves cannot make final

I did not start that 1-0 loss to Arsenal at Villa Park and I can remember the fans banging on the bus as we arrived, asking me whether I was playing.

I was not supposed to say anything, but I shook my head as we were going in and they were saying ‘No way, you’ve got to be playing’.

I had 20 minutes though, me and a young Robbie Keane came off the bench and tried our best to get us a late equaliser.

We gave it absolutely everything we had but, in the end, it was not to be for us.

The Gunners, who went on to win the Premier League and Cup double under Arsene Wenger that season while we ended up ninth in Division One, were just that bit too strong for us.

But back then the FA Cup was so special to us, the journey we went on, and I am so glad Nuno and the current crop have treated the competition with the thorough respect that it truly deserves.

I never won it, of course, but I would love nothing more than the lads to go all the way this time around.

The Arsenal team on that day was full of talent – Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira and Ray Parlour to name a few – but it was Christopher Wreh, a less familiar name, who ended up getting the winner for them.

That’s cup football for you. You have to expect the unexpected, and I am sure Nuno and the squad will be leaving no stone unturned in preparation for this massive occasion at a packed-out Wembley. And he has picked his strongest side in most of the rounds so far.

There has not been a hint of underestimating any opponents, we saw the fight Shrewsbury put up against us in the fourth round, and that will not change for Watford tomorrow.

It seems Nuno identified the Cup as something that was achievable right from the very start – while Liverpool played some of the kids in the third round, we went with the big guns and got our just rewards. We are three-quarters of the way there, so let’s go and try to finish the job off.

The Hornets are a side we are well aware of, of course, after they beat us 2-0 at Molineux in October in the league, catching us cold through Etienne Capoue and Roberto Pereyra.

They are a very, very good side, and like us in many respects.

Javi Gracia looks to get them playing attractive football while also being solid at the back.

They are very much vying with us for that title of ‘best of the rest’ in the Premier League and will have their tails up after thrashing Fulham 4-1 the other night.

But, at the end of the day, it is a Cup game at a neutral pitch, so there will not be any home advantage coming into play.

It is a massive pitch which we have visited recently, beating Tottenham 3-1 on a special day back in December, so I do not see any reason why we cannot go down there, beat Watford, and seal our place in the final.