Ledley out to seize rare Cup shot

Cardiff and Wales midfielder Joe Ledley has acknowledged that, even at the age of 21, Saturday's final with Portsmouth may be his only chance of FA Cup glory.

"It may be my only shot, you never know, I can only do my best," he said.

"But I've got the belief that we'll be walking around Wembley with the trophy at the end, I think we can do it."

Ledley, who scored the stunning volley to give the Bluebirds a 1-0 semi-final win over Barnsley, has been courted by some of the top Premiership sides.

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The Cardiff-born youngster feels that his experience in the international arena will stand him in good stead on the big Wembley stage.

"I've played alongside the likes of Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy and I've played away against sides like Germany - that has to be a huge help," he told BBC Sport Wales.

"I haven't really watched Portsmouth, we all know they're a Premiership team but I'm trying to focus on my own game.

"Wembley isn't easy to play on, it's a huge pitch, so we need to play our game, keep shape, keep the ball moving and try to attack.

"We're the underdogs and will have less pressure, but we also have players like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who have been there and done it all."

"I always remember watching the final on television with the family, and when it moved from Wembley to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium the whole city would be buzzing"
Joe Ledley

Ledley, who has never been to an FA Cup final as a fan, says he knows all about the magic of the competition and that the Bluebirds' bid to repeat their 1927 feat of taking the trophy out of England to Wales will give them an extra boost.

"I always remember watching the final on television with the family, and when it moved from Wembley to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium the whole city would be buzzing," said Ledley.

"Cardiff is my hometown club and I've played a lot of important games for them, but this is something else.

"We have the feeling that the whole nation is behind us. Swansea City have won promotion, the rugby's been doing well, and this could top off a great year for Wales."

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