Positive thinking can help spread belief throughout the team

I just reply, ‘Only every day.’ Everyone has to be allowed to dream, and I doubt there is any footballer who didn’t, as a kid, dream about lifting what has to be the most famous trophy in sport. I certainly did.

Now, I am potentially 90 minutes away from living my dream and that is special. But, while it is good to dream, I also need to be focused on the 11 players in front of me.

I will be proud to lead the team out but, like the semi-final, we have a job to do and that has to be the focus.

If we can beat Arsenal at Wembley, it will be the best achievement of my career, without a doubt.

Up to now, my best achievement was winning League One with Luton Town (in 2004-05 when Hull were runners-up).

I still believe that was a great achievement, but to win an 
FA Cup is the stuff of dreams.

To play in an FA Cup final will be one thing, it is a dream accomplished, I guess. But once we get there, we want to win it.

I am just hoping we have enough on the day to do that and then the walk up the steps will be a happy one, rather than us getting a few pats on the back, and people saying, ‘Well done, but unlucky’.

With me being the captain, I need to keep thinking positively and the potential of me getting the chance to lift the trophy. I need to keep thinking about that because if I remain positive and believe I can do that, then, hopefully, the rest of the lads will buy into that as well. Nobody gives us a chance. We realise that.

Even if we had won five on the bounce to finish the season and Arsenal had lost five on the bounce, they would still be the favourites.

But the FA Cup can do weird and wonderful things.

We can’t wait to get down to Wembley and get started.