Article: theFA.com

Peter Whittingham says playing in an FA Cup Final with Cardiff is beyond his wildest dreams. The midfielder, who signed from Aston Villa in January 2007, helped his side see off Barnsley in an entertaining Semi-Final on Sunday, even coming close to scoring himself when his swerving drive skimmed the roof of the net.

"It's a massive achievement for me and for the lads," he said. "I don't think it sunk in yet - an FA Cup Final. It's scary how well we have done. We played well today and are just delighted. I only thought I'd play at Wembley through the Play-offs. I never thought I'd be here for an FA Cup.

"It was end to end, it must have been entertaining to watch. When you are in an FA Cup Semi-Final it's all about the result."

Joe Ledley was Cardiff's hero, swivelling to hook in the sweetest of volleys after nine minutes. It was a goal good worthy enough to seal any game, but all the more memorable for the midfielder who is a Cardiff fan.

"It's a great finish," said Whittingham, who scored a wonderful goal himself against Middlesbrough in the last round.

"It's come down from a great height - it's frightening how he took it. It's brilliant for him."

Whittingham relished his Wembley experience and can't wait to return next month to take on Portsmouth, who 24 hours earlier beat West Brom.

"It was really loud. You could not hear what each other was saying. Even little things like 'turn'.

"We watched the game yesterday and thought West Brom were brilliant. We have no worries about Portsmouth. We played the underdogs and played the favourites now and have done really well. It's not sunk in but it's a massive achievement."

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