Rich clubs left behind as Cardiff look to join select band of eight

Football purists rubbed their hands with glee when learning that the semi-final line-up of this year's FA Cup competition included only one team from the Premier League with the remaining three hailing from The Championship.

The last time that this piece of history occurred was way back in 1907-08 − 100 years ago. Portsmouth represented the big boys in the 2008 semi-finals and the other three were Barnsley, Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion. Portsmouth and Cardiff survived to play in this afternoon's final.

Cardiff's last FA Cup triumph came 81 years ago, defeating Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley to take the cup out of England in 1927.

Portsmouth's only triumph, also at Wembley, came after defeating Wolves 4-1 in 1939.

A name from outside the game's mega-rich top four sides will win the FA Cup for the first time since 1995, when Everton beat Manchester United 1-0.

Also, the FA Cup will go to an English manager − Harry Redknapp, of Portsmouth, or David Jones, of Cardiff, for the first time in 13 years since Joe Royle edged Alex Ferguson in the 1995 final.

Moreover, this is the first time in 17 years that a pair of English managers will be at an FA Cup final, since Tottenham's Terry Venables and Nottingham Forest's Brian Clough took the limelight (along with Paul Gascoigne) in the 1991 final (2-1 for Spurs).

Redknapp will be in chase of his first major honour even if he was behind Portsmouth's rise to the Premiership in 2003 when they finished champions of the First Division.

Jones had led Wolves to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2004. In 1997 he steered Stockport to the First Division for the first time in their history.

The competition has indeed regained some of its old magic and romance with four top teams being knocked out at earlier stages.

Manchester United went out to Portsmouth at Old Trafford, Chelsea to Barsnley away, Arsenal to Manchester United away and Liverpool to Barnsley at Anfield.

Actually, ten Premier League teams crashed out to lower-league opposition in this season's FA Cup.

In addition to Chelsea and Liverpool, the other eight were: Middlesbrough-Cardiff 0-2; Sheffield United-Manchester City 2-1; Derby-Preston 1-4; Bristol Rovers-Fulham 5-3 pens; Blackburn-Coventry 1-4; Bolton-Sheffield United 0-1; Everton-Oldham 0-1; Huddersfield-Birmingham 2-1.

The Bluebirds of Cardiff will leave no stone unturned in their attempt to join a select band of eight to win the FA Cup from outside the top echelon since the first final in 1872.

These occasions occurred thus:

1980 West Ham-Arsenal 1-0
(Brooking)

1976 Southampton-Man. Utd 1-0
(Stokes)

1973 Sunderland-Leeds 1-0
(Porterfield)

1931 West Brom-Birmingham 2-1
(Richards 2 − Bradford)

1912 Barsnley-West Brom 1-0
(Tuffnell)

1908 Wolves-Newcastle 1-0
(Howie)

1901 Tottenham-Sheff. Utd 2-2
(Brown 2 − Bennett, Priest)

Replay: Tottenham-Sheff. Utd 3-1
(Cameron, Smith, Brown − Priest)

Spurs were the only non-League side, members of the Southern League, to lift the FA Cup.

1894 Notts County-Bolton 4-1
(Logan 3, Watson − Cassidy)

UEFA slot

Portsmouth, who thought that they could reach the UEFA Cup via their Premier League position, must now lift the FA Cup to earn a passport to the continent. They would be breaking ice if they succeed since they have never played in Europe before.

Cardiff will also claim a place in the UEFA Cup if they win at Wembley. The FA confirmed that the Bluebirds would be allowed to enter next season's UEFA Cup if they lift the silverware.

Under current FA rules, Cardiff would not qualify for Europe by winning the FA Cup as being a Welsh club they would normally qualify via the Welsh Cup. But the FA have now approved the move, perhaps after pressure from UEFA who were ready to offer Cardiff a wild card.

Two big names in the news are Robbie Fowler and Jermaine Defoe. While the former will be playing for Cardiff, Defoe is ineligible for Pompey.

Head to head

The last time that the two contenders met in the top flight was way back in 1956-57.

Cardiff lost 0-2 at Ninian Park and Portsmouth held the upperhand 1-0 at Fratton Park, a double for the south coast side.

The finalists will be meeting for the very first time in the FA Cup. It is rare for these sides with a long history in the tournament that they will be crossing each others' shadows for the first time at Wembley Stadium.

Cardiff made their debut in the competition in 1910-11 and Portsmouth played their first tie in 1899-1900.

Way to Wembley

Third round
Chasetown-Cardiff 1-3
(Whittingham, Ramsey, Parry)
Ipswich-Portsmouth 0-1
(Nugent)

Fourth round

Hereford-Cardiff 1-2
(McNaughton, Thompson)
Portsmouth-Plymouth 2-1
(Diarra, Krancjar)

Fifth round
Cardiff-Wolves 2-0
(Whittingham, Hasselbaink)
Preston-Portsmouth 0-1
(Carter og)

Quarter-final
Middlesbrough-Cardiff 0-2
(Whittingham, Johnson).
Manchester United-Portsmouth 0-1
(Muntari pen)

Semi-final
Barnsley-Cardiff 0-1
(Ledley)
West Brom-Portsmouth 0-1
(Kanu)

Top FA Cup marksmen

7 − Lambert (Bristol Rovers); Mackail-Smith (Peterborough).

5 − Bishop (Bury); Miller (West Brom).

4 − Beckett (Huddersfield Town); Fleetwood (Forest Green); Bednar (West Bromwich Albion); Bauza (Swansea).

3 − Morgan (Southend); McLean (Peterborough); Greenacre (Tranmere Rovers); Boulding (Mansfield Town); Hinton (Bristol Rovers); MacDonald (Southend United); Gerrard, Benayoun (Liverpool); Strevens, Benson (Dagenham and Redbridge); Mifsud (Coventry); Ronaldo (Manchester United); Whittingham (Cardiff); Beavon (Weymouth); Farrell (Horsham).

FA Cup final facts and figures

* Today's final is the 127th since the competition began in the 1871-72 season. Although Portsmouth first entered the FA Cup in 1899 and Cardiff in 1910, they have never played each other in the competition before.

* Manchester United have appeared in a record 18 finals, winning the competition a record 11 times. This will be Portsmouth's fourth appearance in the final, and Cardiff's third.

* Portsmouth's only victory was in 1939 when they upset hot favourites Wolves 4-1 in the last final to be played before World War Two. Their other appearances ended in a 2-0 defeat to Bolton Wanderers in 1929 and a 2-1 loss to Manchester City in 1934.

* Cardiff famously became the first, and so far only club, from outside England to win the FA Cup when they beat Arsenal 1-0 in 1927. Their only other appearance was in 1925 when they lost 1-0 to Sheffield United. The Cup final hymn Abide With Me was first sung at the 1927 final.