Matthew Etherington is looking forward to playing a more
influential role in this year's FA Cup semi-final than the last
time his club reached the last four of the competition.
The Hammers winger was a teenage hopeful at Tottenham Hotspur when they got to the semi-final stage in 2001 after securing a 3-2 quarter-final win at Upton Park, but had to watch from the stands as Glenn Hoddle's team were beaten 2-1 by their arch-rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford.
This time around, the 24-year-old is set to be a key member in Alan Pardew's starting line-up when we do battle for a place in our first FA Cup final for 26 years, and admits that he can't wait for the experience.
"It's a great feeling to be in the semi-finals," he says. "I was in the squad at Tottenham when they got there five years ago but not involved in the match, so it will be nice to
"There is a real buzz around the Club after our win at Manchester City and all the lads are looking forward to what will hopefully be a memorable experience.
"It's going to be a great day out for fans - I'm sure they will snap up all of the tickets quickly wherever the game is played - and we'll be doing our best to set up another trip to Cardiff for them.
"It was a wonderful night for the club on Monday, the lads played really well and it's a great achievement to get this far.
"Deano grabbed the headlines with his goals but there wasn't really one player you could single out - it was a good team performance and everyone contributed to the victory.
"Now we've got the semi-final to look forward to, and hopefully that will give us a lift in the Premiership, too."
The Hammers winger was a teenage hopeful at Tottenham Hotspur when they got to the semi-final stage in 2001 after securing a 3-2 quarter-final win at Upton Park, but had to watch from the stands as Glenn Hoddle's team were beaten 2-1 by their arch-rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford.
This time around, the 24-year-old is set to be a key member in Alan Pardew's starting line-up when we do battle for a place in our first FA Cup final for 26 years, and admits that he can't wait for the experience.
"It's a great feeling to be in the semi-finals," he says. "I was in the squad at Tottenham when they got there five years ago but not involved in the match, so it will be nice to
"There is a real buzz around the Club after our win at Manchester City and all the lads are looking forward to what will hopefully be a memorable experience.
"It's going to be a great day out for fans - I'm sure they will snap up all of the tickets quickly wherever the game is played - and we'll be doing our best to set up another trip to Cardiff for them.
"It was a wonderful night for the club on Monday, the lads played really well and it's a great achievement to get this far.
"Deano grabbed the headlines with his goals but there wasn't really one player you could single out - it was a good team performance and everyone contributed to the victory.
"Now we've got the semi-final to look forward to, and hopefully that will give us a lift in the Premiership, too."