Four teams vie for FA Cup glory this weekend at Wembley, where the stage amplifies the magic and tradition of the tournament.
This weekend, the FA Cup semi-finals will unfold at Wembley Stadium as Manchester City faces Southampton and Leeds takes on Chelsea. Reaching Wembley remains a cherished milestone for managers, players, fans, and club staff alike. The debate over semi-final venues continues, but the significance of playing at Wembley this time resonates deeply with everyone involved.
From the iconic Twin Towers to the modern arch, Wembley has always held a special place for those involved in football, both as players and managers. I vividly recall my first experience there during my playing days and later as a manager, though my path to Wembley began much earlier. When I led Gillingham to the old Division Two play-off final in 1999, the entire town turned out, though the stadium was crumbling and the touchline benches were old and wooden. Returning in 2011 for the FA Cup semi-final with Stoke felt like stepping into a completely different world, yet the excitement among the fans and myself remained unchanged.
I’ve always been a traditionalist who cherished the FA Cup semi-finals held at venues like Villa Park, Stamford Bridge, Highbury, or Old Trafford, where divided supporter sections created electric atmospheres. The Millennium Stadium also carried that same spirit when it hosted semi-finals and finals during Wembley’s reconstruction. After 34 attempts as a player or manager, finally reaching a semi-final at Wembley felt like a dream come true, and the magic of the FA Cup was palpable as the weekend approached.
During my time at Stoke, I made it a habit to invite former club legends to watch training on Thursdays and share lunch with the players. Ahead of our quarter-final win over West Ham that booked our Wembley trip, I asked Gordon Banks—a World Cup winner and Stoke legend who had triumphed at Wembley in the 1972 League Cup final—to address the squad. Banks enthusiastically spoke about the significance of Wembley for players who had never experienced it, emphasizing what it would mean for fans of all ages to visit football’s home ground. He was absolutely right; our fans responded with overwhelming support, with queues stretching for miles to secure tickets.
On the day of the semi-final against Bolton, I treated the week like any other—except for Wednesday, which was our usual rest day. That morning, the players gathered at Stoke train station before boarding a first-team coach to London. We not only traveled by bus to the stadium but also took a brief walk onto the pitch—a first for most of the squad. I believed this was crucial for their preparation, and I’m certain it made a difference. The day concluded with dinner and wine at a local Italian restaurant before we returned home, feeling ready for the big match.
Our cup run that year was filled with fortunate breaks, starting with the draw that gave us only one away tie—against Wolves—in the first four rounds. The semi-finals paired us with Bolton, a matchup that delighted everyone at Stoke. I still remember when captain Ryan Shawcross asked about new suits for the semi-final, and I reminded him that we still had one game to play before the final. When we arrived in tracksuits and saw Bolton’s players in suits with flowers in their lapels, I turned to my assistant and said that pretty much summed up our team talk.
Stoke’s 5-0 thrashing of Bolton remains one of the most memorable performances in the club’s history. Every player on the pitch that day deserves immense credit, and the supporters played a pivotal role, filling Wembley with a roar that never faded. The day also holds special meaning for the Coates family, whose lifelong dedication to the club and local community has left a lasting legacy. For me, the afternoon was complete.
Beating Bolton to reach the FA Cup final at Wembley was a profoundly proud moment for me personally. Though I remember England’s 1966 World Cup win, my earliest FA Cup final memory is from 1967 between Tottenham and Chelsea, viewed on a black-and-white television where the all-white and all-blue kits blended into one another. Back then, the FA Cup held such prominence in British football that it shaped countless childhoods, including my own in Newport. FA Cup final day began with neighborhood games played without bibs, goals, or referees—just coats marking the pitch during cricket season.
We’d play for hours without watches, figuring out teams and rules on the fly, yet we never missed the pre-match buildup or the actual final. After the trophy was lifted, we’d head outside to replay the game, mimicking every goal and moment from the broadcast. Even as television coverage expanded with early morning team updates, our neighborhood games remained undisturbed. Making it to Wembley for the 2011 final fulfilled a lifelong dream, even though we fell 1-0 to Manchester City in the final. Still, the magic of the competition endures, and I can’t wait to see what unfolds this weekend.