I will really want Pompey to win this at least as a reward for my countryman Kanu Nwankwo who scored the goal that took Pompey to Wembley, and also to compensate them for an excellent all round season that has seen them finish in the top half of the league table.

Reaching the FA Cup final is a big achievement for any club, and for a small non-premier league side like Cardiff, its a fine achievement. Whether they go on and win the cup is another matter for discussion.

Both sides have won the FA Cup once before and will fancy a second win.

Pompey’s victory came in 1939, while Cardiff became the only non-English side to lift the trophy in 1927.

A second-half goal from Kanu was enough to send Portsmouth through to their first FA Cup final in 69 years.

Ex-West Brom striker Kanu side-footed an easy chance to see off the Baggies after Dean Kiely had denied Milan Baros and Zoltan Gera had failed to clear.

Baros, who looked to have handled in the build-up to the goal, missed a simple chance to seal the win.

They were almost made to pay but Robert Koren’s shot hit the bar and Ishmael Miller fired wide late on.

Portsmouth will face the winners of the all-Championship tie between Barnsley and Cardiff on Sunday in the final.

Their win carries on the top flight’s run of having a team in every FA Cup final.

Pompey were already odds-on favourites to lift the trophy before the game, but for long periods it was West Brom who looked the better bet for a return to Wembley on 17 May.

Harry Redknapp’s south coast side were not at the races during a lacklustre first-half display and it Albion who looked like the Premier League thoroughbreds.

But in the end, Kanu’s goal was enough to see Pompey into the FA Cup final for the first time in 69 years.