Steve Harper admits "never in a million years" did he dream he would be playing in The FA Cup Final again.
The goalkeeper joined Hull City last summer after spending his entire career at Newcastle United, and after helping them defeat Sheffield United 5-3 in Sunday’s Semi-Final, he said it feels "fantastic".
Harper, who appeared in the Magpies' 2-0 defeat to Manchester United in the 1999 Final, told TheFA.com: "Never in a million years, of course not.
Hull 5-3 Sheff Utd
The FA Cup with Budweiser
Semi-Final
Sunday 13 April
Wembley connected by EE
"It has changed a bit in the last 15 years, and it is a horrible place to come and lose, but fantastic to win at.
"At half-time I thought ‘Oh no – it’s going to be two losses out of two here’ but we responded fantastically."
He continued: "If you’d offered me a win before the game I would have snapped your hands off – but what a strange game. They just kept coming at us and wouldn’t give up.
"There’s maybe sometimes a stigma attached to League One sides, but they played some really good football."
With his side trailing 2-1 at the break, Harper paid tribute to his manager, Steve Bruce, after a double substitution breathed new life into his side.
Steve Harper salutes the crowd
He said: "When you come here as favourites that pressure can tell sometimes and I thought it did first-half.
"The manager said his bit at half-time, made a couple of fantastic changes and asked them to make an impact and they certainly did that.
"He made his point pretty strongly – but also said that he was going to change it. He took responsibility for that and credit to him.
"The lads deserve the credit, too. It’s alright making the changes and asking for a response, but it is up to the players and they did brilliantly."
He added: "Matty Fryatt came on and scored almost straightaway to get us back into it. He has been great all the way through this competition for us. Since he got back from injury he has showed what a fantastic goalscorer he is and did it again today.
"After that we pressed on and fortunately we had enough quality to come through it - but Sheffield United still refused to give up until the end."
As the Hull fans travel back to Humberside dreaming of Cup glory next month, the level-headed Harper refused to let himself go as he insisted his side still had a lot to think about before then.
He said: "We have work to do before it, as a newly-promoted team we need to ensure we stay in the Premier League, and we need to make sure we do that.
"The sooner we do that the quicker we can start to build up to what will be a fantastic occasion against Arsenal on 17 May."
