KEITH FAHEY KNOWS what it takes to trump Arsenal at Wembley.
He’s been there, done that, got the winner’s medal.
“I have it at home so you can’t take that away from me,” he jokes. “I haven’t lost it – not like my Setanta Cup one at Drogheda.”
The 2011 Carling Cup Final seems like a long time ago now, Fahey admits, but there are some things he will never forget about Birmingham’s historic day.
The buzz around the ground as fans swarmed, soaking up the club’s first Wembley cup final in more than half a century.
Those last few hours of pre-match preparations, meticulously carried out in the team hotel.
Walking out into the home of English football, with his friends and family watching on from the stands in hope rather than expectation.
“Everything went like clockwork,” he says.
Much like Hull today, Birmingham were rank outsiders to turn over the Gunners but they took the lead through a first-half header from Croatian giant Nikola Zigic.
Robin van Persie levelled before the break before Fahey very nearly made himself the hero, crashing a shot off the inside of Wojciech Szczesny’s goal with the keeper well beaten.
In the end it was Fahey’s replacement, Obafemi Martins, who pounced on a late defensive mix-up to send the Blues into wonderland.
Even now looking back, the Dubliner sees it as the biggest game of his career.
“It was, 100%. I played for Ireland but to play in a major final like that – the whole day at Wembley, coming out onto the pitch, it’s something you’ll never beat.”
If there was pressure on Arsenal to bag some long overdue silverware that day, it has only been magnified in the three years since.
It’s now eight years, 11 months and 25 days since the last addition to their trophy cabinet — 3283 days.
“I think the Hull lads will put it up to them,” Fahey says. “There’ll be a lot more pressure on Arsenal to win a trophy than Hull.
“Hull have got experienced lads there and they’ll be going to enjoy the game. It’s a one-off.”
And for a man who was once on the youth team books at Highbury, there are no divided loyalties today.
“I know a couple of the lads at Hull – Stephen Quinn, Curtis Davies, Paul McShane, David Meyler, Robbie Brady, Shane Long [who is cup-tied today].
“I’ll be rooting for them. I used to be an Arsenal fan but not really any more.”
