Mark Noble remains as excited by the 3rd round of the FA today as he was at the age of 19 when he had his taste of Wembley.
Now 12 years on and a new contract in his hand he is looking to go one better and add the trophy to the Hammers less than impressive cabinet.
But for all the excitement of the minnows creating upsets it’s normally the big boys who dominate although there’s not many who would begrudge one of the nation’s greatest loyalists a touch of Cup glory.
The Hammers go into the match against Birmingham as favourites and a win in 90 minutes would be a fantastic start for the team after a tough festive programme.
Noble will be hoping to lead from the front if he gets the call tomorrow with Pedro Obiang obviously pressing for a midfield place.
The 31 year old though is determined to do everything to bring that elusive piece of silverware back to the London Stadium with the sickening memory of 2006 still written large in his memory banks.
He recalled: “I love the Cup and if I was offered the chance to finish 17th in the Premier League and win the FA Cup, I would take it without hesitation
“When we last reached the final, against Liverpool in 2006, Alan Pardew took myself and another young player, Chris Cohen, along for the experience.
“It was a great game but the thing I remember most was watching Steven Gerrard live. He was so good in that final and inspired me to try and be better.
“A couple of weeks later Pards called me into his office and gave me a runners-up medal, which was nice. I’d love to add a winner’s medal to it, so why not this season?”
“It’s Emirates FA Cup third round weekend, which is and always has been one of the big dates on the football calendar, anywhere in the world.
“To have well over 50,000 fans here today is testament not just to your loyalty and support of West Ham United, but also a nod to the way we have been playing this season.
“Football is about results first; I’ll always say that; but at this Club it’s also about entertainment and I believe we have been playing attractive, attacking football these last few months.
“Looking ahead to the rest of the season, we should one hundred per cent be aiming for a finish in the top ten – and a good FA Cup run, starting against Birmingham on Saturday.”