Norwich City midfielder Gary O'Neil is hoping that his Wembley love affair continues this afternoon when his side take on Middlesbrough.
The 32-year-old was part of the West Ham United team that gained promotion to the Premier League via the playoff final in 2012, while he also enjoyed similar success with Queens Park Rangers 12 months ago.
Despite being sent off at the famous venue during the 1-0 victory over Derby County last year, O'Neil still has many fond memories of the showpiece final.
"I've never lost at Wembley, and I don't imagine it's great to go home as a loser – hopefully I'm not about to find out," he is quoted as saying by The Mirror. "With West Ham, we went there as favourites and just about managed to get over the line.
"Last year we were just about the underdogs because Derby had been going so well, and they had an extra man in midfield so they were always going to dominate possession. There was a lot made of my sending-off at the time, but it was a tackle I felt I had to make.
"Obviously it resulted in a red card, so hopefully there will be nothing like that this year. I realised I might have to deal with the consequences of that red card for the rest of my life, it was a horrible moment. We were fortunate enough to pull through after going down to 10 men. I took one for the team and we got promoted, so it worked out for the best."
O'Neil joined Norwich from QPR on a two-year deal last summer.
Daniel Lewis
