As Hayden Mullins sadly finds himself forced to sit out
the action at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, Carl Fletcher
looks to set emerge from the shadows after suddenly being thrust
under the spotlight.
"It's unfortunate for Hayden because he's done
fantastically well for the team all year," concedes the Welsh
international, who now seems certain to start against Liverpool in
the FA Cup final. "It's a massive disappointment for
everyone and we all feel for him after all the hard work that
he's put in this season.
"All year we've stuck together and got behind one another
and it's no different now. We all know that 11 players
won't win things for you, it's about the 25 members of the
squad.
"Alan Pardew has done very well this season, he's made
some good signings and proved a few people wrong. He gets paid to
pick the team, too, and no matter what selection decisions he's
made throughout the year, they've always been accepted by all
the players. There haven't been any splits in the camp and that
bond has really helped us."
Certainly, the 26-year-old's renaissance could not have come at
a better time. After finding himself farmed out on loan to Watford
at the beginning of the campaign, he had made just four starts
before returning to the first-team fold for Hammers'
back-to-back victories over West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham
Hotspur.
"When I was at Bournemouth, I was used to playing full
seasons, so this is the first year that I've had to take a back
seat," continues Fletch, who also gave Pards a timely reminder
of what he has got in his locker with that scorching 30-yard opener
against Spurs. "You have to keep your head down, work hard and
then take the opportunity when it comes along.
"As I've said there are 25 squad players here and
they're all trying to get into those 11 starting positions
because everyone wants to play every game that they possibly
can.
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"Football changes from one day to the next, though, and I
truly believe you'll get what you deserve if you work hard.
When I came back from Watford I knew that every day, every training
session, every reserve match and every first-team game represented
a chance for me.
"Now the FA Cup will be a great day for everyone and if
I'm lucky enough to play then hopefully I'll be able to
take my opportunity in that one, too. After all, it's every
footballer's dream to play in an FA Cup final and I'm no
different.
"As a kid, I can remember watching the Tottenham Hotspur
versus Coventry City final in 1987 and that hooked me. Now it's
going to be an honour just to be involved at Cardiff."
Not that Surrey-born Fletcher is any stranger to the Welsh capital.
Indeed, back in September he found himself lining up for Wales
against England in front of over 70,000 fans for a World Cup
qualifier in which ex-Hammer Joe Cole netted the only goal of the
game.
And he also found himself standing toe-to-toe against one of
Saturday's chief adversaries, too.
"Yes, Steven Gerrard is one of the best midfielders in the
world and everyone who comes up against him finds it tough,"
admits the man with 52 Hammers outings under his belt. "You
have to concentrate for 90 minutes because it only takes a couple
of seconds for a quality player like him to unlock the door. You
have to be on your toes. England had David Beckham and Frank
Lampard in their midfield, too, so it was a pretty tough day!
"Every Premiership player has got a big reputation, though,
and that's the thrill of playing football at this level. You
want to challenge yourself against the best teams and, on Saturday,
it's going to boil down to 11 West Ham players versus 11 from
Liverpool. As far as we're concerned, we've got to go out
there and do our own thing.
"The Millennium Stadium has got a great atmosphere and
I've got some very fond memories of the place, but I don't
care whether this match is being played at Cardiff, Wembley or in a
field down the road, I'd go round the world to play in an FA
Cup final."