The former England goalkeeper was part of the Portsmouth side that lifted the Cup after their 1-0 defeat of Cardiff City under the Arch.
The victory was made all the sweeter as he had twice suffered Wembley Final heartache with Liverpool and Aston Villa [he also lost again with Portsmouth 2010], although he revealed that paperwork prevented him from making the most of the occasion.
Arsenal v Hull City
The FA Cup with Budweiser
The Final
5pm, Saturday 17 May 2014
Wembley connected by EE
Winners will receive £1.8m
Runners-up will receive £900,000
Live on ITV and BT Sport
He said: "We won it and when the whistle went I was absolutely ecstatic and ran and grabbed hold of the nearest player and lifted him up.
"As soon as I walked off the field I had a drugs test. So I was sat in this little office and I said to the man next to me ‘can I go to the changing room?’ and I couldn’t go because I had to fill out the paperwork. I then filled out the form and went to the changing room, which was covered in champagne, but everyone had gone!"
The 53-cap former England goalkeeper has seen The FA Cup from a different perspective this season having worked as a pundit for BT Sport and insists he still gets a huge buzz out of the world’s "greatest domestic cup competition".
He said: "I was at Shortwood United during the First Round Proper, somewhere near Gloucester. They were playing Port Vale. So we went to this game, and it was down a country lane, and we’re thinking ‘how are the cameras going to get in here’?
"I think 1300 turned up for the game and their average gate is around 130. Even going toward the ground, the local hairdresser was doing a special price - all in kit colours. There was a special price because the Cup was coming to the town.
"I’d never seen that side of the game. Having played in Cup Finals, having played in the other rounds, I wanted to be involved in the First Round Proper and I wasn’t.
"I saw what it meant - not just on a financial aspect, but just seeing these players. New boots turn up. I just buzzed off it. Every round has been the same. Even the Semi-Final between Hull and Sheffield United. Just seeing these expectant fans - what a great competition! The FA Cup is the greatest domestic cup competition in the world."
