Aston Villa skipper John McGinn is hoping to match the achievements of some of his Scottish compatriots by lifting the Emirates FA Cup this season.
The 30 year old still recalls watching James McArthur, Gary Caldwell and Sean Maloney lift the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic following their famous Final win over Manchester City in 2013 and admits it remains a fierce ambition of his to follow in their footsteps.
Before those dreams can be eclipsed, the Villans face Crystal Palace in Saturday’s semi-final and will come up against a team who they’ve yet to beat in three meetings this season.
But the former Rangers midfielder believes their recent form in the Premier League and Europe will give them plenty of confidence for the game at Wembley.
“We’re excited and we’re confident because we’ve had a strong second half to the season,” said McGinn, in an interview with the official Emirates FA Cup semi-final programme.
“We’ve got the majority of our players back fit, so we’re all really looking forward to it. We know how important it is to the supporters, so we’re keen to get this club back into a first Final for ten years.
“It’s been a tough cup run. We’ve faced two Premier League teams and two Championship sides, so we’ve earned the right to be here and we don’t want to waste this opportunity. It would be the icing on the cake of a good season.”
Following their 4-1 away defeat against Oliver Glasner’s Palace in February after a 2-2 draw at Villa Park and an EFL Cup defeat earlier in the season, McGinn says Villa won’t be taking this tie lightly.
“We have huge respect for Crystal Palace,” he added.
“They’re a team who we’ve struggled against in the past, so we’ll need to be at our best on the day.
“They’ve got a very good and experienced manager. They also have players with speed and pace who can hurt you at the top end of the pitch.
“They have ability in abundance, so we’ll respect them. But they’ll also be worried about what we can bring to the game and the attacking players we have, so it’s up to us to show more than them on the day. It’s an exciting opportunity and hopefully it’ll be a special afternoon.”
