Milestone matters to Cole

29 May 2009 10:22
Chelsea and England left-back Ashley Cole admits that becoming the first player for more than 100 years to win five FA Cup medals would be a major achievement in his career. The 28-year-old has lifted the famous trophy four times, with three of those triumphs coming during his time at Arsenal. And the England international is determined to join an elite band of players when he lines up against Everton on Saturday. "It would be a great milestone if I could get it," said Cole. "I would be honoured to have the record. It's a great trophy to win and I would be delighted to win it five times." The last player to win a quintuple of FA Cups was Jimmy Forrest of Blackburn in 1891, while the only other players to achieve the feat are Charles Wollaston in 1878 and Arthur Kinnaird in 1882. Another FA Cup triumph would also help Cole get over the club's Champions League semi-final exit to Barcelona. Chelsea went out in controversial circumstances with Andres Iniesta's last-gasp equaliser earning Barca a 1-1 draw and a place in the final on the away goal rule. But referee Tom Henning Ovrebo came under fire for rejecting four penalty appeals and the club, striker Didier Drogba and defender Jose Bosingwa have all been charged with various offences by UEFA. Cole continued: "Winning the FA Cup would never erase the memory of that. We think we should have been there, so it's going to be hard. "We have to forget about that and concentrate on the final, because we do have to win a trophy, and the FA Cup is a great trophy to win." The final will also mark the end of interim coach Guus Hiddink's reign as Chelsea boss. The Dutchman will return to his full-time job as coach of Russia's national side and Cole admits it will be difficult to let him go. Cole added: "It will be tough to see him leave in the sense that he's a good guy and we all get on well with him, and we're going to miss him. He said from day one that he was leaving so we didn't get any false pretences. We knew it was going to happen. We have to get on with it and wait for whoever comes in."

Source: Eurosport