Source: Daily_Mail
FA Cup semi-final hopeful Jermaine Pennant hopes to make eight his lucky number
Stoke winger Jermaine Pennant can point to seven good reasons for wanting to end his FA Cup final frustration.[LNB]That's because the unlucky 28-year-old can count seven occasions when he's been within a whisker of enjoying the big occasion.[LNB] Stoke-ing the fire: Jermaine Pennant has been revitalised by his move to the Britannia Stadium[LNB]He sat out of four finals while at Arsenal. In 2001 and 2002 he failed to land a spot in Arsene Wenger's squad. [LNB]A year later he scored a hat-trick against FA Cup final opponents Southampton on his league debut in a 6-1 thrashing at Highbury. A week later he was watching the 1-0 rematch from the Millennium Stadium stands as a result of being cup-tied.[LNB] Not the same: Pennant has enjoyed some cup final joy... but it was the FA Youth Cup with Arsenal[LNB]And when the Gunners booked a final place against Manchester United in 2005, Pennant was on loan at Birmingham.[LNB]His torment did not end there. He joinedLiverpool just two months after they won the cup in 2006. He was then sent on loan to Portsmouth for six months astonishingly in the season between their final appearances of 2008 and 2010.[LNB]Pennant said: 'It got brought to my attention not long ago that I keep missing out. But I did play at the old Wembley. I played there for England Under 16s against Argentina when Carlos Tevez played for them.[LNB]'Everyone wants to play at the new Wembley though - massive stadium, big pitch, great atmosphere - so I'm looking forward to it.'[LNB]Tony Pulis will stay true to his wordand drop his No 1 goalkeeper Asmir Begovic for tomorrow's FA Cup semi-final.[LNB]The Stoke manager has used No 2 Thomas Sorensen in every round so far and despite Bosnian Begovic being his first choice for Barclays Premier League games, Pulis will give the 34-year-old Dane the chance to take Stoke into European competition for the first time in 36 years.[LNB]Sorensen said: 'I really like being here, it's a fantastic club, it's good for my family and the fans are great. There's a lot of positives but the negative thing is I'm not playing. We'll need to discuss that and see where we end up.' [LNB] Belfast boy Brunt keeps West Brom bouncing back...From a garage to an FA Cup semi-final: Steinsson's road to Wembley FA Cup semi-final showdown in London can make Manchester one city united againAll the latest Stoke news, features and opinion[LNB] Explore more:People: Carlos Tevez, Tony Pulis Places: Birmingham, Liverpool, Argentina
