Craig Conway has already been a Hampden hero and now he’s ready to be a Wembley winner too.
The Scotland international was Dundee United’s two-goal man-of-the-match when they beat Ross County in the Scottish Cup final at Scotland’s national stadium in May 2010. Now he has the chance to pull off a spectacular double when Cardiff City take on Liverpool in the final of the Carling Cup at England’s national stadium on February 26.
Conway (26), who joined the Bluebirds last summer from United, has been inundated with congratulatory calls and text messages from his former Tannadice teammates.
He put on a fine display on the wing as Cardiff beat Crystal Palace in the semi in the Welsh capital on Tuesday, with the second leg going to a penalty shootout. They triumphed 3-1 in the decider, with goalkeeper Tom Heaton the hero with two saves to thwart Palace.
Conway netted his spot kick and joined in the celebrations with relish in the full knowledge that he stands on the brink of cup joy on both sides of the border. It capped a fantastic few days for the player, who also grabbed the winning goal against Portsmouth at the weekend to cement City’s third-place in the Championship.
”Things just could not be better for me just now,” he said. ”I think it is fair to say that when I came down here getting to a cup final was not something that I expected would happen. Everyone who knows me will be well aware how much it meant to win the Scottish Cup with United and now I have the chance to go to another final at Wembley. It will be just a wee bit special, too, given the class of opposition.
”The other semi-final (between Liverpool and Manchester City) was a win-win scenario for us because playing against either team would have been amazing. For me, it didn’t matter who got through that one.”
Conway added: “Of course, they will be favourites but we will go there with plenty of belief. We dominated the game against Palace from start to finish and deserved to go through in the end.
”They didn’t have a shot on goal all night but when we hit the woodwork so many times you began to wonder if it just would not be our night. As it was, it turned out to be a fantastic occasion for the club and for me.”
Conway revealed his phone has been red hot since the final whistle, with ”well done” messages pouring in from his Tannadice pals.
”The calls and texts have been coming in and it is nice to know so many people are really pleased for me,” he said. ”I stay in touch with a few of the lads and I am sure I will have them supporting Cardiff when the final comes around.
”Winning the cup with United was brilliant and the greatest thing I took out of it was what it meant to the supporters. Hopefully, the Cardiff fans will enjoy going to Wembley and all that comes with it. It will be a massive task to win the trophy but we will be giving it our best shot.”
Next up for Conway and his colleagues is a tricky trip to Southampton to play their fellow promotion hopefuls next Tuesday. While the cup will provide some extra special spice, it is the dream of reaching the Premiership that remains paramount for the ambitious Bluebirds.
”We are already looking ahead to the Southampton game because the league is still the priority for us,” added Conway. ”Reaching the final is a fantastic achievement but getting to the Premiership would definitely top that.”
Photo by David Davies/PA Wire