Wilson played in every one of Portsmouth's games to reach the Wembley showpiece before tearing a hamstring the week before the match. His misfortune in missing the defeat by Chelsea did, though, mean his record of never having lost an FA Cup tie was maintained. And when, injury permitting, he takes his place in the Stoke side against Manchester City on Saturday, he will do so looking to make it 15 games unbeaten. Wilson said: "A few people have said to me about it but I think as a player you don't really concentrate on that, you just try to take it game by game. "It was a bit of a nightmare for me last season. I played every game to get to the final. As a player it's frustrating when you're not involved but I had an injury so there was nothing I could do. "I was gutted but there was no point in getting myself down about it." Wilson has so far avoided Stoke's run of injuries that has seen Danny Higginbotham and Ricardo Fuller ruled out of the final while Matthew Etherington and Robert Huth are battling to be fit. And the defender is keeping his fingers crossed that lightning does not strike twice in this week's build-up. "If it happens, it happens, you just have to get on with it," said the 23-year-old. "Obviously it would be very disappointing for it to happen two years on the spin. "It's been a dream come true to get to the FA Cup final again so touch wood I don't miss this one." Wilson was used in both defence and midfield at Portsmouth and he has proved a versatile asset since moving to Stoke last summer. After Higginbotham damaged knee ligaments at the start of April, Wilson has been playing at left-back, meaning he is likely to find himself up against City's Spanish playmaker David Silva at Wembley. He added: "Man City are a very good team with world-class players. Every single player is a recognisable name and I think they've done terrifically this season. "David Silva's a very good player. I watched him in Spain and I thought he was different class. We know it's going to be a very, very tough game." Another player to have been laid low by injury has been on-loan Aston Villa striker John Carew, who has played only one game in two months. The Norwegian has now recovered from a back complaint and illness but has found his way back into the team blocked by the form of Kenwyne Jones and Jon Walters. Carew, who lost twice with Villa at Wembley last season, said: "The last five or six weeks have been frustrating but that's football, sometimes you get injuries. Now I'm getting back and starting to reach peak form again ready for the last few games if needed." The 31-year-old's future is still very much up in the air but he stressed how much he has enjoyed his time at Stoke and hinted a permanent move could be on the cards. Carew, who is out of contract at Villa this summer, said: "We'll see when that happens. I haven't really thought about it yet. I'm very relaxed about it, we'll see what I'm happy with and the club is happy with when the time comes. "I've really enjoyed my time here. It's a great group of players, we've done really well. "It's a great atmosphere. It's one of the top clubs I've been at in terms of atmosphere in the changing room. The Britannia Stadium is not the biggest but size is not the most important thing. "What's important is the crowd and the crowd is absolutely fantastic. They can create the best atmosphere in the world and they often do."
