Portsmouth's Richard Hughes hopes the club's injury crisis means he will feature in the FA Cup semi-final.
Veteran hoping to make cut after 2008 disappointment
Portsmouth midfielder Richard Hughes is hoping the club's injury crisis will give him the chance to feature in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.
Pompey - rock-bottom of the Premier League and in administration - take on Tottenham at Wembley for a place in the final of a competition they won two years ago.
But manager Avram Grant is facing a major selection headache ahead of the clash, with no fewer than 10 regular first teamers battling to recover from injury.
The Fratton Park outfit could fill only 17 places of the allocated 18 for their squad in the 0-0 draw against Blackburn on Saturday.
However the crowded treatment table has allowed Hughes to start the past three matches, and the club's longest serving player hopes to feature against Harry Redknapp's team after missing out on the 2008 triumph.
Hughes did not make the 16-man party for the side that beat Cardiff 1-0, but he told the
Daily Star: "Obviously winning the FA Cup in 2008 was such a fantastic moment.
"Even though I wasn't in the 16, once the game kicked off you become a fan. That's all you can be."
And while he hopes to snare a starting place, Hughes would welcome back some of his stricken team mates to help see off the UEFA Champions League hopefuls.
He added: "You'd expect some to make a recovery. We do need them because we were down to 13 or 14 fit players against Blackburn."
