By Kevin Ratcliffe FA Cup winning captain

The only way any player can enjoy such a special occasion as the FA Cup final is if they win.

Kevin Ratcliffe was the youngest FA Cup winning captain in 1984

I should know as while I lifted the famous cup once, I have an unfortunate hat-trick of FA Cup losers medals.

On the eve of every Wembley cup final you hear former finalists advising the present day teams to just 'enjoy the day.'

But there's no satisfaction walking back down the tunnel as a gallant loser watching your enemies celebrate one of the greatest days of their lives.

You're so close, yet so far from the ultimate prize which makes it all the more heart-breaking and gut-wrenching.

Getting beat at Wembley is far worse than getting dumped out in the third round as it's a waste of time getting there.

The build-up, the hype, the hope, expectation, the excitement had all ended in failure.

I remember my first FA Cup experience was as a 19-year-old kid playing West Ham in a semi-final.

We lost 2-1 but as it was only my second appearance as a pro, I was so happy.

But when I got on the bus and saw all of the older lads sobbing like babies, I suddenly realised how important the game was.

They were in their thirties and they knew that could be their last chance of becoming an immortal and winning an FA Cup final.

WELSH FA CUP WINNING CAPTAINS 1901: Jack Jones (Tottenham v Crystal Palace) 1904: Billy Meredith (Man City v Bolton Wanderers) 1927: Fred Keenor (Cardiff City v Arsenal) 1956: Roy Paul (Man City v Birmingham City) 1968: Graeme Williams (West Brom v Everton) 1976: Peter Rodrigues (Southampton v Manchester Utd) 1984:Kevin Ratcliffe (Everton v Watford)

So every time I reached Wembley, I'd visualise those guys crying on the bus and thought I didn't want to be like them. I wanted to go down in history as an FA Cup winner.

I was fortunate to have a shot at playing in an FA Cup final as many players never achieve such an honour.

I remember before I led Everton out against Watford in the 1984 FA Cup final, the pressure of getting tickets for family and friends was one of the biggest burdens.

I remember my dad was so proud he booked a 52-seater coach and immediately I asked him "have they all got tickets?"

He replied 'no but you can sort them out can't you?'

The out-of-tune FA Cup final song, the suit-fittings were all made worthwhile because of the joy of me becoming the youngest ever FA Cup winning skipper when we beat Watford 2-0.

Even though I was just 23, it was the pinnacle of my career because as a kid you dreamed of playing in the FA Cup final and lifting the cup.

Actually I had real difficulty lifting the cup as I injured my shoulder in a collision with Watford's George Reilly in the game - adrenalin, though, came to my rescue!

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That victory against Watford inspired one of the greatest eras in Everton's history as we went on to win the league championship twice.

I returned for three FA Cup finals but, unfortunately, we could not recapture that winning feeling. However, hard we tried.

We were on course for the treble in 1985 when Norman Whiteside's goal guided Manchester United to victory but the two defeats to Liverpool in 1986 and 1989 hurt the most as we dominated both games.

We were the two best teams in the country but Ian Rush's finishing quality was difference as he always capitalised on his chances.

Victory is great for the party alone! But the contrast in emotion couldn't be more vast, especially when you see your dejected supporters.

Cardiff or Portsmouth don't get much success so they both should be up for the cup because the winner will be whoever wants it more.