Match Preview: Arsenal vs. Hull – FA Cup Final 17.05.2014

Here we are. One match left to play and quite a few marbles to play for. Win, and a trophy drought ends. Lose, and not only does the drought continue, it becomes a forced march through the Sahara. With a very pesky, heavy monkey on our backs. We’ve come close before only to fall short in heart-breaking fashion, but there’s a different feeling around this one.

Even though we’ve waited nine years for this moment, it feels more realizable, more within our grasp, than other flirtations. Against Birmingham, for example, there was a tetchy feeling around the squad even if we were favored to win the match. Even in other debacles, such as those against Blackburn or Bradford, there was a nagging doubt around the squad’s ability to seal the deal, and, indeed, on each occasion, those doubts were proven.

This time through, however, there’s a very different aura. Whereas injuries sapped us of our strength in the Prem, players are returning to the fold and to form just when we need them to. As with the 2012-13 campaign, we look to end on a high note. Last year, it was a Koscielny goal that sealed fourth place (and St. Totteringham’s Day), capping a fine run-in along the way. This year, we have the added incentive of playing our last match with an actual trophy on offer, and with momentum to boot. Having won six on the bounce, we’ve regained a bit of a swagger. Nothing tetchy or hollow in that, though—it even includes a thumping 0-3 win at KC Stadium a few weeks back.

At the Hull end, a bright return to the Prem won’t be tarnished much by the slump they’ve suffered in the campaign’s final weeks. Winless in their last five, they nonetheless have avoided relegation. More significant, perhaps, is that they’re guaranteed a spot in the Europa League. Should they win, of course, they’re in. Even if they lose, they’re in because we’ve qualified for the Champions League already, and  As such, they’ll enjoy the fruits of their labor either way. None of this should suggest that Hull will simply show up, gawk at the size of Wembley, and let us have our way. There’s some fight in this squad, and as we know full-well, woe betide the big club that overlooks the little one.

There’s little risk of that, though. In addition to our momentum, there’s an understanding of the stakes. The trophy-drought exceeds the tenure of any player in the squad. The opponent we face on Saturday may not possess the stature, the pedigree, or the resources of others we’ve defeated to get to this point, but that matters little if at all. Of course, we face down not only Hull, but close to a decade of futility and frustration. All signs, however, point to overcoming both of them with one fell blow.

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