First Round

HALIFAX 1 (Maynard 3) CITY 2 (Stead 50; Morais 53)

“It was live on BT Sport and a full house was there. We went down early to a goal from a corner and it could have been one of those days.

“The pitch was difficult and Halifax were up for it but we kept playing our game, pressed them when we needed to and our quality shone through in the end.

“Fil Morais scored a really good goal and it was a big win that started to kick things off for us.”

Second Round

CITY 4 (Clarke 10; Stead 31; Morais 58, Yeates 59) DARTFORD 1 (Noble 64)

“We knew it was going to be a similar game to Halifax coming from the same league and we were right on it from the start. We got the early goal and then we did what we had to.

“They scored a goal that was actually a very good one but the team were going full throttle and we got the job done quite comfortably.”

Third Round

MILLWALL 3 (McDonald 36; Fuller 66, 83) CITY 3 (Knott 6, 76; Nelson own goal 70)

“It wasn’t the best draw for us with the teams we could have got but Millwall were still a Championship club.

“They weren’t on a very good run of form and we wanted to take advantage of that. It was a pretty end-to-end game with a lot going on.

“We went ahead, they climbed back in it and then we had that (own) goal that just managed to trickle over the line. It’s funny because you look at instances like that – if that ball hadn’t gone in, we wouldn’t be having this discussion now.

“But I thought we showed great character to come back in it and deservedly earned the replay.”

Third-Round Replay

CITY 4 (Hanson 8; Stead 17; Halliday 39; Knott 57) MILLWALL 0

“Everyone wanted to play Chelsea in the next round so it was a really tough, proper match. I remember the first tackle with my winger and he went in hard.

“They went a bit too far and had that early red card as well as collecting Hans (James Hanson) over the barrier, which caused some controversy and a little scuffle.

“But again we played to the conditions much better than they did. We played good football and were in their faces on a difficult surface. In the end, we blew them away with our quality.”

Fourth Round

CHELSEA 2 (Cahill 21; Ramires 38) CITY 4 (Stead 41; Morais 75: Halliday 82; Yeates 90)

“That little club Chelsea! It felt like the big prize just getting the chance to play them and everyone thought it was a day when we were just going to go down and enjoy it.

“You want to play as well as you can and prove you can mix it up with that sort of quality of player. But you don’t really go into those games thinking about winning – I’m sure everyone would have been very happy with a replay.

“I remember shaking hands with their players before the game and felt like I knew them already because you see them on telly so often! It was like ‘Hi, Didier, how you doing ...’ “I was up against Salah on the right wing. He’d been having issues at Chelsea but is still a very good player and had absolutely electric pace.

“But I felt it went well, I did the job and defended well as well as getting forward whenever I could.

“The quality of Jon Stead, James Hanson and the midfield just shone through. It was an incredible afternoon.

“When we were 2-0 down, we had to tighten up and make sure it didn’t get to four or worse.

“Then Steady’s great left-foot strike made it 2-1 and we suddenly got back in the game. Fil Morais got us level and then Andy Halliday had everyone off their feet by making it 3-2.

“The fourth official put the board up with seven minutes on it and we were all thinking ‘that’s a bit harsh’. They had Fabregas and Hazard, fantastic players, pressing forward with skill and speed to put you under pressure.

“Chelsea were pushing everyone forward to get an equaliser but then Mark Yeates popped up with a great run and slid in the fourth to put it beyond doubt. What a day!”

Fifth Round

CITY 2 (O’Shea own goal 3; Stead 61) SUNDERLAND 0

“We knew Sunderland were a good team but I just felt that we wanted it more than them. They might have had better quality in terms of their players but we were hungrier to win.

“We didn’t mind the surface and played to the conditions, doing the best we could. They’d been complaining about it before and that must have got in their heads.

“The early goal was massive for us. Although we’ve played well, you do need that bit of luck and we’ve had it a couple of times on this run.

“But we had the same when we went to Wembley in the League Cup so who knows what can happen?”

Quarter-Final

“Both sides know this is the best chance they will have to get to the semi-finals at Wembley. But I don’t think anyone in our team will be looking at it thinking it’s going to be easier than the previous rounds.

“If anything, we’ll be even more spurred on because having beaten two Premier League teams we want to do really well here.

“We’re all professional lads and all work hard. Our feet are very much on the ground “It will be a good occasion for us to show again how good we can be.

“It was crushing to miss out on the Capital One Cup final two years ago because of glandular fever.

“Having played my part all the way through, it was awful having to miss the semi-finals and then Wembley. I had played every game up to then, including Arsenal, so it was difficult. But I’m glad we got there and went to Wembley twice – and I did play in the play-off final.

“Is it possible to get to Wembley twice again now? You can never tell what’s going to happen.

“But I guarantee one thing. We’re all confident and very motivated.”