Hull City v Sheffield Wednesday: The real thing now beckons for Sam Clucas

The Lincoln-born midfielder was one of nine invited to the showpiece occasion after being voted ‘Player of the round’ by supporters in that season’s competition.

Clucas’s award came for his four-goal haul in Mansfield Town’s first-round victory over St Albans City, a feat made all the more notable by the then 23-year-old taking just 16 minutes to score all four.

He was joined at Wembley by, among others, Jamie Paterson, of Nottingham Forest, Wigan Athletic’s Ali Al Habsi and Ben Hamer, of Charlton Athletic, as Arsenal emerged victors by the odd goal in five.

“Since we got through to Wembley I have had so many messages asking for a ticket,” said Clucas, who moved to the KC Stadium last summer in a £1.3m deal from Chesterfield. “In the end, I just ordered 15 and gave them out to my closest friends and family.

“It has been great. I got a text off my granddad after the Derby game just to say how proud he was of me. He said years ago that he didn’t want to die until I had played at Wembley so it will be great for him to be there this weekend.

“He comes to every game with my mum and dad. It will be a great occasion for us all. Sheffield Wednesday will be a tough opponent.

“A game of this magnitude, 90 minutes from the Premier League, it is going to be tough whoever you are up against.

“They are going there full of confidence and they will be up for it. It is a one-game shoot-out and you will have two teams going for it.”

Clucas is likely to be on the bench this weekend despite starting all but a handful of City’s league games this season. Steve Bruce’s decision to go with his most experienced starting XI is behind the wideman’s omission but he has still featured in more Tigers matches this season than all but Moses Odubajo and Andrew Robertson.

“It would be another great step in my career,” said Clucas when asked what it would be like to play at Wembley. “I actually got a text off Glenn Hoddle before the last game saying ‘good luck’ and how I’d come a long way in the four years since I had been with him (at Hoddle’s Academy for youngsters).

“To maybe be in the Premier League by Saturday night, I would have laughed at you if you’d have said that four or five years ago.”

As for his previous visit to the national stadium, Clucas added: “I had won player of the round when I was at Mansfield so I was a special guest for the final. That 2014 final was a great game, a great occasion and I remember thinking I would love to be out there playing. Come Saturday, fingers crossed, I could be.”