Henchoz: My FA Cup final dream

His name, of course, is Stephane Henchoz.

And, even though his achievements are already enormous, the Swiss international defender still has a dream - an FA Cup dream.

His vision is of Wembley on a sunny afternoon in May as Blackburn Rovers - and Stephane Henchoz - walk out to do battle in the FA Cup final.

The annual showpiece remains revered around the world as THE sporting occasion.

And, if Liverpool were to be the opposition, then Henchoz really would start to believe in dreams coming true.

But, of course, there is the small matter first of Rovers taking the first step on the road to Wembley and Second Division neighbours Wigan Athletic will no doubt have something to say about that at Ewood tomorrow, as they go searching for a giant-killing scalp.

A 'love affair' with the FA Cup is not uncommon among the Premiership's imports.

And for the Rovers defender, who has made a remarkable impact in his first season of English football, it goes back to his days as a youngster growing up in his native Switzerland.

"Yes, for me, it has always been special," he explained.

"In Switzerland, every year we would see the final from Wembley on television.

"And when I was younger I always thought about playing in it as a dream."

Henchoz admits with a smile that, in his younger days, he also dreamed of wearing the red of Liverpool in the shadow of the twin towers.

But any such allegiance is way back in the past for a man who has proved a superb capture for Ewood boss Roy Hodgson.

The manager, who had enough faith in a young defender to give him his international lift-off some years ago, said when he signed him for Rovers that Ewood supporters would derive great pleasure from his performances during the seasons to come.

Hodgson's judgment has been proved spot on, with Henchoz making the transition from the Bundesliga to the Premiership with scarcely a blip following his £2.8 million move from Hamburg.

He has looked a top-class performer in every respect against the best that our top-flight has to offer.

Now he is eagerly looking forward to his first taste of the FA Cup which, he readily acknowledges, has an extra-special appeal compared to the knockout football he played in Switzerland with Neuchatel Xamax and then in Germany with Hamburg.

"The cup in those countries is not so big. It is beautiful but not as important as the FA Cup," he said.

"I listened to the FA Cup draw and was pleased when it came out Blackburn Rovers against Wigan. I knew they were a Second Division side and not so far away."

Not that Henchoz, or his manager and team-mates for that matter, will be taking anything for granted.

There have also been enough cup upsets and tricky tussles at Ewood in years gone by to ensure that Rovers fans do not expect a walkover into round four.

Too much is at stake for the club for any slip-ups.

They made a wonderful start to their Premiership campaign, have maintained it past the halfway stage of the season and a cup run could be the perfect complement to their bid to land a crack at qualifying for the Champions' League.

There hasn't been too much to shout about in the knockout competitions of recent years and, besides, Henchoz does not want his FA Cup dream to end at the first hurdle.

He has a lot of experience in both Switzerland and Germany of being drawn against sides from lower divisions in cup competitions and things have not always gone the way they should have done - shades of England there then.

"I was on the losing side once against a Second Division team in Switzerland - a very little team," he said.

"And it happened in Germany too, losing to a Second Division team.

"Hopefully, it will not happen in England.

"I am enjoying my football at the moment, and there are no problems."

Rovers supporters will be hoping that remains the case as, like their new defensive hero, they want to be looking forward to the fourth round draw on Sunday.

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