From rain in Surrey to sun in Wembley
Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo (centre left) celebrates following their sides victory over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium. Photo: John Walton/PA Wire.
When I was younger, FA Cup Final day felt like a national event. The TV coverage would start early in the morning and carry you all the way to kick-off, building a sense of anticipation that was hard to beat. You’d spend the whole day waiting for that moment. It feels very different now. The spectacle may have dimmed a little, but the prestige of the competition remains untouched.
It’s a competition I’ll always defend because of the incredible memories it gave me. At Newport County, we had some unforgettable cup runs and produced a few special results along the way. That’s what the FA Cup is all about for lower-league teams — the chance to dream. Giant killings happen every year, and players get the opportunity to put their names in lights. I was fortunate enough to experience that myself when I finished joint top scorer in the FA Cup in 2019.
While I took a fair share of the headlines during that run — which eventually ended against Premier League champions Manchester City — there was another story developing in the background. A young player was beginning to make his mark, and he’s since gone on to become a star.
Antoine Semenyo made his Newport debut as a late substitute in the FA Cup first round, away to Metropolitan Police on a miserable, wet day in Surrey. We won 2–0, but it was anything but comfortable — they could easily have scored three in the opening 20 minutes. That’s cup football, though: sometimes you ride your luck, and those moments can spark something bigger.
Fast forward seven years and Semenyo was the match-winner in the FA Cup final at Wembley, scoring the only goal as Manchester City beat Chelsea 1–0 to lift their second trophy of the season. It was a cagey game, short on chances, and always felt like it would take a moment of magic.
That moment arrived when Erling Haaland swung in a cross from the right and Semenyo produced a brilliant backheel finish. It was the kind of goal that belongs on the biggest stage.
I actually watched the final with my former Newport teammate Robbie Willmott, who was over visiting with his family, and we both said the same thing straight away — we’d seen him do that countless times in training. Honestly, it felt like a weekly occurrence back then, standing back and almost applauding what he was capable of.
It’s always a source of pride seeing former teammates do well, and you keep an eye on how everyone gets on. But Antoine was different. Everyone at Newport knew how good he was and how far he could go in the game.
What stood out just as much as his talent was his attitude. He was humble, hardworking, and always asking questions — especially of myself and Jamille Matt, who he was competing with for places up front. Jamille and I had built a strong partnership and were scoring regularly, but I remember us going to the manager and saying we had to find a way to get Antoine into the team. He was simply too good to leave out.
He ended up playing high and wide on the left and caused problems for everyone we faced. I remember him giving Danny Simpson a torrid time against Leicester City in the FA Cup third round, and then absolutely running the show against Chelsea Under-23s in the EFL Trophy.
That Chelsea side included players like Conor Gallagher, Billy Gilmour and his now Manchester City teammate Marc Guehi — but Antoine, at just 19, looked a level above everyone on the pitch.
It’s no surprise to see how far he’s come. Hopefully, his season ends with a Premier League title and perhaps even the PFA Player of the Year award, because he’s been outstanding. And once the domestic season wraps up, he still has the small matter of a World Cup ahead.
It will be a real pleasure to watch him represent Ghana on that stage in the USA, Canada and Mexico — and I’ve no doubt he’ll take that opportunity just like he did all those years ago: by lighting it up.
