Cardiff winger Paul Parry admits he feared there was "every chance" his dream of playing at Wembley had passed him by.
A hamstring injury just days before the FA Cup semi-final with Barnsley consigned him to the stands at the national stadium and Parry revealed it felt like his "world was coming to an end".
Much to his relief, Joe Ledley's goal was enough to ensure Dave Jones' side would be making a second trip to the capital for an even bigger game, Saturday's final with Portsmouth.
The 27-year-old has faced a race against time to ensure he does not face a second bout of heartbreak but he proved his fitness by playing 71 minutes of the Bluebirds' final league game, also against the Tykes, even getting on the scoresheet.
Parry said: "Before the semi, when I picked up my injury, I thought my world was coming to an end. When the final whistle went after the semi, it was always my aim to get fit for the final.
"It's every boy's dream to play in a major game at Wembley. To be told you had no chance of playing in it would be heartbreaking.
"They don't come along very often and I've never had the opportunity to play there before. And, of course, there were no guarantees that we would get through against Barnsley.
"I thought there was every chance that it could have gone and that I'd never have the opportunity to do it again."
He added: "I probably took a lot of anger out on people close to me, my partner and what have you.
"I was probably a nightmare to live with at home because whatever was going on, I just didn't want to know about it.
"All that was going through my mind was that I wasn't going to be playing on the Sunday."
And the Wales international revealed he has never suffered nerves like those he experienced on the sidelines at Wembley.
"I couldn't have stayed at home and watched it," Parry said. "I wanted to be a part of it and see what the boys were going through.
"It was probably the most nervous game of football I've been involved in, even when playing games I haven't felt that nervous.
"I knew that if we didn't get through, I may never get the chance to play at Wembley."
The prospect of featuring in the final may have been motivation enough for Parry to knuckle down in his fitness battle, but he insists he also owes a debt of gratitude to Cardiff physio Sean Connelly.
He added: "Sean knew how I felt that week leading up to the semi.
"He pushed me hard to get back into training and, thanks to him and the staff, they've given me a chance to be involved in the final."
Parry could be forgiven for pinching himself when he walks out at Wembley given he was playing non-League football just four seasons ago before making a £75,000 move to Ninian Park in January 2004.
Until now, his greatest cup memory was being part of the Hereford side, then in the Conference, which took Leicester, then in the Premier League, to a replay in the 1999-2000 season.
"Before this year, that was the furthest I'd ever been in the competition," Parry added.
"So to go from the third round to the final is a big leap and a big achievement for me."
