by Steve Garland

City's play-off semi final hero David Marshall is ready to step up to the plate again on Saturday - should the final against Blackpool head to penalties.

Marshall denied Yann Kermorgant and Martyn Waghorn to send the Bluebirds to Wembley at the expense of Leicester City just eight days ago, and is ready to produce further heroics on Saturday if required.

Speaking to the press ahead of Saturday's final, the Scottish international admitted: "We'll be as prepared as we were for the last game against Leicester. We've practiced and we'll look at theirs. Hopefully it doesn't go that far, but we will be ready if it does.

"There isn't as much pressure on goalkeepers when saving penalties, and I think there was more pressure on the lads stepping up to take them. I certainly wouldn't have liked to have been doing that and the boys did great. I was lucky with the last penalty; I went the right way and got us there."

That save set up the Bluebirds for their first shot at reaching the top flight for over forty years and with so much at stake on Saturday, Marshall admitted the tie with Blackpool eclipses anything he has been involved with in his career thus far.

"This is the biggest game. To get to the Premier League is what every player at this level dreams about," said the Scot.

"We've got a lot of experienced players in our team who have been involved in the play-offs. Obviously the gaffer has been promoted through them before as well, so hopefully those experiences will help us through on Saturday.

"As a team we have performed really well. Hopefully our big players will turn up on Saturday and defend well, because Blackpool have got some good players especially going forward. You could be a hero or a zero, but that is the same for every player on that pitch on Saturday. You just have to play with confidence and believe in your ability and hopefully you will get the job done. It has been a long, long week now and we are just desperate for it to come along and for us to get the right result."

Yet it has been a rather contrasting twelve months for the Bluebirds number one. Faced with the possibility of playing League One football after being relegated with Norwich City last season, he may not have been expecting to be knocking on the top flight door so soon.

But a summer move to South Wales has brought just that. Dave reflected: "This is a totally different scenario in comparison to where I was a year ago.

"Last year was a horrible time, but you just have to keep believing in yourself enough. Huds came to Cardiff like me after being in a similar situation at Charlton and my first season has been great. Having said that, it'll be a big, big disappointment if we don't go there on Saturday and get the job done."