by Mark Denham

Bluebirds boss Dave Jones urged his players to complete the job, when they step out to face Blackpool at Wembley on Saturday.

The Cardiff manager was speaking to press at the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel following training on Thursday morning, and said that the week leading up to the big game has been going to plan.

"Preparations this week have gone well, said Dave. "We've worked hard and tried to keep things as normal as possible.

"I've said many times before that to win this game would be life-changing for so many people. That's not just for the players and the people who work at this football club, but for Cardiff as a city. We know what's at stake on Saturday; we've worked so hard to get here, but now we've one big hurdle left to get over.

"There were no high-fives after the first leg of the semi final when we won at Leicester, we knew how much there still was to do. Of course there was the euphoria after winning the shoot-out in the home leg, but that was over with by the next day. The next morning we were back in and focused on preparing for the final and that's what we've been doing ever since. There's a buzz about the place and the city though, as you would expect, and we've tried to take the positives from that.

Dave refused to accept that either side would benefit that much from having played at England's national stadium in recent years. He said: "If players have played at Wembley before they may be a little more relaxed about the day, but you have to remember that both Blackpool and ourselves have been there in recent years.

"If you get to this stage, you deserve to be there, and both of us certainly deserve to be playing. Each side has momentum going into this one.

"I've known Olly (Ian Holloway, Blackpool manager) a long time and we have a good football relationship. Unfortunately you come across good friends in the game sometimes when you're trying to beat each other and that's what Olly and I are doing this weekend. We'll be going full pelt at Blackpool, that's for sure - but I'm sure they'll be doing the same at us."

The manager stressed the importance of his side playing to their strengths as they have done all season, saying: "We have to go out and do what we do whenever we play. That means playing with freedom and knowing that if we make a mistake we need to dust ourselves down and get on with things. Both sides have players with experience in big games and of course, we all aspire to play and manage in these fixtures through our careers.

"I have complete confidence in my players - I have to. Anybody who isn't looking forward to this game or is nervous shouldn't be involved; it's a simple as that. They've worked hard all season to be here and more recently this week in preparation for Saturday. We now all hope they can go out there and deliver."