Wembley Countdown (5 Days To Go): Freedman Wants Birthday Present

Last updated : 21 May 2008 By Kevin Markey
He was also with Palace when the club reached the Premiership at the expense of Sheffield United the following year.

On top of his visits to England's national stadium, he sat as an unused substitute as the Eagles beat West Ham United to a place in the top flight at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in 2004.

He knows which feelings he liked the best!

"The first game against Carlisle showed us the danger of under-performing," Freedman said on the 1st leg semi played last Monday, "but I feel that we had that little bit more desire and hunger at the end of the day.

"We scored in the 96th minute at Elland Road and the 91st minute at Carlisle, and it's the same old story, if you fight to the death, you get your reward. I don't think this set of players know when they're beaten.

"Carlisle are a very good team but I'd say we wanted it slightly more. That's a small difference but a very important one. It needs to be the same at Wembley."

Freedman turns 34 on Sunday, marking his birthday in the most wonderful of surroundings, but there will be few celebrations afterwards if the one-off fixture does not deliver the prize that the striker set out to win when he left behind his family to relocate to Yorkshire in March.

"I didn't come up to Leeds and leave my kids in London at a young age to mess about," Freedman added.

"I came up here for a really serious reason, to help the team get promotion. It's one thing to play at Wembley but I don't think you'll remember it with much pleasure if you don't come away with winners' medals. That's what it comes down to."