Just a week after cheering on Saints in the FA Cup final, Bournemouth midfielder Wade Elliott is heading back to the Millennium Stadium - hoping for a similar atmosphere but a better result in the Third Division play-off final.

The 24-year-old was born in Southampton and has supported Saints all his life and went with friends and family to Cardiff last weekend in the hope of seeing Gordon Starchan's men lift the famous old trophy.

That dream didn't come true but now Elliott will get his chance of playing in the magnificent Welsh stadium as he stars in a Cherries side who face Lincoln for the prize of promotion to the Second Division.

Elliott, a former Toynbee School and Barton Peverill College student, was at Saints for six years up until the age of 16 and joined Bournemouth from non-league Bashley in February 2000.

He said: "I'm from Southampton anyway and my family have taken me for years and years and I've been following them for a long time so it made it very special.

"The day was brilliant, the stadium was absolutely superb and the fans really added to the great atmosphere in there.

"Me and a few mates got up there at about midday and I met up with my family as well and we headed in there and the place was full of Saints fans and the atmosphere was brilliant.

"Seeing that and the build up to the game got me excited and the atmosphere generated heightened my anticipation.

"My over-riding thought was probably that I was lucky enough to be playing there the next week and hopefully in a similar kind of atmosphere.

"I went back to Southampton in the week leading up to the game and you saw just how important it was to the city and to the people.

"There were ribbons on the cars and the game was all anybody was talking about and there's a similar sort of feeling in Bournemouth at the moment.

"A few of the lads here played at Wembley and say it was amazing and we want to recreate that sort of feeling again now."

Elliott has firmly established himself as a first team regular with the Cherries and has scored six times this season.

As a Saints fan he says he has always wanted Bournemouth to do well and has felt that support all week.

"A few people around the Millennium Stadium stopped me and wished me luck for our game and that was very nice," said Elliott.

"I have always sensed that Saints fans are appreciative of Bournemouth and we wanted Saints to do well, especially after they helped us out with Neil Moss and Scott McDonald."

He added: "This week the preparations have been very good, we've just been trying to keep it as normal a week as we can - the main difference is people phoning me up asking for tickets all the time!

"But we're lucky because Sean O'Driscoll and Peter Grant always get us well prepared for every game, they have been there before and so are well aware of the pitfalls and so have taken the lads under their wings.

"The way to look at it is instead of having any nerves about the occasion and the game, just to regard it as a great opportunity to play on one of the best stages in Europe to play football.

"Getting relegated last season has focused everybody right from the start and if we could put that right tomorrow we could feel as if things had come full circle."