INJURED Saints captain Jason Dodd has spoken of his pain at missing today's FA Cup final - but also his dream of seeing stand-in skipper Chris Marsden lifting the famous old trophy.

The 32-year-old has agonisingly been ruled out of Saints' biggest game for 27 years after failing to recover from an ankle injury sustained during the 2-2 draw with Fulham back in March.

Dodd tried pain-killing injections to get him through until the end of the season, but now concedes that the only option is surgery.

He said: "Like any captain, I have dreamed of walking out for the FA Cup final and maybe holding the trophy aloft. It's sod's law that this should happen now.

"The only saving grace is that my room-mate Chris Marsden will be doing it for me. More than anything now, I want him to collect the Cup.

"He has grafted all his career for this moment and he deserves this chance.

"It will be the pinnacle of his career and I will be just as made up if he does it as I would if it was me.

"It is going to be a fantastic day for everyone. It's a reward for all the hard work put in since we moved to the new stadium.

"The club is on an upward curve and this is another big step forward for us. It is not just that we are in the FA Cup final but also that we are in Europe.

"It is something people could not envisage when we were at The Dell and it'll be excellent for the fans.

"I know a lot of people are making a weekend of it and the atmosphere is going to be superb.

"Everyone has been talking about it for weeks now. Having been here so long, I know just how much it will mean to them."

Dodd has grafted through 13 years for Saints and often been a central figure in the avoidance of relegation.

He added: "It is devastating. For the last three years, I have been pretty clear of injuries and now this happens just when we reach the final after all this time.

"The gaffer has been brilliant at keeping me and Rory Delap involved and I expect I'll be down on the bench cheering the lads on.

"Even so, I'd obviously rather be out on the pitch helping out the lads."