PAUL JONES

"It is a fantastic place to play and to watch football - absolutely awesome," he says.

"It's massive. You don't really know how big it is until you walk down on to the pitch, so hopefully we will get a look before to let the other lads get a feel of it.

"The pitch is big, too. Sometimes it's a bit slippy on top, but it will be a fantastic atmosphere.

"If the roof is closed, it's even more unbelievable because the noise stays in - it becomes out-rageous the sound that can be generated.

"Because of the shape of the stands, it just seems to stay in and echo around.

"It can be difficult sometimes to talk to people in front of you, playing wise.

"As you walk out, it does hit you and I'm sure the Saints fans will generate their own atmosphere.

"I've played with 72,000 Welsh fans and it's awesome.

"You have to enjoy the buzz you get from it, because it does give you such a lift."

With the emergence of Finnish international goalkeeper Antti Niemi this season, Jones has struggled to keep his place in the Saints starting 11.

Yet, back home in the Principality, he remains the undisputed number one.

Indeed, he has been a key player in the remarkable turnaround in Welsh footballing fortunes, which reached its peak at the Millennium Stadium with an unforgettable 1-0 victory over Italy.

He says: "At the moment we are unbeaten in 11 or 12 games, against Germany, Italy and Argentina - some massive countries.

"Wales are now not just also-rans and we have shot up 50 odd places in the world rankings.

"Boss Mark Hughes gets the respect of the players. They want to turn up every time, which wasn't the case before.

"A lot of the managers didn't have maybe the same respect from the players.

"Now everyone wants to be a part of it.

"We have 14 or 15 lads in the Premier League now and to be fair a few years ago it was only four or five - we've never had so many players at the top level.

"It is massive for us, as we haven't played in a major competition since 1958 so it is a huge goal for us to get into Euro 2004."

Jones admits the turnaround in Welsh football has been as rapid as it is complete - and he believes the magnificent Millen-nium Stadium has played its part.

"Eighteen months ago we were lucky to get 25,000 fans," he says.

"It's like any club - when you start winning, people want to come and watch to see people like Ryan Giggs, John Hartson and Craig Bellamy.

"They want to be a part of it as well. You just get the buzz all round the city and people tell you about how big it is in north Wales as well. Everywhere, it is just taking off.

"Cardiff Arms Park was similar to Wembley - it was massive without being compact and we were only getting 15 to 20 thousand in there, so it was difficult to get a genuine good atmosphere.

"You ask any player about playing in front of a full house and you rise to that."

Jones, now 36, made a couple of crucial saves in Saints' semi-final win over Watford and, with Niemi still nursing a knee injury, has a chance of realising the ultimate footballing dream.

He says: "There would be nothing better for a Welshman to play in Cardiff in an FA Cup final. It would be a dream come true.

"I've seen Cup finals for donkeys years from a kid, obviously at Wembley and now at the Millennium Stadium.

"This game is an added bonus for us but it's been frustrating for me this season.

"Antti's been in and done well and I've done well myself but, unfortunately, I've been left out.

"But I was very proud to play a part in the semi-final to help the club get to the final, as Frannie Benali and Kev Davies also have - two lads like me who haven't been in the first team a lot of time.

"We've all played our part. It's not just been those in there week in, week out - it's a squad game and 16 or 17 lads have played a part and hopefully I will be able to play a massive part on the day.

"I only found out I was playing the semi-final 48 hours before. I just wanted to go out and enjoy it.

"It doesn't happen too often and there's nothing worse in football than having regrets about how you could have prepared better."

Jones has played more than 200 times for Saints and believes the squad will rise to the imposing Millennium Stadium.

He says: "I'm fortunate to play there regularly but the FA Cup only comes around once a year and it's the first time in 27 years we've been in the final, so you have to saviour it.

"You don't want it to pass you by but also you have to be profession-al enough to enjoy it, work hard and win. That's how you enjoy it.

"The pitch should suit us. We like to get crosses into the box, so if we can work it wide quickly, we can cause Arsenal problems.

"They don't have as strong a back four as they used to, so there could be a way to get stuck in and cause an upset."