Gordon Strachan paid a special tribute to FA Cup semi-final hero Brett Ormerod last night.

After Ormerod had scored then energetically created the goals that sent Saints marching on to the Millennium Stadium, his manager said: "Brett typifies the romance of the cup.

"This competition gives players who are not the best in the world the chance to have a taste of what it is like to be a champion.

"Over time the championship will determine who are the best players.

"But the FA Cup has a romance that allows people who have come through difficult times to have that moment when they feel like champions - and Brett Ormerod must feel like a champion now.

"Most of our players have had to come through hardship.

"Chris Marsden was playing in the lower divisions for something like 14 years and at Stockport he might have thought 'this is it.'

But he battled away and, because he did well, Dave Jones brought him here and he has ended up reaching an FA Cup final."

Ormerod has been in the shadow of 22-goal strike partner James Beattie for most of the season.

But Strachan, who won the FA Cup with Manchester United in 1985, said with a wry smile: "They are a great strike parnership with 24 goals to their credit.

"In fact, Brett might be Beattie's best ever partner.

"Our top scorer from last season (Marian Pahars) and our record signing (Augustin Delgado) are not playing, and that's like taking Thierry Henry and Silvain Wiltford out of the Arsenal side.

"So if you keep winning and keep scoring goals, it's not bad going."

Asked if it was the best day of his managerial career, Strachan said: "The most special day was when Coventry avoided relegation on the last day of the season against all the odds.

"But this is certainly my happiest.

"We can look forward to the final now but I don't subscribe to the old 'enjoy the day theory.'

"You can enjoy the build up but you cannot enjoy the day if you get beaten."

Strachan paid tribute to the opposition at Villa Park, saying: "Watford were determined opponents who gave us problems from set plays.

"We needed two great moves of football to see us through.

"But a bumpy surface and few nervy people meant we didn't play as well as we can.

"Paul Jones was especially nervous coming back for such a big game and he had to be sharp early on and again in the second half when he turned the ball on to the bar."