ASH: BLUE FUTURE

Having returned to his former club and helped orchestrate a resounding victory, Ashley Cole was understandably happy, insisting our season is far from over despite Champions League disappointment.

Reliable and well-placed in defence while being energetic and effective in attack, Cole will have been many fans' pick for man of the match on a stage where he admits he wanted to impress after picking himself up from Wednesday's draw with Barcelona.

'For me it's easy, coming back to my old club, I hate losing against Arsenal so of course it's going to make me more motivated but the lads have done well. a lot of people thought we would have been down but we showed a lot of character and at times defended really well. We have clinched third spot so we're happy,' he said, referring to the position that guarantees us a place in next season's elite European competition.

The England left-back pointed to the players' self-motivation, and the impact of Guus Hiddink as explanations for how we had been able to bounce back so brilliantly.

'Everyone was disappointed at losing in the semi-final of the Champions League. That's life, there's nothing we can do about that. The players here have great character, I have played with a lot of great players but here they motivate themselves very quickly and at Arsenal it had to show, and it did.

'I think we showed how good we were, we were happy with the result and no injuries so we are happy with that,' he added.

The win means it is mission accomplished for Hiddink, who was asked to guarantee a top three finish when he arrived at the club in February. Cole admits it will be a sad day when the Dutchman returns to his role with the Russian national side at the end of the month, and would welcome a longer stay.

'I really like him, he has brought a lot out of the players but it's not going to happen. All the players would love him to change his mind but it's not down to us and we are going to miss him,' said the 28-year-old.

'He gets you motivated very quickly, and he has been a big part of that. Our season is not over yet, we still have the FA Cup to go forward to, and we all want to win for him as well. It would be nice to send him off with the FA Cup.'

If Cole and his team-mates are victorious at Wembley on May 30, he will then hold the record number of winner's medals in the modern age - five - after previous victories in 2002, 2003 and 2005 with Arsenal and 2007 with the Blues.

The defender is determined to make that happen and avoid successive seasons with no silverware at Stamford Bridge.

'Yes, last season we could have had a treble and ended up with nothing. The FA Cup is a great trophy and one we want to win,' he stressed. 'The lads are very motivated to win and I think we have to win a trophy.'


Ashley Cole, plus John Terry and Nicolas Anelka, will be signing autographs in the Megastore at Stamford Bridge between 2pm and 4pm on Thursday (14 May), the day the new adidas home kit goes on sale.

Please arrive early to avoid disappointment. It cannot be guaranteed everyone will be seen.

Only one autograph-per-person will be possible and the signing session is subject to cancellation at short notice.

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