In-Form Ideye Dreams Wembley Stadium

West Bromwich Albion striker, Brown Ideye has his sights on a trip to Wembley Stadium ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final draw on Monday evening.

The Nigeria international, 26, scored a brace in Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing of fellow Premier League side West Ham United in the fifth round of the oldest football tournament.

The Baggies will be ball No. 4 in the hat during the quarter-finals draw, and could face Liverpool (1), Arsenal (2), Aston Villa (3), Bradford City (5), Blackburn Rovers (6), Reading (7) and the winner of the 5th-round tie between Preston North End and Manchester United.

Ideye Celebrates With Saido Berahino After Scoring the Opening Goal Against West Ham in an FA Cup Fifth Round Clash. Image: Getty.
Ideye Celebrates With Saido Berahino After Scoring the Opening Goal Against West Ham in an FA Cup Fifth Round Clash. Image: Getty.

“I watched The FA Cup as a kid in Nigeria and it’s a dream come true to be involved at this stage,” said Ideye, whose boyhood club Chelsea were knocked out by giant-killers Bradford.

Ideye has now scored four goals in his last three matches and is relishing his chances of appearing at Wembley with Albion, who are yet to visit the 90,000 capacity edifice since 2008- when they lost to eventual champions Portsmouth courtesy of a Kanu Nwankwo match-winner.

“I’ve never been to Wembley, so it would be special to go there with West Brom, but we’ve one more game to win first,” the former Ocean Boys, Sochaux and Dynamo Kyiv hitman is quoted as saying on the English FA official website.

“I would look forward to playing there. There is Wembley and the Maracana in Brazil. Everyone wants to play in the best stadiums.”

Ideye reserved praise for his ‘mentor’ Kanu for helping him through a difficult start to his West Brom career.

As well of helping Portsmouth reach the Wembley final in 2008, Kanu scored the winner against Cardiff in the final and Ideye is already looking forward to replicating him at Wembley.

“I can’t remember his goal but he told me about it,” Ideye said.

“In Nigeria, Kanu is one of the big players who everybody looks up to, so I am happy that we talk. He calls me sometimes and I get advice from him because he played here too. He tells me to keep working hard and things will turn out to be good for me. That’s what happened on Saturday.”