Never mind walking his team out at Wembley, Ian Ashbee wondered whether he would walk again. The Hull City captain, who is one victory away from the prospect of appearing in all four divisions for the club, missed a year of his career after his knee was so badly damaged, he had 14 holes drilled into it and was on crutches for four months.

The Hull defender will be as proud as any player when he leads his team-mates out for today's Coca-Cola Championship play-offs final against Bristol City, appreciating the opportunity fully, while mindful there are more important things than football.

Ashbee, 32, is conscious Hull have never been to Wembley nor appeared in the top flight, but the magnitude of the occasion is unlikely to overwhelm him, as he is as grateful to be playing as he is to be able to walk his children to the park. For someone who has dallied in the basement division, he would relish the opportunity to complete the climb into the Barclays Premier League.

“We've got to try and be mentally strong and cope with these feelings inside,” he said. “It's a massive occasion, but once the glamorous side of it is stripped away it's 90 minutes of football for us.”

If the move to the KC Stadium and the back-to-back promotions under Peter Taylor have provided the twin peaks of his career so far, it is not hard to identify the difficulties that have faced him.

“My injury was a low point,” he said. “I was out for 15 months. I've had two promotions here and last year we were fighting relegation, but such low points are part and parcel of football.

“I used to think that maybe I wasn't going to walk again, never mind play football, so I was relieved when I caught my injury in time and got myself back fit and playing.”