Something has been missing from the Portsmouth team. The confident side who won nine away games in the league this season thanks to fluent and pacy counter-attacking have stuttered since reaching Saturday’s FA Cup Final. And the something missing could be an in-form John Utaka.

The 26-year-old Nigeria winger, who joined Portsmouth from Rennes in July for £7 million, was absent from the semi-final victory over West Bromwich Albion last month with a hamstring tear, and without him the Hampshire club lacked the width that made Harry Redknapp’s 4-5-1 formation such a success. But he is fit for Portsmouth’s return to Wembley and could be the weapon that opens up the Cardiff City defence this weekend.

Not that he is guaranteed a starting place after an inconsistent first season. “He’s got pace, skill and he’s strong, but he’s been up and down, to be honest,” Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, said. “He started ever so well, then went off the boil a bit.

“He’s been playing in France, it’s a different pace over there. He’s had to learn how to put a shift in working up and down that right flank, but he’s getting there.”

Utaka is aware that he has not lived up to his early promise, but is setting his sights as high as possible and is intent on beating this season’s tally of five goals in 35 appearances.

“There is much more to come from me next season, because this has just been my introduction to the English game,” he said. “Now I know how things work, and know the rules, so to speak. I have scored a couple of good goals, but I have not been scoring enough.

“I look at Cristiano Ronaldo, who is a winger like me, and the number he has scored for Manchester United. Next season I would like to think I can get somewhere close to him when it comes to scoring. I need to be more like him, come inside sometimes and try to get goals like that. He is quick, intelligent and technically very good. I watch a lot of videos of him playing, hoping it will improve my game.”

In the meantime, there is the prospect of finishing his first season in England with a medal. “Having missed the semi-final through injury, I am looking forward to playing at Wembley for the first time,” he said. “I cannot wait, because it is such an important game for all of us.

“The final is big back home because it is the biggest game in football. I remember watching it when I was a kid. I won the Egyptian FA cup and it was crazy with all the celebrations. You know what it is like when you win a final and I hope I shall experience that again on Saturday.”

Portsmouth have a fully fit squad after David James recovered from a torn calf muscle. “The calf is fine,” the England goalkeeper said yesterday. “I had a scan last Wednesday and the damage had basically healed up.”