The FA Cup final sees two English managers afforded the chance to indelibly etch their names in football folklore.

Not since 1995 has an Englishman guided his team to the FA Cup success –and Redknapp will see more than 25 years of coaching come to fruition when he leads his Pompey side out at Wembley.

It's a far cry from his first foray into coaching alongside legendary England skipper Bobby Moore at Oxford City.

He recalled: 'I started out at Oxford City. That was my first job in England, with Bobby Moore.

'We went there for a season and worked together.

'The plan was Bobby would have a year there then we would get a league club.

'It didn't work out. It was tough, difficult and I ended up coaching at Bournemouth.'

It was Dean Court where Redknapp forged his name, steering the Cherries into the second tier of English football for the first time in their history and claiming some famous FA Cup scalps.

He said: 'It was a great experience for me having all those years at Bournemouth.

'I was saying in training the other day that the players kick balls over the fence like it doesn't matter these days.

'At Bournemouth, we had 12 balls at the start of the season and we didn't get any more.

'Every day we would be out there with the youth team looking for the footballs after training until 12 balls came in every day.

'It was not a bad thing. You learnt to watch games all over the country and watch loads of games in the non-leagues.

'It was a great learning experience and I wouldn't have missed that.'

His opposite number Dave Jones has also enjoyed a circuitous route to become the manager of a side in the final.

After starting out at Stockport, Jones moved on to Southampton, but was forced to leave the job after a criminal investigation over alleged child abuse during his employment as a care worker in the late 1980s.

The allegations were totally unfounded, the case was thrown out of court and Jones returned to resume his career in football with Wolves and now Cardiff City.

Redknapp said: 'A lot of people like Dave Jones. I know him very well and I like him.

'What he went through no-one deserves that – no-one. I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy.

'I remember coming across him at Stockport when I was at West Ham and they knocked us out of the Cup. He did a great job there.

'Southampton was his next move and there was the unfortunate stuff of what happened off the field, but he's bounced back strong.

'We've both had to come up the hard way in terms of coaching and managing.'

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