Tomorrow sees the 2010 FA Cup Final, due to be watched by millions around the world. Traditionally the finale to the English season, the oldest contest in the game has lost some of its lustre over the years seeing itself outstripped by the forest of other competitions that have grown up around it.

This year however some of the oft-referred to “romance of the cup” has returned to the final. There has been the usual crop of giant-killing acts through the rounds, notably Leeds United’s ridiculously unpredictable win at Old Trafford, but too often, of recent, the finals have turned out to be the province of the very large clubs. But this year, last week’s Premiership winners, Chelsea, will play already relegated Portsmouth from the south coast.

To be frank, Portsmouth have had The Season from Hell, looking odds on to be relegated since Christmas, insult was added to injury by the FA’s decision to deduct nine points from their already modest total. The reason? Portsmouth are hopelessly, awfully, jaw-gapingly in debt, to the tune of around £130 million, and in February were officially placed into administration. Players have regularly been paid weeks late, transfer embargos have been placed on the club and Portsmouth’s share of television broadcast money was confiscated and split between the cubs they owe money to. They have been owned by four different, increasingly shady individuals and consortiums over the season and still face the possibility of being wound up in the coming months.

In the face of all this uncertainty, the players largely found wanting in the bread and butter games of the Premiership have managed to pull out a number of immense performances during the course of an FA Cup campaign that saw them visit ferocious rivals Southampton in the week of their first winding up order, and most notably beating Tottenham in the semi-finals.

The shadow of Harry Redknapp, manager of Tottenham, continues to fall over the club, having had two separate spells managing them. The culmination of his second spell there was the winning of the FA Cup in happier times – the 2008 final, but in reality an age ago. Redknapp certainly delivered some success to the club and the only trophy in recent times. His departure from Portsmouth to Spurs was greeted with near hysterical cries of Judas and there remains a feeling in many quarters, however, that Pompey are paying the price now for his profligacy in those days. Couple this with the fact that a number of Spurs players, including current England squad members Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch, followed Redknapp from Portsmouth to Spurs and you can imagine the scenes that greeted the club’s 2-0 extra time victory in the semis.

On top of all this, another layer of drama is added to the final by the fact that Avram Grant has been the manager of Portsmouth since November and has led the club with a quiet dignity that has resulted in the club and its players earning a lot of respect across the country. Add to this the fact that Grant managed Chelsea two seasons ago, and even led them to a Champions League final before being shown the door.

All in all, it promises to be a fascinating final with many plots and subplots awaiting their final resolution.

One other footnote (literally) is that perhaps the most nervous team tomorrow may well not be Chelsea or Portsmouth but the Wembley ground staff. Both semi finals were played at Wembley and the pitch was roundly criticised by each manager and from every quarter. Huge divots were seen to be coming out of the pitch and players were slipping at crucial moments, including Portsmouth’s first goal against Spurs. Rugby matches, the new high stands, American Football and a Green Day concert have all been blamed at various times, but the fact remains that it’s currently in as poor a state as it’s been.

The pitch has since been relayed –the 11^th time in 3 years – but may still prove to be a leveller in a classic contest between the sure-footed and the limping underdogs.