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Fri, Mar

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When you think things can't get any better," said Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, "they just seem to do so. It has just been fantastic."
The 37-year-old Hislop has enjoyed an Indian summer over the past five months and received another fillip on Monday when West Ham beat Manchester City 2-1 to book a place in the England FA Cup semi-final round next month.

A double by West Ham striker Dean Ashton, a former teammate of Hislop's compatriot Clayton Ince at Crewe, set up the London visitors although City pulled a goal back through midfielder Kiki Musampa.

"It is the first time that West Ham finds itself in the FA Cup semifinal in 25 years," Hislop told the Trinidad Express.

The six-foot-six goalkeeper nearly missed Monday's outing due to a hamstring injury he picked up in their fifth round win over Bolton Wanderers last Wednesday. Hislop sat out Saturday's crushing 4-2 home defeat by Portsmouth and struggled through a late fitness test at Manchester's Olympic Stadium.

"I wasn't sure I would play even though the decision was entirely mine," he said. "It was sore in the warm-up and I couldn't sprint. But once you're warming up on the field, you think it's too late to turn back.

"Thankfully, it held up."

Hislop has spent a decade in the English top flight since he joined Newcastle United in 1995 and was on the bench when the "Magpies" fell to Manchester United in the 1997/98 FA Cup final.

Although Hislop saved in the earlier rounds that season, he lost out to Irishman Shay Given after refusing to sign a new contract and had to settle for observing the FA Cup final magic from the substitutes' bench.

"(Newcastle manager Kenny) Dalglish told me that if I didn't sign (a new contract) I wouldn't play," said Hislop, "and he was true to his word. I remember I went to our semi-final against Sheffield thinking I couldn't be bothered; but, when we won, I really felt overjoyed.

"I felt the same emotional high in the final too."

Hislop savoured a memorable Cup run as an active participant with Portsmouth in the 2003/04 season when he saved a penalty from Michael Owen in a 1-0 fifth round win over Liverpool. But Pompey's run came to a screeching halt at the quarter-final stage when they were whipped 5-1 by an Arsenal team that became the first Premiership club to go unbeaten throughout a season.

Hislop has already gone one step further with West Ham.

Defending European champions, Liverpool, and Premiership champions, Chelsea, are among the five other clubs still alive in the FA Cup competition but Hislop is unconcerned about West Ham's next opponents.

"Once we get to this stage of the Cup," he said, "it doesn't really matter.