JAMES Ward-Prowse insists that Saints have not got to the League Cup final “to just participate”.

Claude Puel’s side have beaten four Premier League sides on the way to the Wembley final, including Arsenal, before reaching Wembley following their 2-0 aggregate triumph over Liverpool in the semi-final.

Saints will now face either Manchester United or Hull in the final, and Ward-Prowse wants to grasp the opportunity with both hands after already getting past tough opponents in previous rounds.

United lead Hull 2-0 going into this evening’s deciding leg at the KCOM Stadium.

“It’s something you find hard to describe,” he said, when asked how he felt to get to Wembley. “It means a lot to everyone and obviously us young lads that have come through the academy to play a part in that is great.

“It’s obviously going to be a great day out, but it’s not something we’re looking to just participate in.

“We’re looking to go and win now.”

Ward-Prowse is pleased that Saints have “finally managed” to put a fruitful cup run together.

“It means everything,” he said. “We’ve spoken about having a good cup run for years and we’ve finally managed to do that and given ourselves a big chance to go and win some silverware.”

Shane Long was the hero of the night as Saints defeated Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield to secure a 2-0 win overall in the semi-final across the two legs.

But, on top of praising the Irishman, Ward-Prowse was eager to hail the performance of the whole team.

“That’s Shane (Long) in a nutshell,” he said, referring to his 90th minute winner. “He’s quick and he’s clinical in front of goal.

“ The whole team performance was great and the way we were disciplined in our defending, we knew we could get a chance and be clinical when the chances came.”