SOUTHAMPTON defender Matt Targett was just seven when Saints last reached the FA Cup final – but it is an occasion he remembers vividly.

The youngster was among the tens of thousands of supporters who decamped from Southampton to Cardiff in May 2003, turning the Welsh capital into an incredible sea of yellow.

Saints would suffer heartbreak that particular weekend, losing 1-0 to Arsenal in the Millennium Stadium, but it remains a moment fondly remembered by many.

Eastleigh-born Targett, who is now 19 and playing for the club he grew up supporting, is preparing to continue another FA Cup journey today as Crystal Palace come to St Mary’s for a fourth-round clash.

The left-back is hoping it will be a game that will prove to be a stepping stone on the way to another final.

“I was at the Millennium Stadium,” said Targett, recalling the events of 12 years ago. “We lost 1-0, but hopefully we can win it this year.”

Having followed the club to Cardiff in 2003, Targett knows exactly what success in the FA Cup would mean to the supporters, with the scenes from that weekend still sticking in his mind.

“It was really good,” he said. “We were driving up and we could see all the Saints fans with the flags hanging out the cars and that.”

If Saints make it to this year’s Wembley final, Targett will not be travelling in the family car, but in the team bus.

“That would make it extra special, being a part of [a team] that could get as far as winning the FA Cup,” he said.

Of course, the teenage ace knows that just getting to the fifth round, let alone the final, could be a tough task, with Crystal Palace having won all three of their matches since former Saints manager Alan Pardew replaced Neil Warnock.

“It’s brought like a new life to them, with Alan Pardew going to them,” said Targett. “It will be a much different test to the one on Boxing Day (when Saints won 3-1 at Selhurst Park), so it will be tough, but hopefully we can get the win.”

The England Under-20 star added: “We’re making it hard for teams to beat us at home, which is really important.

“We’ve got fans that have been excellent, helping the team out, and there’s a real togetherness about the group.”

Having let one chance for silverware slip through their fingers this season, following the quarter-final exit to League 1 Sheffield United in the Capital One Cup, Targett wants to avoid similar frustration in the campaign’s biggest cup competition.

“I was watching the game [on Wednesday], thinking ‘that should be us playing against Tottenham,’ but it wasn’t meant to be, so we’ll just move on,” he said.

Targett added: “We know we can get as far as the final.

“We were just a couple of steps off in the Capital One. We have the belief in ourselves and as a team that we can go all the way and win it.”