WHILE many in the Oxford United squad will be playing at Wembley for the first time this weekend, Kane Hemmings’s lack of experience with the national stadium must be unique.

“I’ve never been there, or even seen it in the distance or anything like that,” the striker admits.

It means for United’s joint top-scorer the stadium tour on Saturday will be an important fact-finding mission before he attempts to make himself at home by 2.30pm on Sunday.

Part of the reason behind the club’s back-to-back final appearances has been the way boss Michael Appleton has got the squad to buy into the prize waiting at the end of a competition maligned by many.

Hemmings needed little convincing.

He said: “When else am I going to play at Wembley?

“It’s something I’ve strived to do.

“The finals at Wembley are always something you watch.

“I played for Barnsley so had quite a few friends in the team who played in the final against Oxford last year.

“I spoke to a lot of them after the game and it’s always something you aspire to do.

“Hopefully it will be a good experience.”

Hemmings can be more confident than most about a place in the starting line-up.

Not only has he bagged 15 goals this season, but fellow forwards Toni Martinez and Conor McAleny are cup-tied.

The summer signing from Dundee earned the U’s a point with a last-gasp equaliser at Chelsea in the group stage, while his hat-trick blew Scunthorpe United away in the last 16.

Hemmings would dearly love to add to his tally, but only if it helped win the trophy.

He said: “Obviously you want to score at Wembley, but if you do it and lose, what does it matter?

“The most important thing is to go there, work as hard as ever to get the result.

“If I score it’s an added bonus.”