HIS penalty earned Everton a return ticket to Wembley, now three years later Phil Jagielka desperately wants to make the belated journey back. As he coolly struck the winning spot-kick past Ben Foster to send the blue half of the national stadium into ecstasy, he could never have known his wait would be so long.

Jagielka was denied his rightful place in the team which faced Chelsea after a cruciate knee injury ended his season in the weeks before.

Now it seems a peculiarly cruel twist of fate, that there is doubt whether the England international will make the team for tomorrow’s return against Liverpool.

The 29-year-old is trying to remain philosophical about his battle for a starting place with the in-form John Heitinga and Sylvain Distin, but admits it will be tough to take if he misses out.

“I was a very hot spectator in 2009,” he says as he reflects on that time, when David Moyes got agonisingly close to his first trophy.

“It was a strange time for me. I was gutted for the lads after the final, and beforehand in a conflicted place myself. I’ve played in quite a few semis, and I’d finally managed to get to a final and the knee let me down.

“Still, it was a proud time watching the boys, but at the same time it was horrible not to be able to do anything. Mikel (Arteta) was injured at the same time, so me and him went down and met the lads in the hotel. We were part of the squad so to speak, without ever being in contention. So that was nice but it was really hard.”

“I laughed and joked throughout this season saying I’ll just turn up for the final after not being able to play in the earlier rounds,” he says.

“It’s part of football. If you told me I’d get moments like beating Man U at Wembley and scoring the winning penalty, I’d rather take them than not. I try not to look at what could have been.

“It would have been nice if it was the final and I’d won us the cup but there’s not much point thinking like that.

“There was nothing I could do about my cruciate. It wasn’t like it was a twisted ankle that kept me out for six weeks and I was a week or two shy of the final. Ten months it cost me. It was a big enough operation for me to get over the fact I couldn’t play in the final. Maybe it would be worse having a chance and then breaking down a few days before it.

“I remember the scan straight after the Man City game and it was six months minimum. Unless Chelsea wanted to play the final in December I had no chance.”

That bittersweet experience has fuelled Jagielka’s desire to make it back to Wembley, but misfortune meant another knee problem ruled him out of the majority of this season’s FA Cup run.

“This time around it’s hard,” says the man signed for £4.5m from Sheffield United in 2007. “Our defence has been great. Sylvain and Johnny have done well. Phil’s done well. Hibbo’s done well.

“The manager doesn’t normally get these headaches. He only normally has to choose four from five whereas now he’s got four from seven. He’s probably enjoying having the selection problem.

“And it’s only fair, if I was in Sylvain or Johnny’s position and had played the Tamworths and the Fulhams and been solid, it’s be heart wrenching for them to be pulled out of the semi.

“For me it’s circumstances again, hurting my other knee has meant I couldn’t put down a marker in the competition and get in the team for the early rounds.

“I’ll be ready to be called upon, but if my role is to help from the bench – or keep the others fresh until the semi, it’s unfortunate for me. But it’s about Everton getting close to winning a cup, not me.

“I won’t lie, I’d be gutted if I missed out. I wouldn’t sit there and relish being on the bench. Someone has to though, it’s part of football.”

Whatever happens, Moyes faces a tough selection call on his central defence. Jagielka’s recent from has been exceptional, and he admits he has been propelled by a desire to run out against Liverpool.

“I feel like I’m playing okay, I feel sharp and there’s definitely an incentive,” he says. “I enjoyed the Swansea game, and enjoyed West Brom. But whether I’ve done enough between now and then to get in the starting 11, I don’t know.

“I’m not going to get myself too het up about it because the season is about more than just two weeks. The manager will do what he has to, and whatever happens I’ll deal with it.”

Jagielka knows whoever is selected will face a stern test in coping with a man he has played alongside in the Three Lions shirt, Steven Gerrard.

“You’ve got to commend his passion and attitude, not just in derby games but throughout the season,” he says. “But when it comes to derbies he can find another level. When the ball gets back to him he’s so composed in such a frantic atmosphere, where a lot of others would tense, he slips into another gear. Last time he managed to slot three past us!

“But we’ve got some decent players coming into form as well. We can hope maybe he has a quiet day – and our good players do better.”

Whatever happens, Jagielka agrees that tomorrow will be Everton’s biggest game in the last decade, but an occasion Everton have earned through a tough cup run.

“It was always a tough draw,” he says. “We had the replay coming up and the semi-final derby was what everyone wanted; not just the city of Liverpool but probably the nation.

“Just getting past Sunderland was a big test but we settled well and took the game to them. You could tell by the celebrations afterwards we were happy to be there.

“We knew we’d got a massive game, derbies always are, but to take it to Wembley is huge and the only way it could be bigger was if it was a final.

“In a way, semi-finals are a bit more nervy than a final because you’re that one step away and you’re not quite there. It’ll be very interesting. They’re not going through the best of times results-wise at the moment, but they’ve already won a cup.

“They know how to get over the line.

“We haven’t won anything for a while so they have a bit more experience in that respect. Hopefully if we can keep this form going that we have been in, we’ll go there with out strongest 11 and a bit more confidence than we did at Anfield.”