The good, the bad and the bizarre - NI and the FA Cup final over the last 40 years

From being presented with a winner's medal before kick-off to suffering a 6-0 defeat, Northern Ireland players have had an interesting history with the FA Cup final.

A long list of internationals have sung the team song and worn the new cup final suit for what is still one of the most famous occasions in world football.

Saturday 23 May should have been the 2020 FA Cup final, but, of course, due to the coronavirus pandemic, this season's competition is paused at the quarter-final stage.

An opportunity, therefore, to look back on some of the highs and lows experienced by Northern Ireland players on cup final day over the last 40 years.

As Northern Ireland contingents in FA Cup finals go, Arsenal's squad in the 1980 showpiece against West Ham had one of the biggest.

Captained by full-back Pat Rice and with Pat Jennings in goal, the Gunners also had Sammy Nelson on the bench in a squad managed by former club skipper Terry Neill.

The stage could not have looked more set in favour of the North London club, who, as cup holders, were playing in their third consecutive showpiece.

The Hammers, meanwhile, were a Second Division club and few gave them a chance. John Lyall's men hadn't read the script, however, with Trevor Brooking heading home a shock winning goal to win the cup for the unfancied side.

Nelson came on in the second half, but could not prevent West Ham holding on to complete their shock win.

An impressive mix of physical strength and technical ability, Manchester United's Norman Whiteside became the youngest player to appear in a World Cup finals when he was part of Billy Bingham's NI team at Spain '82.

A year later he became the youngest player to score in an FA Cup final in United's 4-0 replay win over Brighton, and he was back at Wembley in 1985 when he was the hero in the Red Devils' 1-0 victory over holders Everton.

A final of few chances looked to be edging the way of the treble-chasing Merseysiders when United defender Kevin Moran became the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup decider after a tackle on Peter Reid in the 78th minute.

The match drifted into extra-time, however, and with 10 minutes left Whiteside delivered a perfect curling shot beyond outstretched goalkeeper Neville Southall into the bottom corner of the net.

His career may have been cruelly cut short by a knee injury a few years later, but Whiteside's iconic goal at a typically sun-drenched Wembley has lived long in the memory for many.

Wimbledon toppling Liverpool in the 1988 final has gone down as one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history.

Known as 'The Crazy Gang' because of their overtly physical nature and off-field antics, the Londoners' appearance in the FA Cup final came just 11 years after they joined the Football League.

Dubbed 'The Culture Club' in John Motson's famous TV commentary, Liverpool were the dominant English club side of the decade and were aiming to complete a league and cup double.

Wimbledon were anything but conformists, however, and London-born Sanchez - who had won the first of his three Northern Ireland caps two years earlier - scored a header from a Dennis Wise free-kick just before half time.

Dons keeper Dave Beasant saved a John Aldridge penalty in the second half - a cup final first - leaving Sanchez, who went on to guide Northern Ireland to giant-killing wins over England and Spain as manager years later, as the hero in a cup final for the ages.

Bizarre barely does it justice.

Having scored the winner in Arsenal's victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley, the 1993 League Cup final should have been one of the most joyous occasions of Steve Morrow's career.

However, amidst the celebrations on the pitch after the final whistle, Arsenal captain Tony Adams slipped while parading the match-winner on his shoulders.

The unfortunate Morrow had to be rushed to hospital with what was a broken arm, thus not being able to take part in the walk up the old steps to receive his medal.

The same clubs were back at Wembley for the FA Cup final the following month and, in what was some form of consolation, Morrow was presented with his League Cup medal on the pitch before kick-off.

Arsenal went on to complete the cup double after a replay win - with no players injured in the celebrations.

By 2004, the FA Cup final was in its fourth season in its temporary home of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium as the reconstruction work at Wembley continued.

The record books tell of a routine 3-0 win for Manchester United against then First Division side Millwall, with United keeper Tim Howard relatively untroubled throughout.

United's sub keeper that day was Roy Carroll, who had played in the semi-final win over Arsenal before losing his place in the side a few games before the end of the league season.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson taking the unusual step of making a goalkeeping substitution and putting Carroll on for the last six minutes is perhaps a sign of how close his keeper selection call ahead of the match was.

Fast forward a year and it was Carroll who this time got the nod to start as United faced Arsenal in the final, again in the Welsh capital, but he was unable to prevent the Gunners winning on penalties.

The match proved to be the County Fermanagh keeper's last appearance for United as he was released and joined West Ham that summer.

Northern Ireland players suffered FA Cup final disappointment either side of Carroll's back-to-back appearances. Chris Baird was on the losing side with Southampton - in what was only his second start for the Saints - in 2003 and Tony Capaldi's Cardiff City were beaten by Portsmouth five years later.

Neither of those losses, however, were as crushing as that which current Northern Ireland defender Craig Cathcart was on the wrong end of with Watford in the 2019 decider.

Manchester City's 6-0 demolition of the Hornets was only the third time a team had scored six goals in an FA Cup final.

A product of the Manchester United academy, Cathcart has become a key player for club and country but, with City completing a domestic treble with their win, there was little the now 31-year-old could do to prevent the landslide win.

Cathcart's fellow international defenders Jonny Evans and Jamal Lewis represent the final two chances of Northern Ireland having representation in this season's finale - if, indeed, the competition is able to be played to a finish.

Evans and his Leicester City team-mates are at home to Chelsea in the last eight, while Lewis's Norwich City will host Manchester United.

The next chapter in Northern Ireland's FA Cup final story remains to be written.