James: There are no fairytales

David James does not believe in fairytales and maintains should Portsmouth to pull off a shock FA Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley it would be down to nothing other than hard work.

Pompey will be glad to see the back of a season which saw them endure one financial crisis after another, as promise of new investment never materialised, salaries were paid late and eventually the club slipped into administration which saw them docked nine points to all but seal their relegation from the Premier League.

The FA Cup, however, has provided much-needed solace, as against all the odds Avram Grant guided his team, often depleted by injury, through to a semi-final with Tottenham, where they beat former Pompey boss Harry Redknapp's side to secure one more day in the sun.

Should Pompey pull off what would arguably be the biggest shock in the history of the famous old competition, James, who was part of the FA Cup-winning team two seasons ago, maintains it will be just rewards for a collective team effort.

"Playing Chelsea, who are in pretty good form at the moment, we are going to be definite underdogs," said the England goalkeeper.

"But we will do as we did at Spurs, preparing well to identify how we can nullify their strengths and take advantage of their weaknesses - Chelsea are not unbeaten and have not won every game 8-0."

He added: "I do not believe in fairytales - I like reality.

"It is no good walking out there and thinking something divine will take over - we are going to have to work hard like we did against Tottenham when we got through by virtue of a solid team performance.

"Chelsea are a tremendous side, league champions, and in their five high-scoring games, they have probably put in more than we have scored all season.

"It sounds daunting, but at the same time, they are not unbeaten and there are flaws in their make-up."