Benni McCarthy's dream of playing at the new Wembley moved a step closer to reality last night when it was confirmed that this year's FA Cup final WILL definitely be staged at the revamped national stadium.

Following the successful completion of two test events - a Community Day and last Saturday's England Under-21 friendly against Italy - Brent Council has awarded the stadium its General Safety Certificate.

That leaves the way clear for Wembley to stage the Cup final on Saturday May 19, and, Blackburn Rovers are tantalisingly just 90 minutes away from being there, having dispensed with three Premiership sides already on the way to setting up a semi-final showdown with Chelsea.

Now star striker McCarthy insists he and his team-mates are even more determined than ever to secure a possible place in history.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for us," said Rovers' leading scorer.

"We've got a lot of young players who have come into the side, and a lot of experienced players, but none of us have ever played at Wembley (in a cup final) before, so it's a great, great opportunity for us."

At one point it looked as though Wembley would not be ready in time to stage the final, prompting the FA to take the precautionary measure of provisionally booking Cardiff's Millennium Stadium as insurance.

But after countless set-backs, Wembley finally got the green light yesterday, and FA chief executive Brian Barwick said fans of the two finalists can look forward to a magnificent spectacle.

"I'm happy to confirm that the 2007 FA Cup Final will be played at Wembley Stadium," said Barwick.

"It's the announcement that a lot of people have been waiting for and is great news for football fans in this country and indeed the world over.

"The Cup Final and Wembley Stadium go hand in hand and everybody at the FA is looking forward to a great day."

Cup fever had already taken its grip at Ewood Park long before yesterday's announcement.

After victories over Everton, Arsenal and Manchester City en route to the semis, there is a feeling within the Rovers camp that this could be their year.

However, McCarthy, a former Champions League winner with Porto in 2004, insists no-one in Mark Hughes' squad is getting too carried away just yet, particularly with a formidable Chelsea side blocking their path to the final.

The South African added: "We've knocked out some great teams along the way to the semi-finals; Everton and Arsenal.

"When you knock out teams like that, you feel that you might have a massive chance of getting to Wembley. But we've just got to keep cool heads.

"We can't just think because we knocked out Arsenal, now we can go all the way because each team is tough when you play them, so we're going to have to be really, really well prepared, and then you've got to make sure you score the goals and do the right things.

"Then when the final whistle goes at the end of the game, if we are through to the next round, that's when we can start celebrating."