THERE are certain images that leave an indelible imprint in FA Cup final history and, for whatever reason, most of them are couched in white.

Wembley's famous twin towers shone out like white beacons, the venue's first ever Cup final will forever be remembered for a white horse, and Ricky Villa was wearing the same colour when he danced around Manchester City's defence to score the most famous Cup final goal ever in 1981.

But, for Sunderland midfielder Jason McAteer, it is the colour cream which will always be linked to one of football's most infamous fashion statements.

McAteer was part of the Liverpool side that earned the right to face champions Manchester United in the 1996 FA Cup final.

Cup final tradition dictated that both sides indulged in a pre-match walkabout on Wembley's hallowed turf in their official club suits.

Nothing remarkable about that, until Liverpool's players stepped from their team coach in the most hideous cream ensemble imaginable.

A Cup final legend was born and McAteer was forever damned as part of the Liverpool side that fashion forgot.

Sunderland take on Sheffield United for a place in the last four of the competition tomorrow, meaning they are just two games away from having to make a sartorial statement of their own.

They won't be wearing cream if they make it to Cardiff - but Liverpool weren't meant to be either before former England international Jamie Redknapp intervened.

"The suits actually changed colour at the last minute," revealed McAteer.

"We had dark suits all sorted, but Jamie was sponsored by Armani at the time and he came up with the idea of getting suits from them.

"We all said 'Yeah' and went for brown but when they came back they were...light brown!

"We had to run with them after that and I think that's what everyone remembers about the day now because the game was sort of a non-event.

"At that time we had the Spice Boys tag and football was very fashionable. There was a lot of money in the game, we were young lads, and even when we went out socially we were trying to outdo each other with whatever clobber we had.

"That was part and parcel of football at the time but I think the game's changed.

"I think the foreign influence has helped to change it. Diet's changed, the money's changed, and football in general has altered."

If football has changed in the 13 years since McAteer turned professional then the Republic of Ireland international has changed with it.

He was the archetypal affable Scouser during his time with Liverpool, linking up with close friends Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler both on and off the Anfield pitch.

But things changed after he moved to Blackburn in 1999. Brian Kidd was sacked, Graeme Souness replaced him, and the new boss quickly axed McAteer from his plans.

Suddenly the smile was gone, replaced by a soul-searching scowl that affects everyone who suddenly finds the world they know slipping away from them.

Rejection isn't easy in any walk of life but the public nature of footballing failure means it hits even harder.

Sunderland boss Peter Reid offered McAteer a route back into the game in 2001 and, since then, the midfielder hasn't looked back.

The grin is restored, but it's an older, maturer McAteer that will line up against the Blades tomorrow.

The 32-year-old is Sunderland's club captain now - not so much "Spice Boy" as "Cool As Ice Boy".

"I think over the years I've grown up in my career," said McAteer.

"When I signed for Liverpool everything took care of itself. I was living at home with my parents, my friends were all around me, and day-to-day living was something I didn't have to think about.

"I didn't have to worry about anything because I'd signed a big contract there and it was great.

"But then I left and, the day I left Liverpool, football changed for me. It really became a job then. I can honestly say that because I had to start planning and looking for different things I wanted outside of the game.

"I signed for Brian Kidd at Blackburn which was great but, unfortunately for me, he got the bullet and Graeme Souness came in.

"I really lost my love of football at Blackburn and I became very cynical about the game. I was down all the time and it was just an absolute nightmare.

"But I managed to get myself away from that and signing for Sunderland has really kicked on my career. I'm loving football again - it's back to a passion and being something that I really want to do.

"I'm one of the older ones at the club now and we've bonded really well this year. It's back to my Bolton days. It's very similar to that because of the way we've come together.

"Mick McCarthy looks at the older lads and he asks us to help him out sometimes. When the lads are down I've got to be the one that gets them back up again."

There have plenty of moments when Sunderland's players have needed a morale boost during the last 12 months.

Last season's relegation hit the Black Cats hard and McAteer is one of the few senior pros remaining from the squad that endured 17 straight league defeats last year.

Promotion would be the ideal way to set that record straight and Sunderland's over-riding priority remains a return to the promised land of the Premiership.

But lifting the FA Cup is another way to silence the critics and McAteer admits he would love to make a few people eat their words this season.

"I'm a great lover of proving people wrong," he said. "I would love to stick two fingers up at all the knockers and all the people who don't want us to succeed.

"This football club has been kicked in the teeth far too much for my liking and it would be nice to prove people wrong."

A victory tomorrow would take Sunderland a giant step nearer to doing just that and, with either Millwall or Tranmere guaranteed a place in the last four, the Black Cats could reach the FA Cup final without facing another Premiership side.

Arsenal or Manchester United would probably lie in wait at that stage and, while Sunderland would be overwhelming underdogs against either of those opponents, McAteer has been around long enough to know that strange results are possible.

"I played in an Ireland side that played against Liechtenstein," he said. "(Paul) McGrath, (John) Aldridge, they were all playing, and we played a bunch of part-timers and drew 0-0.

"It was one of those games where you just think to yourself 'Is this really happening'?

"I think it was the first point they won in about 25 years but it happened and, from then on, I always believed that anything can happen in football."

Anything, of course, other than more cream suits.

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