Numbing all but a sense of duty

Tomorrow's FA Cup final should at least offer some respite for the 31-year-old defender, even if opponents Manchester City have the players to cause even more damage to their Lancashire neighbours at Wembley. Caldwell just wants to get the chance to try and offer some relief to the beleaguered Wigan supporters, although he will have to wait until the last moment before he will discover if manager Roberto Martinez is prepared to give him that opportunity.

A hip condition demands that the Scot has an injection just to train, and two to be ready to play. The problem will require surgery when the dust finally settles on this trying season and the chances are that will mean Caldwell is marked hors de combat when Scotland's head to Croatia for their World Cup qualifier on July 7, when even more pain is anticipated for Gordon Strachan's squad.

Understandably, Caldwell's priority is that Wigan are still in the top flight after their two remaining league games. If they can lift a trophy on the way, it would boost morale which was laid low by Tuesday's defeat by Swansea City. "We were back at the ground the following morning and, in the canteen, there are pictures up of the cup semi-final celebrations," said Caldwell. "The manager then began to tell us what this game means. Right away, I was getting excited at the thought of it.

"The Swansea defeat is gone and we're solely concentrating on Manchester City now. It was the emotional side of the game that was hard to deal with as opposed to the physical side. We know it's a real knock because of what it means in the Premier League, but we have to deal with it. Thankfully, for a cup final, the adrenaline will kick in."

It will fuse with pain killers already in Caldwell's system, injected on a regular basis to keep him moving despite an ailing hip which required surgery three years ago and which has become a major issue once again. "I have not trained properly for six months," he said.

"When I do, I have to take an injection. And I get two to get me through games. It's been difficult because I want to contribute, I want to help. But, if you are not 100%, there's no point you being on the park. The gaffer has been great and said he will use me whenever he feels I can contribute and help the team. Hopefully, he feels that way on Saturday."

Caldwell has been assured he will not do any more damage by playing on, but accepts the decision on his potential participation tomorrow is Martinez's alone. "I have said to the manager, 'That's your call' because, if he asks me if I am fit to play, I'm always going to say yes," he said.

Caldwell was restricted to a place on the bench for the FA Cup semi-final win over Millwall but already knows what it is to emerge from the famous old stadium with a winner's medal and a trophy. That was the Wembley Cup in 2009, as part of a Celtic side which defeated Egyptian club Al-Ahly and then Tottenham Hotspur to secure the trophy. "Shaun Maloney and I keep telling everyone here that we have already won a cup at Wembley," he said with a smile.

Caldwell quickly adopts a more serious tone, though, when he considers the importance of this unexpected opportunity for a club known only for the financial backing of Dave Whelan and their annual Houdini act when faced with relegation.

"This is a unique club," said Caldwell. "There are people who have been here since the days when they were in the lower leagues.

"A few months ago I said to my brother, Steven, that it would be great to win a cup for Wigan. He just laughed it off. He said to win a cup, you have to be really special and go on a magnificent run. But I thought, 'we could do that'. That conversation came during the early rounds of the competition and the chance has come around sooner than I thought."