Alan Curbishley does not believe the absence of the top four clubs from this season's FA Cup semi-finals has devalued the competition.

Cardiff booked their place in the final against PremiershipPortsmouth by beating fellow Championship side Barnsley on Sunday.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all fell in earlier rounds but Curbishley insists it is no bad thing to have different teams making the final stages.

"I'm really jealous that Dave Jones and Harry Redknapp are going to lead their teams out at Wembley," Curbishley told Sky Sports News.

"You look at the situation and unless you are in the top four, in recent seasons, not many teams get there.

"They've managed to get there and one of them is going to get into Europe.

"West Ham and myself would love to have been there. We attacked the competition as much as we could but it wasn't to be."

Curbishley does not believe the top four can be criticised for their poor performances in the FA Cup as they are chasing silverware on so many other fronts.

"I don't think the cup has been devalued by their absence. It's up to them how they attack the season.

"If you look at the top four, this week alone they have massive games coming up, every other day really.

"The FA Cup and the League Cup, if you're a Premier League side, you feel you've got a chance.

"It is a chance to get into Europe so everyone attacks them as much as they can."