Fans salute FA Cup heroes

Thousands line the streets for Chelsea's homecoming

A rain-soaked sea of blue shirts welcomed the victorious Chelsea team as they paraded the FA Cup through the streets of west London.

More than 20,000 jubliant fans turned out after a night celebrating the Roberto di Matteo goal which defeated Aston Villa at Wembley on Saturday.

This is the stuff memories are made of

Rachel Lloyd, Chelsea fan

Fans of all ages squeezed together to get a good look at the players and the silverware in the open-topped bus crawling along the Fulham Road towards a civic reception at the town hall.

The magic of Chelsea's second FA Cup victory in four years was relished by the players and the crowd.

Singing in the rain

Steve Lewington, 38, of Guildford, Surrey who has been a Chelsea supporter for 20 years, lost his voice cheering The Blues to victory.

"I've got no voice left but I had to come to share this amazing day," he said.

Vialli takes the cup to the fans

"I don't care about the rain, this is better than anything in the world."

Rachel Lloyd, a 28-year-old university, administrator, drove from her home in Portsmouth to enjoy the "spirit of fun and victory" that is so much part of the club.

"This is the team that I have worshipped and I'm just happy to be here," she said.

"This is the stuff memories are made of."

The impromptu festival atmosphere near Chelsea's Stamford Bridge home was policed by 500 officers, drafted in to ensure the celebrations were peaceful.

Dennis Wise celebrates victory with his son Henry

It was not a difficult job, according to Superintendent Ian Chappell of Fulham Police Station, one of the officers in charge.

"The spirit here has been very, very good, just people enjoying themselves," he said.

"The rain probably kept the numbers down but those who came just had a good time."

Soaking up the atmosphere, and the weather, Captain Dennis Wise was in good form, smiling broadly on board the bus.

Other players were armed with cameras to capture their own momentos of the occasion.

Walkabout

One fan could have gone away with an extra special treasure as the lid of the FA Cup fell from the top deck and bounced down the street.

Fortunately for Italian boss Gianluca Vialli the lid was handed back.

Bad case of the claret and blues for Villa

He rewarded the fans with a walkabout, allowing them to touch the prize, signing autographs and posing for snapshots.

The sun came out briefly but that didn't stop Wise and Co breaking into a rendition of Singing In Rain on the town hall balcony.

Football fans on the streets of Birmingham were less jubilant but still gave a hero's reception to the defeated Villa side who had not reached an FA Cup final since 1957.