No doubting the highlight since Chelsea magazine last hit the shelves - and in the brand new edition out today, FA Cup Final man of the match Ashley Cole speaks about a good year.

Echoing another serial FA Cup winner, Mark Hughes, who declared at the time that his Chelsea Wembley triumph was his favourite, five-times-winner Cole announced in the champagne-drenched dressing room that this victory means so much as it was achieved with his good mates. And it is some of those friends he chooses to discuss when talking with Chelsea.

Our England left-back highlights how an injury-free run and his maturity as a player helped him hit the best form of his career in the last 10 months but those around him have also been a major influence.

'People like JT and Lamps will give you a kick up the backside which is exactly how it should be,' Cole states in the cover interview.

'You always know you can't slack around with these guys. I think in every game, under any manager, we've got such a great team spirit here and that's one of the main

reasons why I came here in the first place and why Chelsea are always up there competing with the best teams.

'These players never give up and I'm just like them. They inspire you because they always want to fight and win games.'

Cole thought he had a good idea of what fellow east Londoners Frank Lampard and John Terry were all about before he joined Chelsea, but he tells the magazine what he has learnt since.

'You see how Frank trains so hard every single day. I tell you, young kids need to watch him and see what an inspiration he is because if they do, they've got a chance of going a long way.

'Again he has scored 20 goals this season and I don't think there is any midfielder in the world doing that on a regular basis. He deserves all the credit he gets because he has worked so hard for this and it shows in how he plays.

'I used to play against JT when I was 10 or 11 and I remember he always used to score great goals back then,' he recalls. 'He's still doing it now!

'As a guy and a leader he's exactly what you want. I've had some great captains over the years but I would say he's the best. Not just on the field but off it as well. If you've ever got a problem, he's always there to help and he's been there for me at times when I've been down and kept me going.'

Elsewhere in the major interview the 28-year-old chats about his surprise when his fellow players honoured him at the end of the season and about he sees the latest of his famous five Cup wins as a springboard. He also lifts the lid on coping with the fast changeover in managers in recent times.

Another player who has good reason to feel proud of his contribution to the campaign just gone is our top scorer Nicolas Anelka. He too spoke to Chelsea before the summer holidays began and reveals his personal choice for his best five goals of the season.

The French marksman also dissects his role in a season when he adapted from centre-forward to an attacker on the right, and how he learnt to score goals once more when doing so. That is also the subject of this month's Tactics Board as asymmetric attacking is analysed.

'I tried my best on the right but I had to change my game and in the last four or five games I started to understand more how to do it, which is why I started to score again,' says Anelka in his interview.

'If I had the chance to score more goals in this period and finish top scorer a long time ago I would have done it. But they asked me to play on the right and Chelsea is a lot more important than me so I just did my best for the team there.'

Naturally Chelsea was there behind the scenes at Wembley on the last Saturday in May and brings you exclusive pictures and words from the memorable occasion, and the magazine was also at the Player of the Year awards ceremony for another eye-witness account.

There is an introduction to Carlo Ancelotti and a page handed over to legend Charlie Cooke to air his views.

Moving to the younger end of the age spectrum, Jan Sebek, our 18-year-old Czech goalkeeper who is hoping to follow in the footsteps of national hero Petr Cech, is the Academy player in the spotlight and if you want celebrities, Chelsea has them in abundance as showbiz descended on Stamford Bridge for the annual Soccer Six tournament.

Wrapping it up nicely is a rundown of Chelsea's Top 10 last day wins.

It all adds up to the perfect way to feed your football hunger during the close season.

The July edition of Chelsea magazine is in the Megastore and all good newsagents now at the price of £3.25.