Hopefuls line up for final showdown

The X Factor finalists met up today ahead of Saturday night's showdown and declared: "Let the best man win.

Andy Abraham, Journey South and bookies' favourite Shayne Ward will go head to head in the all-male final.

The winner will make a bid for the Christmas number one - with a record that judge Simon Cowell predicts will be the biggest selling single of the year.

At a press conference ahead of the final, bin man Andy, 41, said: "Whoever performs the greatest on the night will deserve to be the X Factor winner, it's as simple as that.

"I will clap as loudly as anyone else if Journey South or Shayne wins it. I will have tears in my eyes."

Journey South's Andy Pemberton, 29, said: "We're just going to go in on Saturday and enjoy it and perform as well as we can. The rest is up to the public."

Shayne, 21, said he was ignoring bookies' predictions that he will be the winner.

"I don't know how anyone can say I'm the favourite from the start because everyone is so talented.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered, but I don't want to let the pressure get to me."

Each one of the artists has recorded their own version of the Christmas single, called That's My Goal.

It will be released next Wednesday and is from the writer behind Atomic Kitten's Whole Again and Leave Right Now by Will Young.

The finalists vowed not to end up like last year's winner Steve Brookstein - the X Factor flop whose career has sunk without trace.

Shayne, from Manchester, said: "It's a shame what happened to Steve.

"Whatever happened last year, happened last year, and I hope it doesn't happen to me. If I just focus on what I'm doing, sing the right songs and keep my feet on the ground I don't think I'll end up the same way he did."

Cowell admitted: "There's something strange that happens on this show, but when you leave you either appear like a star or you don't appear like a star.

"We've all learned a lot from last year."

And fellow judge Sharon Osbourne added: "This show has taught us that being the winner doesn't necessarily mean you are the winner. All three here have got really great futures."

Londoner Andy admitted he could be back in his old job on the bins if he doesn't win.

"I've achieved something in my life that's far beyond my wildest expectations and hopefully I won't have to go back to my old job.

"But if everything fell flat on its face and I had to do it to support my kids and my wife, I'd be straight out there picking up those bags," he said.