Both FA Vase Finalists relished the opportunity to visit Wembley Stadium ahead of The Final on 10 May.
By Matt Phillips - Friday, 24 April, 2009
Glossop NE and Whitley Bay paid a visit to Wembley.
Glossop North End v Whitley Bay The FA Carlsberg Vase Final2.30pm, Sunday 10 May 2009Wembley StadiumWinning club will receive £20,000 from The FA and runners-up will receive £10,000 Both Glossop North End and Whitley Bay had their first taste of Wembley Stadium this week with The FA Carlsberg Vase Final just over a fortnight away.For Glossop it was a case of being reunited with The FA Vase after the silverware paid a visit to their tiny Surrey Street ground in the Pennines earlier this year."When we had The Vase on display at Surrey Street we had a laugh and a joke about getting to The Final so it’s just unbelievable to be standing here today," said the club’s Rick Whelan from the dugout area at Wembley Stadium."It’s my first time here as well. I’ve been to Old Trafford a few times and that’s a fantastic stadium but Wembley is just something else," observed Whelan who works a fireman in Hyde.The Glossop youngster admitted that he’s had to make some sacrifices for The Final against Whitley Bay on 10 May: "It’s my girlfriend’s 21st birthday on that day but I’m obviously going to be here."Luckily she’s right behind the club but I’m sure I’ll have to spend some cash on a few extra presents to keep her happy!"For Glossop striker, Dave Hodges, the Wembley Stadium visit was just a tube journey away from his Brunel University residence, a stark contrast to his usual pre-match commute."I travel back up to Glossop from Euston on Friday afternoons, stay with my parents over the weekend for the match and then return to London on Sunday nights."It’s fair to say that Wembley will be a much shorter journey on 10 May!"Hodges had nothing but praise for Wembley Stadium after taking in the tunnel and dressing room areas: "It really is a world away from what we’re used to in Division One of the North West Counties League."Sometimes you have to change in port-a-cabins and the pitches can be terrible but the facilities at Wembley Stadium are just first class."I had a ticket for the League Two Play-Off Final last season between Stockport and Rochdale but to be part of a club that’s actually going to be playing here is just brilliant."Whitley Bay narrowly missed out on making The Final last season when they were beaten by Lowestoft Town over two legs in the Semi-Final.But the Northern League outfit finally gained revenge over their East Anglian rivals at exactly the same stage this season and the big day can’t come soon enough for Whitley Bay’s Gavin Fell."We’re a real community club and we’ll be flying the flag, along with York City in The FA Trophy, for football in the north of England."We won this competition in 2002 at Aston Villa which is great but while Villa Park is a superb stadium it just isn’t Wembley so we’re delighted to be playing here this time around."The Bay also enjoy massive support as Fell explained: "Our fans are just fantastic and we regularly get 400-plus supporters to our league games at Hillheads Park."Tickets for The Final have been flying out of the club like hotcakes and we easily sold 5,000 in the first week of sales so there will be plenty of blue and white shirts here in a couple of weeks."Whitley Bay midfielder Paul Robinson was a professional at Tranmere Rovers and York City when he was younger and is delighted that The FA Vase offers an opportunity to play at Wembley Stadium: "I work for Northern Rock and am just an average Joe so it’s fantastic for us to be here."It doesn’t feel real yet but I’m sure that will change on the day!"Ticket Details Tickets are available direct from both competing clubsFor seats in the Glossop North End section, click hereFor seats in the Whitley Bay section, click hereGetting to WembleyGlossop North End Travel GuideWhitley Bay Travel Guide
Glossop North End
v
Whitley Bay
