Bay boss reflects on Wembley victory.
Glossop North End |
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Whitley Bay |
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Lee Kerr 36, Paul Chow 45 |
The FA Carlsberg Vase Final
2.30pm, Sunday 10 May 2009
Wembley Stadium
Winning club will receive £20,000 from The FA and runners-up will receive £10,000
To buy a match programme click here
Whitley Bay boss Ian Chandler added another FA Vase medal to his collection on Sunday, after leading his team to victory over Glossop North End at Wembley.
Chandler was part of the Whitley Bay team which won The Vase at Villa Park in 2002, even scoring that day, but he admits Sunday's occasion eclipsed that for him.
"It feels even better," Chandler told TheFA.com
"Back in 2002 it was fantastic as a player, but this is Wembley and there's 25 players, staff, the Board and the fans so it's unbelievable.
"I was a bit bit less emotional than I was at Lowestoft (in the Semi-Final) because I was in tears that day, so I had to keep myself composed but it was a release when the whistle went and for the fans because the whole town has come down today so we're just so proud.
After picking up their medals and The Vase at Wembley, the celebrations really began when the Bay squad headed back to their team hotel. They will be heading back to the north-east on Monday though and the squad have been invited by Newcastle United to their Premier League game with Middlesbrough at St.James Park this evening.
"Newcastle have invited us to their game with Middlesbrough on Monday, so that should be nice for a few of the lads," added Chandler. "I'm not too bothered though because I'm a Sunderland fan!
"We then get an open top bus around Whitley Bay next Sunday, so we're going to enjoy it while we can.
"We've slogged hard for nine months now, so we're going to enjoy it as much as we can!"
The full video interview with Ian Chandler, a chat with goalscorer Lee Kerr and match highlights can be watched now by visiting the 'Video Centre'.
