Canvey Island

 

Hednesford Town


Boylan, 46
Brindley (og), 47

2-3


Maguire, 27
Hines, 52
Brindley, 87



The FA Trophy Final
Aston Villa FC, Birmingham
Sunday, 23rd May 2004

Barry Powell, manager of Hednesford Town, enjoyed the 'best moment of his career' on Sunday, when his Southern League side beat Canvey Island to lift The FA Trophy, in partnership with Carlsberg.

After finishing in the bottom three in the league, the Pitmen were massive underdogs against an Essex side looking to add to their emphatic Isthmian League triumph.

"This is pay back time for the chairman and the managing director," said Powell.

"I’m happy for them, I’m happy for the players and I’m more than ecstatic for the supporters. It’s a magnificent result."

"To me, this is the best moment ever in my career. To come here as a manager and to lead the team that you have built to victory is a fantastic moment and I am a proud man.

"We have battled and we have hassled. We probably didn’t pass it as well as Canvey, but I think the game plan we put in place was pretty similar to the one against Aldershot in the semi-finals and it has paid dividends."

Powell also hailed the strike from Les Hines, which pulled the score to 2-2, as the turning point coming when the game could have gone either way. He also described Chris Brindley’s winner as a ‘fairytale strike’.

"He’s a Hednesford boy, he runs the pub down the road from the ground and he wins us the game. It was a fairytale strike – you don’t get much better than that."

Anthony Maguire, scorer of Hednesford's 27th minute opener was delighted to also be crowned Carlsberg Man of the Match.

"I have been in and out of the side all season so to play in the final, win The FA Trophy and Man of the Match is superb. It’s just a brilliant feeling," he said.

"I thought we played well in the first half and it was just wicked to score. We went in 1-0 at half time and the gaffer told us to consolidate, but we conceded two goals.

"It put us on the back foot, but the lads showed great character to come from behind to win it.

"It’s given the fans something to shout about getting something in the trophy cabinet – and what a trophy. It’s the best in non-league."

Despite not getting his hands on The Trophy for a second time to complete a tremendous double this season, Canvey Island manager Jeff King was philosophical in defeat and consoled himself with thoughts of next season in the Nationwide Conference.

"It would have been magnificent to have won, but we have got to the final, we have won our league and did very well in The FA Cup so we have got to be pleased with what we have done."

He added: "I am not going to criticise any of my players because they have been great all season and they have done great today."