Kidderminster Harriers v Stevenage Borough
The FA Carlsberg Trophy
The Final
2.15pm, Saturday 12 May 2007
Wembley Stadium
Winning club receive £50,000

Mark Stimson is manager of the Stevenage Borough side who take on Kidderminster Harriers in The FA Carlsberg Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium this Saturday, 12 May.

Stimson made more than 240 professional appearances for Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Portsmouth, Southend United and Leyton Orient.

After winning The FA Trophy two years running as manager of Grays Athletic, Stimson moved to take over as boss of Stevenage last summer and is looking to complete an illustrious treble.

As he prepared for the club's big day at the new Wembley Stadium, he had time to chat to TheFA.com.

Hi Mark, this is the first Trophy Final at the new Wembley, it's turning into a huge occasion.
A Final at this level is massive at any stadium. I’ve been fortunate over the past couple of years to get to Villa Park and Upton Park with Grays. But to reach Wembley this season is fantastic. The players can’t wait for it to come around and I’m sure the supporters feel the same. And we are making history by becoming the first two Conference teams to play at the new Wembley.

The Trophy Final record crowd of 34, 842 looks set to be beaten too
That’s what everyone is saying. Both Kidderminster and ourselves will try our hardest to sell as many tickets as we can and a lot of neutrals will want to see The Final as well. So I am sure we can top 35,000 and anything more will be a bonus.

What is the interest like around the town of Stevenage?
The buzz is great. Our Trophy Final replica shirts have been on sale. They are a one-off design in white and will not be worn again. The supporters have been snapping them up. So the interest is really kicking in and it has been great to hear the fans singing about going to Wembley.

Have you had a chance to look at Wembley yet?
Yes, we were invited there by The FA and the whole stadium is breathtaking. All the facilities are first class and I have told my players that when they go there it is five star! As a player, you dream of playing at Wembley. And as a manager, you dream of leading your team out at Wembley. It is something I will be very proud of when we get there.

You have personally won The Trophy the last two years as manager of Grays. Does that mean anything going into this season's Final against Kidderminster?
No, it doesn't mean anything. This game is a one off and I think it will be the team that deals with the situation that wins The Trophy. If you are talking about 40,000 to 50,000 people watching, then that is a lot different to what the players are used to week in, week out. I think there will be a lot of nervous energy used up and it is down to whoever adapts the best on the day.

You know all about Kidderminster Harriers from your Conference matches. How do you assess them?
We played them recently at Stevenage and they beat us 2-1. But we won 2-1 at their place earlier in the season. So I think The Final will be a very evenly matched game. We are similar to them in terms of experience. They've got a player in Jeff Kenna who has played at the highest level and seen it all and done it all. We've got Steve Guppy on our side who has done the same. I'm expecting a really tough and close game. But hopefully we can get a bit of the luck that you need so that we can come out as winners.

The match kicks off at Wembley at 2.15pm on Saturday afternoon.