Ebbsfleet United

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Torquay United

 

 

The FA Carlsberg Trophy
The Final
2.30pm Saturday 10 May 2008
Wembley Stadium
Winning clubs receive £25,000
Click here for this season's results

The countdown to this season's FA Trophy Final has begun and Monday saw both Ebbsfleet United and Torquay United visit Wembley Stadium for the first time ahead of The Final on 10 May.

The day gave the staff of both Conference clubs a chance to see inside the dressing rooms, stand pitchside and come face-to-face with the silverware which will be up for grabs next month.

Fleet boss, Liam Daish, was impressed with the home of football: “It’s just an unbelievable stadium and it will be interesting to see how the squad will react when they all walk out here before the big game.

“They’ll be a mix of nerves, adrenaline and excitement but you expect that on stage as big as this,” said Daish who is hoping that the Kent based side will bring over 20,000 fans on FA Trophy Final day.

Daish admitted that this season’s FA Trophy campaign had caught everyone by surprise: “We want to do well in every competition that we enter and it’s fantastic that we’ve got this far. You certainly don’t think about it at the start of the season but each game has taken on more importance as we’ve progressed.

“It’s not been an easy route to the final either. We’ve had seven tough matches and both Burton Albion and Aldershot were stern tests but we’re here now and we’ll enjoy it.”

Torquay United’s Chief Executive, Colin Lee, was equally impressed with Wembley Stadium: “When you walk into the stadium today and it's empty, you get a totally different impression of its sheer size,” said the former Chelsea favourite.

“I went to last season's FA Cup Final and this season's League Cup with some of the other former Chelsea players, but it'll be fantastic to see the Torquay fans filling the place with our club colours.

“As a player, Wembley is a place you dream of playing at, and some people say they freeze. But how can you freeze on a playing surface like that? It's immaculate.”

It’s been a difficult 12 months for the Devon club having lost their Football League status last season but Lee is confident that the good times are returning to Plainmoor.

“At the start of the season, our Manager Paul Buckle made a point of telling the players he wanted to go as far as possible in The FA Trophy.

"Some clubs in recent seasons may have preferred to concentrate on getting back into The Football League, but to win a final at Wembley, live on television would be a massive boost for the club and the town.

“Make no mistake, we want to win it."