12 May 2007
VIDEO: FA Trophy Final: Kidderminster 2-3 Stevenage

Stevenage Borough fought back from 2-0 down to win the first FA Trophy Final at the new Wembley.
13 May 2007
VIDEO: FA Vase Final: Totton 1-3 Truro

Truro City become the first Cornish club to lift The FA Vase coming back from a goal down to win at Wembley


As expected, the weekend's crowds at The FA Trophy and FA Vase Finals were both records for the respective competitions.

There were 53,262 spectators at Saturday's five-goal thriller between Stevenage Borough and Kidderminster Harriers in The FA Trophy Final.

The competition was introduced in the 1969-70 season and the previous record attendance had been the 34,842 who saw Martin O'Neill's Wycombe Wanderers play Kidderminster in 1991.

Saturday's crowd beat the old record by more than 50 per cent - but clearly the attraction of turning up at the magnificent new Wembley had played its part.

For some older followers of the non-League game the size of that Trophy attendance revived memories of the crowds we used to get for The FA Amateur Cup Final, which was played at the old Wembley from 1949 to 1974 and was often televised live by the BBC.

A crowd of 53,000+ is still higher than all of the last seven Amateur Cup Finals, i.e. from 1968 to 1974, and betters 13 out of the last 14. The anomaly came in 1967 when Skelmersdale United's rapid rise from unknowns to finalists against mighty Enfield, caught the public's imagination and drew a massive 75,000 to the famous Twin Towers.

But Saturday's throng to see Stevenage lift The Trophy and give manager Mark Stimson a unique hat-trick must, we believe, be the biggest for a match involving non-League teams for 40 years.

On a very popular weekend for non-League football a record 27,754 fans piled into Wembley yesterday to watch The FA Vase Final between Truro City and AFC Totton. It beat the old mark, when Tamworth played Sudbury Town in 1989, by more than a thousand.