Vase dream a reality

The FA Carlsberg Vase
The Final
3pm, Sunday 11 May 2008
Wembley Stadium
Click here for this season's results 
Winning club receives £20,000

Two FA coaches are preparing for their own Wembley day out as they line up for Lowestoft Town at Wembley on Sunday afternoon in The FA Carlsberg Vase Final.

Matt Potter and Jamie Godbold both joined The FA last year as recruits of The FA Tesco Skills, a coaching programme aimed at improving the skills of children aged between five and eleven.

Stationed in Suffolk, Potter and Godbold (left) were two of the 66 coaches drafted in to help kick off The FA’s revolution of the game in this country, which has already seen over 300,000 youngsters take part.

“The Skills Programme is different to coaching adults, as the sessions are aimed at younger players,” said 27-year-old Potter. 

“The way you communicate does have to vary when you are working with children, but a lot of the principles remain the same.”

On Sunday, though, Potter and Godbold can think about themselves as they look to overcome the challenge of Kirkham & Wesham and guide the Eastern Counties League side to Vase glory.

“I was at The FA Cup Final with one of my team-mates last year and looked around at the Stadium and there was no more incentive we needed to push us on this season,” added the former Stevenage Borough defender.

“To reach any final is amazing but at the level we play you can’t get any bigger than Sunday. Since I have been at Lowestoft it has always been a dream to reach The Vase Final but now it is back at the home of football it can’t be beaten. It shows dreams can come true.”