On Sunday afternoon, Whitstable Town skipper Jake McIntyre will lead out his side at Wembley Stadium in the Isuzu FA Trophy Final and it will be a moment to savour for the 30 year old.
The defender, who started out at Dartford Town, has a close connection with the club’s boss Jamie Coyle, who he has known since the age of 15. And together, they’re looking to get their hands on some silverware at the home of English football.
Ahead of this Sunday’s showdown on Non-League Finals Day 2025, we caught up with McIntyre to discuss the 2024-25 campaign so far for the Oystermen.
What have been some of the standout moments in your run to the FA Vase Final?
Each round has brought new tests. We started with a 4-1 win at Corinthian Casuals. Then when we beat Jersey Bulls – one of the favourites – in the third round, that was a major turning point in our season, as it had been a bit of a struggle until that point. Obviously the semi-final against Hartpury University stands out as well.
The celebrations after – running to the fans, seeing all our supporters who’d made that long trip – was unreal.
🤯 @whitstabletown
— Jake McIntyre (@mcintyrejake) April 6, 2025
Dreams as a little boy, unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/rIdU68WpeS
It’s been over a month since you secured your place in the Final. What has the atmosphere around the club been like?
It’s been hectic. I was suspended for the first leg of the semi, then the same team was kept for the second. Since then, we’ve had the Kent Cup final and so many league games because of the backlog.
It’s crazy but we haven’t actually had much time to let it sink in. We’ve had other important things to focus on, fighting on three fronts with the Kent Cup final, reaching the play-offs – which we’ve now achieved – and the Vase. So we’ve had to put Wembley on the back-burner.
But to be honest, until you step foot into that stadium, walk out the tunnel, see the amount of seats and how big it is, I don’t think it actually will sink in.
What does getting to Wembley mean for the club and the town?
For a fifth tier side, Whitstable isn’t a typical club. We had nearly 3000 at home for the semi-final – and about 400 made the seven-hour round trip for the second leg too. No other teams are getting anywhere near that. It’s a proper community club – and this cup run definitely puts us on the map.
The financial boost and exposure will help the youth and academy sides, too, and let us make improvements to the stadium, parking, etc.
Have you caught yourself daydreaming at any point?
Well, I’ve scored a couple of free-kicks lately – and everyone keeps saying, ‘save one for Wembley!’ I wish it worked like that. But yeah, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t dreamed of scoring the winner.
🎶 Granty give us a wave, Granty Granty give us a Wave 🎶
— Whitstable Town Football Club (@whitstabletown) April 6, 2025
There’s only one @Deano_gee ! 🛵💨 pic.twitter.com/hONOjZrD94
As captain, what will be your final message to the team before they leave the changing room?
My message will be: enjoy it. Most of us won’t ever play at Wembley again. Slow it down, take it all in. Once you’re on the pitch, it’ll fly by. Enjoying it usually brings out your best football anyway.
You can read the full interview with Jake in the official matchday programme for Non-League Finals Day. Click here to order a copy.
