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BRETT POATE wants redemption at Wembley – six years after missing out on the biggest day of his football career.
The Gosport Borough skipper was suspended for Havant & Waterlooville when they reached the FA Cup fourth round in 2008 and an away date with Liverpool at Anfield.
The 30-year-old admits he thought his chance to play on one of English football’s greatest stages had passed. But with Gosport’s unlikely march all the way to the arch, Poate has another chance in the limelight.
“I played every game for Havant & Waterlooville that season apart from the Liverpool game,” Poate said. “I got sent off against Swansea in the first game, played in the replay when we won 4-2 but I couldn’t play at Anfield.
“I remember the whole build-up, all the Press, staying up in Liverpool before the game and the FA organising for us to go and watch Manchester United on the way back. It was a great experience.
“I’m not going to lie, I had a little tear in my eye when the boys walked out. I didn’t think it would happen again, but here we are. This is hopefully going to make up for it.
“There’s a few of us over 30 now and if you ask anyone at Gosport I don’t think they even thought about playing at Wembley. It’s a bit surreal but we’ve earned the right to be here so let’s do it.”
Having upset the odds to get this far against the likes of Nuneaton, North Ferriby and even semi-finalists Havant & Waterlooville, Gosport are thriving on the underdog tag.
“Two or three games in this cup run we’ve been massive underdogs but ended up performing,” Poate said. “We know Cambridge are big favourites, we know that. And we know that if they play to their full potential on the day they will probably beat us.
“But if we can keep a clean sheet and the longer it goes on the more we’ve got a chance. You know what cups are like – sometimes the underdog comes out on top.”
Cambridge captain Ian Miller, by contrast, is playing in his third Trophy final in four years.
“I know what winning and losing at Wembley feels like,” said the ex-Darlington and Grimsby defender. “I’ll be telling the lads that it’s no place for runners-up.”
*This article first appeared in The NLP on Sunday, March 16
