BUOYANT boss Gary Flinn says the thought of consecutive FA Vase triumphs is ‘surreal’ as he prepares to take holders Newport Pagnell Town back to Wembley.
The last team to record successive victories were Whitley Bay in 2010 and the north-east side went on to make it a hattrick the following year.
Now Flinn’s Swans, who toppled favourites Littlehampton Town 3-0 under the arch last term, have got the chance to follow in those famous Vase footsteps when they tackle Ascot United this afternoon.
It promises to be another unforgettable experience for the Buckinghamshire side, who triumphed with goals from Kieran Barnes and Ben Shepherd (two) last time around.
“It would be surreal to win it again,” Flinn told The NLP. “Last year speaking to the Littlehampton manager, it was about getting to the final, enjoying the Wembley week. It’s the icing on the cake to win it.
“To have that experience and get the chance to go out there and do it again is just as exciting and thrilling for everyone. If the game goes the same way, we’ll be delighted.” Although the Willen Road outfit are the holders, Flinn is happy to concede the favourites’ tag to today’s opponents. While his side finished third in United Counties Premier Division South, Ascot stormed to the Combined Counties Premier Division North title.
The Yellamen notched up a whopping 102 points from 38 games, scoring 99 goals along the way.
“They are as good as you can be at Step 5,” stressed the 44-year-old, who runs a building company in his day job. “They are a good team, have good experience around the pitch and have some individual match-winners.
“They have won their league and promotion, which is a difficult thing to do. You have to be good on and off the pitch to do that. They are going to play Step 4 football next season and we might be slight underdogs.”dogs.”
Concentrate
Having won it last year, Newport Pagnell have that experience in the bank, but Flinn doesn’t want anyone on his side to get lulled into a false sense of security.
“We aren’t expecting it to be the same,” he admitted. “Last year was just about perfect – the performance was really good defensively and offensively. We scored quite early which settled everyone down and we played as well as we could.
“We would love it to be the same again, but life’s not like that. We are expecting it to be completely different, a closer game, but we will be ready.”
One thing that has remained the same as last year is the Swans’ ability to win penalty shoot-outs. Last season they won three on route to the final and they’ve done likewise this time around.
‘To have that experience and get the chance to go out there and do it again is just as exciting and thrilling for everyone’
Gary Flinn
It’s been another nerve-jangling ride to reach HQ, with the fourth round (7-6 on pens after a 1-1 draw against Leighton Town), quarter-final (4-3 on pens after a 2-2 draw against Atherstone Town) and semi-final (3-2 on pens at Congleton Town after a 2-2 draw) all going the distance.
Keeper Martin Conway has more than made his contribution again with his ability to both score from the spot and save opposition penalties.
“The quarter-finals and semi-finals all went to penalties,” said Flinn. “The games are close over 90 minutes and teams don’t want to risk losing when it gets late in the game.
“We have confidence in taking penalties and in our keeper taking them and hopefully saving some. The lads trust Martin with everything and it allows them to breathe a little and concentrate on their penalty kicks.
History
“We are hoping the final doesn’t go that far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it went to extra-time. Ascot have won their last two games on pens, so I’m sure their goalkeeper is more than capable as well.”
As Vase fever gripped Newport Pagnell last year, the club sold almost 7,000 tickets for the final. The competition has been a platform to raise awareness of the Step 5 club.
“It’s been brilliant for that,” explained Flinn. “The community and the town have really got behind the team. The Vase brings everyone through the door and it’s been a brilliant experience for everyone.
‘Scoring is great, you get the headlines, but I’d rather play well and do what I can for the team then score a tap-in and the team lose’
Ben Shepherd
“We’ve had 1,500 supporters in the Vase and our league gates have gone up as well,” Flinn said.
“When we were starting, we were getting just under 100, but now we are getting over 200 on a Saturday, which is brilliant. Winning games of football brings people through the door.”
One young fan in particular looking forward to this afternoon’s showpiece occasion is Flinn’s son, Presley.
“He’s getting a bit carried away,” smiled the boss. “He’ll have been to Wembley twice by the age of eight! He’s just starting on his football path and he’s probably more excited this year than he was last year.
“He knows a bit more about Wembley, the history and what it means.
“He’s a lucky, lucky boy to lead the team out at Wembley again.”
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR BEN
IF BEN Shepherd gets on the scoresheet at Wembley again this afternoon, he will try his best not to forget the goal celebrations he’s planned!
Shepherd calmly tucked home Newport Pagnell Town’s second goal and then bagged their third from the spot as they eased to a 3-0 Vase final win against Littlehampton Town last term.
“I had loads of celebrations in my head and we had a few as a team,” the 31-year-old told The NLP. “But it goes out of the window and you are overcome with emotion when you score at Wembley. I ended up just running over to our fans. “I’ve got a couple of ideas this time and I’ll hopefully do one of them if I score, but it depends on the timing. If it was a last-minute winner, you would just go crazy.”
However, Shepherd would be more than happy to let someone else hog the limelight this time around if the Swans were to triumph again.
He said: “Scoring is great and you get the headlines, but I just want to play well. I’d rather play well and do what I can for the team than score a tap-in and we lose. I always try to get assists and I would be more than happy with a couple!”
Like boss Gary Flinn, Shepherd is expecting a tough encounter against Ascot United, who notched 102 points in winning the Combined Counties Premier Division North in style.
“I don’t think you can read too much into who are favourites on league performance,” said Shepherd. “If you play in different leagues, it’s difficult to compare the quality. “Littlehampton stormed their league last year, but we dominated the final. I think Ascot will be better than Littlehampton and it will be a tight game. It might be one special moment that decides it, we will have to see. I’m always confident.” As for a return to Wembley, Shepherd can’t wait.
“You are never going to get bored with it,” he added. “When we were warming up last year, the fans were making their way in, but before kick-off the noise was deafening. It made you wonder what it would be like when it’s full.
“If we could make it back-to-back wins, it would be a great achievement.”
