THE FA VASE FINAL 2013: There’s only one way to enjoy it – by bringing the trophy home, says Bourne

TUNBRIDGE WELLS' skipper Jason Bourne insists he is going to Wembley Stadium to lift The FA Carlsberg Vase for his home-town club on Saturday afternoon.



The Culverden Stadium outfit still have a couple of league games left to play owing to their cup commitments and poor weather during the course of the season and their goal-less draw at home to Cray Valley was their thirteenth game in a gruelling 29 day period and go into the big game sitting in seventh-place in the Kent Hurlimann Football League table.

But attention now turns to playing big-spending Spennymoor Town, who arrive in London sitting in second-place in the Northern League table.  They still have six games remaining, but have chalked up a massive 97 point haul, 22 points adrift of champions Darlington.

“It’s finally arrived, it seems it’s been a lifetime,” said the 32-year-old right-back, who was rested for Monday’s game.

“We’re playing games thick and fast, a little bit too many games for our liking but it is what it is.

“We had to speak about challenging for the league because it was mathematically possible but as soon as we lost to a very good VCD side (on 16 April) we knew it wasn’t to be so we shuffled the pack.  Results have been mixed but we know that was going to be the case with all these games piled up on us with our cup runs, but the next game’s Wembley!”

Tunbridge Wells began their campaign in the second round and their record in the competition this season has been:

Second Round: Tunbridge Wells 2-0 Wantage Town – Attendance: 159
Third Round: Binfield 1-2 Tunbridge Wells
Fourth Round:  Tunbridge Wells 1-0 Dunston – Attendance: 508
Fifth Round: Larkhall Athletic 3-4 Tunbridge Wells
Quarter-Final: Tunbridge Wells 2-0 Hadleigh United – Attendance: 1,180
Semi-Final First Leg: Tunbridge Wells 2-0 Shildon – Attendance: 1,744
Semi-Final Second Leg: Shildon 2-3 Tunbridge Wells (after extra time)

Seven of Tunbridge Wells’ goals have come from striker Andy Irvine, who was given a 45 minute run-out during the first half against Cray Valley earlier in the week.

Bourne says this is the biggest game in their lives.

He said: “Big as it gets in this level of football, step five.  Everyone would give their right arm to be walking out at Wembley and we’re lucky enough as a group of players and as a town and a county that we’re going to represent so it’s exciting times.”

Manager Martin Larkin, Bourne and central defender Perry Spackman all attended a media day at the home of English football to get a feel of the stadium.

“I was fortunate enough to go up there on a Wembley media day a couple of weeks ago to get a little taste of it,” said Bourne.

“We went in the changing rooms, walked out of the tunnel, had a little look around. It gives you a little picture in your head how it’s going to be like on the day.

“I’m the luckiest man in Wembley walking out for my home-town, leading my home town out at Wembley with my two children as mascots in front of the whole of Kent. There’s going to be over ten thousand out there. It doesn’t get any better than that as a footballer!”

Tunbridge Wells are the underdogs for Saturday’s showpiece final – but Bourne insists his team-mates are going there to cause an upset.

“Martin does all his homework on all the games. He doesn’t leave anything untouched so we know what they’re all about but it’s all about what we can do. How we can press high tempo, all the stuff that we’ve build the foundations on this season.

“We have to turn out and make sure we’re fully focused on the job ahead.  We’ll pay Spennymoor the respect they deserve. It’s ultimately going to be how we play.

“We’ve been underdogs in every single game that we’ve played in the Vase.  Nobody’s really backed us all the way through so now we’ve got to the final and being underdogs again is nothing new to us.

“We’ll embrace the challenge.  I think it’s quite nice that all the pressure being on them. They’re big spenders, we’re little old Tunbridge Wells, but we’re coming up there with heavy support so as far as I’m concerned it balances it back in our favour.”

The Kent football family will be making the pilgrimage to Wembley Stadium to support one of their own – and Bourne appreciates the well-wishers from around the county.

“It’s been amazing.  It’s not just the people of Tunbridge Wells, obviously they’ve bought the bulk of the tickets. There’s other people from clubs like Maidstone, Dartford, all wishing us well, (Tonbridge) Angels, Gillingham. 

“It’s going to be an amazing day. We’re just not doing this for Tunbridge Wells or ourselves, we’re doing it for the whole county.  The same as any team in the county we’ll be there supporting them so it’s just going to be an amazing day.”

Tunbridge Wells are only the sixth Kent club to play at Wembley Stadium:

1949 FA Amateur Cup Final – Bromley 1-0 Romford – attendance 96,000
1974 FA Trophy Final – Dartford 1-2 Morecambe
1999 Division Two Play-Off Final – Gillingham 2-2 Manchester City (Manchester City win 3-1 on penalties)
2000 Division Two Play-Off Final – Gillingham 3-2 Wigan Athletic (after extra time)
2000 FA Vase Final – Deal Town 1-0 Chippenham Town
2008 FA Trophy Final – Ebbsfleet United 1-0 Torquay United
2009 League Two Play-off Final – Gillingham 1-0 Shrewsbury Town

Bourne says he wants to go down in Kent footballing history to join those winners above.

He said: “There’s only one way to thoroughly enjoying the occasion and that’s by winning it and bringing the trophy home.

“Martin said as soon as we came off at Shildon, if we wanted a day out at Wembley, we would’ve booked the tour!

“This is a game of football. We’re not going there to eat triangle sandwiches and stuff like that! We’re going there to win and when we went there on the media day me and Perry saw the trophy and we said this will have to be a heck of a team to take this off us because we’re just not going to allow it, so whatever it takes on the day for us to get a result that’s what we’re going to do!”

Bourne revealed that Larkin hasn’t confirmed the starting line-up for the Kent’s biggest non-league game since Chris McPhee converted John Akinde’s cross in the FA Trophy Final five years’ ago.

“I’d like to think I’m number 2 on the day,” said Bourne.  “I don’t think anyone will know, we’ll have a light training session on Thursday, a team meeting on Friday morning and then we’re off.  I don’t suppose anyone will know (the team) until late Thursday at the earliest. Martin knows roughly give or take what he’s doing.”

The town of Tunbridge Wells have been buzzing ever since the club secured their place in the final after beating Northern League Shildon 4-3 on aggregate.

Bourne, a painter and decorator in his other life, is relishing the attention that everybody at the club are getting at the moment.

“I’m just Jason the decorator at work, but all this attention the club’s getting and we’re all getting personally it gets everyone talking,” he said.

“It gets everyone around the town buzzing. I coach Ridgeway under 10’s and all the boys’ there are coming up with their parents and they’re all excited. Hopefully it can inspire the kids to come up through the ranks. Even if you’re not going to be a professional footballer the Vase gives you a platform to go and play at the greatest stadium in the world.”

But Bourne just cannot wait until 3 o’clock on Saturday afternoon – when all the media hype from organisations who don’t even cover Kent League football gets forgotten about and an emotional game of football explodes into life.

He said: “We can talk about it all the time, there’s been loads of interviews over the last few weeks. It’s just about 3 o’clock on Saturday, that’s all it just comes down to.

“When you step out on the Wembley turf, it’s another football pitch, similar dimensions that you play on every week.  You’re playing against another step-five side. We put them up on pedestals, saying they’re going to be this and that, but they are just another step five side.

“There’s no reason why we can’t go there and win. The added bonus is it’s at Wembley Stadium. There’s fifteen thousand people there. That’s what makes it special.”

It would be brilliant for Kent football if Tunbridge Wells celebrate a glorious afternoon at Wembley Stadium.

It will take a massive contribution both on and off the pitch to make it happen.

“It seem a lifetime ago now when we were playing (holders) Dunston and it’s been one hell of a ride all the way through, twists and turns and comebacks and all sorts. 

“Just to boil it down to 90 minutes of football makes it sound fairly easy – no two ways about it!  It’s going to be the biggest challenge of our careers and that is going to be a day that we remember for the rest of our lives as a group of players, as a town, everyone is going to remember this.  This is going to be a real massive sporting occasion and one that we’re going to rise to.”

Three more working days remaining before Tunbridge Wells’ biggest game of their history.

“It hasn’t sunk in but I don’t think it will until after the occasion, until after it’s all said and done, done and dusted in the summer we’ll realise what’s happened to the club and until then I don’t think it will sink in. 

“Same as you guys, the local media coming up, it’s a big day for your guys as well. It doesn’t happen very often, going up in the Wembley press box and stuff like that.

“It’s going to be special for everyone!

“We’ve got no plans for losing so I’m not going to have any plans for crying. There will be no tears on the pitch from me whatever the outcome!”

Tunbridge Wells have today confirmed that 10,042 tickets have been sold at their end of the stadium.

Tickets cost £15 (adults) and £5 (under 16s) and are available from www.TheFA.com/tickets or by calling 0844 980 0656 and are also available on the day of the game from Wembley Stadium.

Visit Tunbridge Wells’ website: www.tunbridgewellsfc.co.uk

Spennymoor Town  v  Tunbridge Wells
The FA Carlsberg Vase Final
Saturday 4^th May 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Wembley Stadium, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 OWS