WEMBLEY WINNERS: My proudest ever day - McPhee

HERO Chris McPhee claimed all the media attention for his memorable five minutes at Wembley Stadium on Saturday as Ebbsfleet United brought the FA Carlsberg Trophy to Kent for the very first time, writes Stephen McCartney.

The 25-year-old, who played for opponents Torquay United last season, saw his 40^th minute spot-kick saved by goalkeeper Martin Rice - but he bounced back by scoring the winner on the stroke of half-time.

Local and national reporters swarmed around McPhee in the mixed zone at the national stadium and level-headed McPhee shone in the limelight.

Whilst celebrating his goal, the versatile McPhee revealed a t-shirt with “4 U SIS” written on it - he had dedicated his goal and his heroic performance to his sister Paula, who suffers from ME.

“It was dedicated to my sister, whose been struggling with ME and has been home bound for a long, long time,” McPhee told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

"She’s managed to make her way to Wembley today and it was a particular moment for me and my family.

“The goal and the victory is dedicated to her. I’m proud she’s made her way to Wembley after the problems that she’s had. She’s not even been able to go downstairs or even out the door so the fact that she was here today meant a lot to both me and the family.

“I was pleased (that) I put right what I didn’t manage to do with the penalty and I wanted to show my appreciation to my family for making the effort and showing my shirt to my sister to say this goal and the performance is for her.

“I only found out yesterday (Friday) that she was actually coming to Wembley because originally she was down to come to Wembley but through illness she had to give up her ticket. She felt she couldn’t come for the past week and obviously a lot of talk about Wembley around the house and everything she decided to ask my dad to get a disabled ticket.

“I believe there was one disabled ticket in the Ebbsfleet end left. She’s made the trip down, left with plenty of time because she had a lot of stops and all the attention she needed to get here and the fact that she is here today it sums how close our family is and how important it is to see each other succeed.

“I was absolutely proud as I could ever be, walking out there with my finance’s little boy by my side and standing there looking into the crowd whilst the national anthem’s playing, seeing your family sitting there willing you to do well is just the proudest moment at my career really and I know the rest of the team feel the same so it was a truly magnificent day for everyone involved.”

McPhee, however, joins the likes of Gary Lineker, Stuart Pearce and Gareth Southgate having missed a penalty at Wembley Stadium - but quickly put that disappointment behind him by scoring the only goal of the game within five minutes of his heartbreak.

“The goalkeeper’s done well, he’s got a strong hand to it,” admitted McPhee. “I didn’t quite strike it as well as I’d hoped - straight down the middle - but it’s just one of those things in football.

“People miss penalties all the time, top class players miss penalties but it’s how you react as a team and as individuals and obviously we’ve come out on top at the end of the game.

“I hadn’t done anything different. I approached it the same way and that’s my first penalty miss of my professional career, so I’ve got to put it at the back of my mind.

“Obviously it’s a big stage but we bounced back and we still won the game so I’m happy and delighted for the boys as well.”

But the Kent party began as soon as McPhee slid in and poked the ball into the bottom right-hand corner, after John Akinde, 18, did ever so well down the left hand side to set up the right-footed finish from six-yards.

“It’s every Englishman’s dream to play at Wembley,” he said. “To score a goal is beyond my wildest dreams really. It’s an achievement I’m going to hold close to my heart for the rest of my life.

“I’m never going to forget that I’ve scored at Wembley and it’s been a fantastic day and I’ll treasure for ever.”

When asked whether it was fate that he had scored against his former employers - at Wembley Stadium - McPhee replied: “You could say that but I don’t personally deserve in fate.

“You see in football all the time players score against their old clubs. I don’t think it’s fate. I just couldn’t miss. John Akinde’s created for me and I’ve managed to get into the box and that’s part and parcel of football.

The Fleet have beaten three of the top five Blue Square Premier clubs to climb those 107 steps to claim the biggest prize in non-league football.

And McPhee said: “We’ve shown our character by beating big, big sides on our way to Wembley and we turned up here today against a strong Torquay side, who were fully fit and could pick their best eleven and we fully much played them off the park and deservedly got the result.

“I’ve been lucky to miss only two games through injury and the rest of it I’ve pretty much played every minute so it’s been a proud season for myself and to top it off being at Wembley and lifting the Cup and scoring a goal I don’t think it can get any better really.

There is plenty of talk over McPhee’s future, but he said: “I’ll be sitting down with the manager in the coming weeks and discussing terms and the situation but I’ve got an England tour to prepare for next week so I won’t be able to put the boots away just yet.

“So whatever happens I’ll be ever so happy to stay because I’ve enjoyed my season immensely. Its been a fantastic year for the Fleet and for me personally as well.

I fully expect us to give a good challenge next season, we’ll be well and truly up there, if not winning the championship, which I feel we’re well capable of if we play like we have down in recent weeks, and if not we’ll fancy ourselves in the play-off’s.

“The two legged affair (against Aldershot Town) we’ve shown that we can beat anybody and on our day in a final we can beat anybody as well.”

Meanwhile, despite their heroics at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, the FA Carlsberg Trophy has been taken away from us!

But don’t worry as heroic boss Liam Daish had his right arm around the silverware whilst sitting in his back garden in Hayling Island, Hampshire.

Daish was being interviewed LIVE on BBC South East Today this evening.

Visit Ebbsfleet United’s website: www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk