THE FA VASE FINAL 2013: The more people we can get to Wembley the better, says Martin Larkin

Wednesday 24th April 2013
SPENNYMOOR TOWN chairman Brad Groves may have a big-budget to spend on his players – but his club cannot claim to be well-supported for The FA Carlsberg Vase Final at Wembley Stadium.


Kent Hurlimann Football League club Tunbridge Wells have today confirmed that 8,420 tickets have been sold at their end of the national stadium for the showpiece final on 4 May.

Martin Larkin’s side bid to become only the second Kent side to go all the way and clinch the silverware and look to emulate Tommy Sampson’s Deal Town side of 2000 when THAT dramatic late goal by Roly Graham was enough to beat Chippenham Town in the last ever final to be played underneath the iconic Twin Towers.

The Kent Football Family enjoy a big-day out at Wembley Stadium and Larkin, 32, wants to a sea of Kentish well-wishers to turn out in force on Saturday week.

He said: “We’re going to have a massive, massive crowd there and that’s going to have a massive impact on the day.

“We’ve sold a lot more tickets than they have as well, so we’re going to use that and embrace it.

“The Kent football family is a big one. There’s a lot of clubs in Kent. It’s a shame the final is on the Ryman League Division One South play-off final day.

“The more people we can get the better because we want to come out of that tunnel and see an absolute field of red and turn left and see empty seats where their fans are.  If we can do that it will be a massive boost for the players.”

Spennymoor Town chairman Mr Groves told
www.spennymoortownfc.co.uk that the long distance (700-mile round trip) will be a stumbling block for his fans and those from Northern League clubs.

He said: “We’d expect Tunbridge Wells to do well in terms of selling tickets, they’re a lot nearer (to Wembley) for a start and Spennymoor is a third the size of their town.

“There’s also the novelty factor. The Northern League has pretty much dominated the FA Vase Final for a few years now, so where Tunbridge Wells will be getting a lot of interest from football fans throughout Kent, a lot of neutral Northern League fans have already been there and got the T-shirt.

“But we’d still hope to have a total of about 5,000 people supporting Spennymoor on the day, which would be fantastic for us.

“We’ve sold just under 2,600 tickets via the FA up to now but we’re yet to add all our corporate sponsors to the total figures, which will take us to just over 3,000 currently. Fans should also note they can buy tickets on the gate at Wembley on the day.

“The challenge now is to shift another 2,000 in the next 10 days or so and we’d urge the people of Spennymoor who haven’t committed yet to do so.

“Reaching the final is already an historic achievement and if you’re from Spennymoor, you really want to be able to say ‘I was there when Spenny played at Wembley for the first time’.”

The FA have confirmed that ticket prices are £15 (adults) and £5 (under 16s) and fans following Tunbridge Wells have to be quick to get their hands on the hottest ticket in town.

You can purchase yours via The Football Association’s website:  www.TheFA.com/tickets or by calling 0844 980 0656 and tickets are also available on the day of the game at Wembley Stadium.

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

Visit Spennymoor Town’s website: www.spennymoortownfc.co.uk

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