Story and Photos by David Nelson. The die-hard supporters of Spennymoor Town Football Club are a small but resolute bunch. In recent years they have endured extreme lows, the most significant of which was the loss of their clubhouse (the financial lifeblood of most non-league football clubs struggling to compete for peoples attention against the might of professional football) to a Christmas Day fire in 2003. The club tried in vain to keep their heads above water financially but ultimately 2005 marked the demise of Spennymoor United AFC and its proud 101 year history. Spennymoor United had gone in name but its spirit lived on with the formation of Spennymoor Town FC. Having dropped significantly down the non-league football pyramid, the newly formed club set about recovering to its rightful place, largely due in no small part to the takeover of the club by former Aston Villa footballer Bradley Groves. Under the guidance of manager Jason Ainsley they have gone on to become Northern League Champions three years in a row between 2010 and 2012, in what is widely regarded to be the strongest regional football league in the country. No mean feat for a club on the brink of extinction less than a decade ago. This season has been a particularly arduous but rewarding one for the players, staff and fans alike, which has resulted in over 70 competitive matches including 4 cup finals. A commitment that would make a professional teams eyes water. For some perspective local top flight team Sunderland will have played 43 competitive games by the end of the Premier League Season and even despite Newcastle Uniteds much bemoaned and lengthy Europa Cup run they will have only played 54 matches by the season end. It has been a long season by any teams standards and the success Spennymoor has achieved has come at a price: For the past few months they have typically played a match every other day to make up for postponements due to weather conditions or cup commitments. Despite a fourth consecutive league title being just out of reach they pushed an excellent Darlington 1883 team (a club equally determined to get back to their rightful place following liquidation) to the wire. Despite just falling short in the league all the blood, sweat and tears have been worth it, because it resulted in Spennymoors first appearance in a Wembley final in the form of The FA Carlsberg Vase (the first of three cup finals they will play this week). A prospect that would have been unthinkable to those loyal supporters back in 2005.
Spennymoors road to Wembley has been an epic journey in itself, with the team traveling over 1175 miles, which includes an unforgettable trip to the Channel Islands, and being watched by 7926 supporters during their FA Vase campaign leading up to the final. In earlier rounds Spennymoor had fought off opposition from across the country, including former winners Bridlington Town. The final hurdle to cross to get to Wembely was a two-legged semi-final against a very strong Gurnsey FC, who now boast former England international Matthew le Tissier on their playing staff, in what must have felt like an international fixture for players and the handful of fans able to make the journey. The logistics of the journey resulted in the club, with assistance from sponsors and local businesses, having to charter their own flight to make the 728 mile round trip to the Channel Islands. Once there, the game was only able to take place thanks to the efforts of a skilled local helicopter pilot who hovered over a waterlogged area of the Guernsey pitch using the downdraft from the rotor blades to dry up heavy overnight rain. Not a conventional approach but it worked. Spennymoor were rewarded with a 3-1 away victory in front of 4290 supporters, which they consolidated a week later with a 1-0 home victory to secure their place in the final against Kent Premier League team Tunbridge Wells FC. In the run-up to the final the word on everyones lips in Spennymoor was Wembley. It brought a real buzz to the town, which has had little to celebrate in recent years, with many large employers in the town falling victim to the financial downturn. Despite the gloom, the success of the local team on the pitch in recent years culminated in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the local team play at the national stadium. The small number of those loyal fans were swelled significantly by people wanting to be part of the towns biggest occasion in living memory. On the morning of the 4th May 2013 a convoy of 23 coaches set off on the long journey to the capital with countless other fans were making their way by train and car. Reaching the final was achievement enough, but Spennymoor manager Ainsley made no bones of the fact they were going into the match to win. In a pre-match interview he said We have a really good team, so hopefully they will turn up and show everybody that we are a very good side and take our place in history. Walking up Wembley Way towards the ground and its iconic arch it was more than apparent that the Spennymoor fans would be significantly outnumbered by the opposition from Kent. It was a sea of red with only a smattering of black and white to be seen. In front of a less than packed house of 16,751 Wembley wasnt exactly packed to the rafters, but the noise generated by both sets of supporters was electric. Spennymoor were lead out by captain Daniel Bobby Moore who was unfortunate enough to suffer a broken right ankle in a match just over a week prior to the final. Despite initially playing on during that game for ten minutes he eventually had to admit defeat and the eventual results of the x-ray destroyed the 28 year olds dream of playing at Wembley. It would not, however, stop him leading his team out onto the Wembley turf, all be it with the aid of crutches after being granted special dispensation prior to the match by the FA. It made for a rousing start for the final and epitomized the bulldog spirit the Spennymoor team have demonstrated all season. Once the formalities of the pre-match lineups, handshakes, national anthem and team photos had been completed the important business of determining who would lift the 2013 FA Carlsberg Vase could begin. After a scrappy start to the game both teams seemed nervous in the opening exchanges, but eventually Spennymoor settled and took the lead through a well placed Gavin Cogdon header on eighteen minutes sending the travelling Spennymoor fans into raptures. Spennymoor bossed the remainder of the first half but were unable to add to their tally in the first half. The second half started in a similar vein with Spennymoor just edging it with chances at either end, the most clear cut falling to Mark Davison who had an excellent chance to double Spennymoors advantage, but his header flashed just past the Tunbridge Wells post. As he lay on the Wembley pitch head in hands he knew he had missed an excellent opportunity to seal the victory. It looked even more of a costly miss when Tunbridge Wells Josh Stanford scored a well taken equalizer in the 78th minute. This seemed to spark Spennymoor back into action and within two minutes of the equalizer, Keith Graydon crashed home a shot from range to put Spennymoor back into the lead. He wheeled away to celebrate in front of the Spennymoor fans. This time they maintained their composure and despite five added minutes held their nerve to end their first Wembley final victorious. After the celebrations on the pitch and in the stands had subsided it was time for the formal presentations and to climb the famous 107 steps to the Royal Box. As is tradition, the losing team are first to make the painful journey. Tunbridge Wells had done extremely well to progress to the final, making a competitive game of it, but it wasnt quite enough for their numerous travelling supporters. Spennymoor were led up by injured captain and talisman Daniel Bobby Moore who had dispensed with his crutches to climb the steps and lift the trophy. He must have dreamed about doing just that a couple of weeks ago but in different circumstances and certainly not in a sharp suit. As he lifted the trophy aloft his emotion was plain for all to see. Whilst he didnt get to play football on the Wembley pitch, he still played a huge part in leading his team to winning The FA Carlsberg Vase 2013. Next up for the team is an open top bus parade of the town, a league match on Monday and another cup final on Wednesday. Its never a dull moment playing and supporting Spennymoor Town.
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