It was nearly two months after the semi final that the day finally arrived for Bromley to play in the FA Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium against Brackley Town of National League North.

In that time the club had seen it’s profile within the town raised almost back to the days of 1949 when we last played at Wembley Stadium, winning the FA Amateur Cup 1-0 over Romford in front of 94,000. Ticket sales had reached 17,000 on the Friday, over ten times the average home gate for a National League game at Hayes Lane and 100 times more than when I first started going in 1977 with attendances of 150.

Myself, my wife and my son headed into Bromley for breakfast before heading down to Bromley South station. There were loads of people in Bromley FC gear dotted about who had the same idea. When we got to the station my Dad was waiting for us and there were hundreds queueing up for tickets to take one of the specially laid on trains up to London Victoria. Once person in particular it was great to see was Paul Edwards, Bromley captain from 1985 to 1990 and cult hero to us from that era. Those unaware of the towns football team making it to the final looked completely take back by it all. We met up with my son’s school mate and his Dad to travel up together and the boys were excited almost as much as the Dad’s.

With two seven years olds in the party, we decide to go via Marylebone to Wembley Stadium and avoid the big queues, but we still saw plenty of fans making their way up including several familiar faces among the hundreds I’d never seen before.

As we walked up the steps from the station we caught the first glimpse of the arch and the shear enormous size of the new stadium, it was 2pm and the Vase Final was just coming to an end, while outside fans of both sides mingled and looked at what the new Wembley retail complex has to offer. There was also an event on at The Arena, adding to the number of people around the area. We made our way up the steps to the stadium and then straight in through entrance H for block 140. As we walked in Thatcham Town were lifting the Vase and I quickly took my son to see it and what the stadium looked like from inside, his face was a picture and he launched in to ‘the floss’ dance which nearly every kid his age seems to do when they are happy.

We exchanged greeting with loads of familiar Bromley faces and had a quick drink, also meeting up with Mike Green from KSN and his daughter, before taking our seats as the players went through their warm up. The stadium filled up as time sped past, but by the time the teams had come out for the anthem there were still empty areas of seats in the Bromley section, I later found out that there had been not enough turnstiles open or staff on to help with the scanning issues on the ticket bar codes. Some supporters missed up to fifteen minutes of the game and were on the end of some very heavy handed stewarding, which continued throughout the game.

The game kicked off with Bromley attacking the far end, closer to the Brackley fans, it was very open for a while with both teams looking to attack, Adam Mekki looked on his game and he was to set up the opening goal on 18minutes when he played in Omar Bugeil who coolly slipped the ball into the corner of the net for 1-0. Our quarter of the ground erupted, we’d made the perfect start. There were chances at either end, George Porter going agonisingly close for us, but half time came with us still leading by the only goal.

The second half saw momentum steadily shift in the favour of Brackley, three early subs robbed us of any attacking threat from midfield as Adam Mekki, Louis Dennis and George Porter were all replaced, we’d set our tactics to defend and hoping to get the ball up to forwards Brandon Hanlan and Omar Bugeil.

This had worked at Orient in December, but Brackley were a better side than The Os, they hit the post, David Gregory made several outstanding, brave saves and Jordan Higgs cleared one off the line. Hanlan had two one on ones with their keeper, but both times he made vital blocks with his legs to deny the nineteen year old striker who had been on loan from Charlton since January.

With only minutes left on the clock Brackley had one more push, even their keeper went up for corners, it looked like Bromley may just hold out but twenty seconds from the end of injury time came the inevitable equaliser, later given as a Roger Johnson own goal. Gregory making another great save, but this time the rebound was despatched into the one part of the goal he was unable to cover.

There was now no way back, with five defenders on the pitch, no wingers and two increasingly isolated strikers all we could hope for was another thirty minutes of dogged defending and holding on for penalties. Brackley looked like the only team who had the ability to win the game and seemed fresher. Maybe playing competitive games right up to last weekend had helped them rather than the three weeks off Bromley had? More of our players went down with cramp than theirs. As it was no one really looked like scoring and it went to penalties.

The penalties again saw us lead and look to have the advantage, but at 4-3 up Omar Bugeil, who had been blighted by cramp all extra time, put too much on his spot kick and it sailed over the bar, which would have won us the match. Brackely pulled it back to 4-4 and then in sudden death captain Jack Holland hit the outside of the post with his side footed spot kick, this meant all The Saints had to do was convert their sixth kick to win, which they did comfortably.

The Brackley players all raced off towards the red and white corner of the stadium and Bromley’s hit the deck in despair, eventually picking themselves up to come over to the 17,000 fans backing them and acknowledge the support.

The loss hit supporters new and old very hard, I was far more gutted than I thought I would be and so were many others who I have stood with over the years. This once in a lifetime opportunity for many of us had been missed, it could easily be another 69 years until we reach the final again, hopefully my son and his mate will be there to see it, but for my generation it feels like we’ve had our chance and missed it by twenty seconds.

Brackley deserved the win, they were far more attacking and pinned us back in our own half for long periods of the second half. But any later criticism of Neil Smith seems harsh given what has been achieved under his management and the fact we have finished the season with our highest every finish in The National League and FA trophy finalists. If we’d have held on for twenty more seconds, he would have been vindicated in his tactics. We have to learn from disappointment and hopefully we’ll come back that little bit wiser and stronger for next season. If we keep the same squad and add one or two, then we really could make the play offs this time.

A few days on and it still hurts, we lost the game from winning positions not once, but twice, but there was also so much positive stuff to take from the day. I’ve seen Bromley play at Wembley in a major cup final, I got to see this with three generations of my family, my wife and good friends. The feeling when we took the lead can’t be explained and 17,000 people from The London Borough of Bromley got behind their local team and showed what potential is there if we continue to be successful.

It was an honour to be there…