“I’m just gutted for them that they couldn’t do it… it really was heart-breaking to see them after the game!” Corinthian boss Michael Golding’s thoughts for his gallant side came agonisingly close to reaching the Buildbase FA Vase Final.

In Saturday’s Semi Final, Golding’s side were within two minutes of the Final through Oscar Housego’s penalty until Hebburn levelled themselves from the spot before taking the lead in Extra Time.

The Hoops though showed incredible resilience and took the game to penalties when they converted a second spot kick courtesy of Jamie Billings.

There was though a disappointing end to a dramatic afternoon as the Northern League side won a shoot out and will now head to the Final.

For Golding and his players… “It was a tough one to take” the boss admitted. “Having taken the lead in the first couple of minutes of the second half to then give away the penalty was bitterly disappointing, I’ve watched the video back and it was a penalty so there’s no arguments there.

“We then get back into it with our second penalty deep into the second half of extra time, and you just think that of there had been a few more minutes of extra time, where they were on top at two one to them in the extra period, but once it went to 2-2 there was only one side in it and we had two or three chances with one cleared off the line in the last minute, it just wasn’t meant to be. Its tough to take, when we lost the League to Cray Valley that was a tough week for us but this.”

“We’ve got a midweek game with Lordswood and we’ll get in early and have a chat about the weekend. I think when you look at the Hebburn side, they set out with a clear goal of getting to the Vase Final this year, now theres not too many sides that I know of at our level who are so open and vocal about that, but that’s all credit to them and they’ve achieved what they set our to do which is fantastic.

“They signed I think it was six players with previous Vase Final experience and they were good! Now we’ve got that close why can’t we be one of the sides that turn round and say, “we’re getting to the Vase Final this year”?

“I know the boys will be desperate to put it right and you need that little bit of luck and you need the luck of the drawer on the way!

“We don’t come into this year’s competition until November so we can put that to the back of our minds until then but I know there’ll be lingering at the back of the boys minds when we do resume that competition.

“I’m so proud of what my players have achieved in the whole Vase run. We were three two down to Leighton in the Quarter Finals, we were dead and buried and had no running left in us and then Oscar Housego puts in a free kick that our captain Jack Bath puts in a header and again at three all, we were the only side in it.

“It happened again on Saturday in Extra Time where the game was drifting away from us when Manny Oloyede runs into the box and gets a foul and it just gave the boys a second wind and they never ever cease to amaze me, they are such a committed group of boys and they work so incredibly hard for each other and they expect such high standards of each other.

“I’m just gutted for them that they couldn’t do it and it really was heart-breaking to see them after the game! We’ve left four players out of the squad which was just as heart-breaking, they were boys who I’ve coached for nearly ten years and who I would consider close friends were left out of the squad completely.

“That was difficult, but one thing I did learn was that you can never write this group off, it wasn’t to be, but it certainly wasn’t for the want of trying.”

As the boss told us, Corinthian are back in midweek when they face Lordswood, who themselves suffered a disappointing five nil defeat against Tunbridge Wells at the weekend, a result that Golding was mindful of when he said, “Both sides will be saying that its either the best or worse side to play each other.

“We’re coming off a massive and heart-breaking defeat on Saturday, whilst Neil (Hunter) and his boys got beaten convincingly at home, so they’ll be desperate to go out and prove a point.

“I’m just hoping that my boys are angrier and want to go out and put some of the wrongs right against Lordswood.

“It’ll be very interesting to see how the game pans out, but if we want to do well this year in the League, which is what we’ve set out to do, we’ve been open and vocal about that this year, then we have no choice than not to feel sorry for ourselves and go out and get that result.”