DOWN WEMBLEY HOWAY!
THE Northern League will have a club in the final of the FA Vase for the ninth consecutive year after South Shields overcame Coleshill Town.
It took a last minute Andrew Stephenson goal in the Midlands for the Mariners to take a one goal advantage into the second leg.
But in front of a capacity 3,464strong crowd at Mariners Park, Shields comfortably saw off the Colemen in the end, with two goals in the 90th minute after a nervy opening first half.
It will be a return to Wembley for joint-manager Graham Fenton, who won the FA Vase with North Shields in 2015.
The former Premier League player said: “We were magnificent today, we started ever so well and didn’t let Coleshill get a head of steam.
“They had ten maybe 15 minutes in the first half where they played quite well, but Julio Arca’s goal just set us on our way.
“He was magnificent today and he’s had a couple of tears in the dressing room, that shows how much it means to him.
“We’re delighted to be going to Wembley and with the squad of players we’ve got we don’t see why we can’t win it.”
The tie could have been very different as, after weathering an early storm, it was the visitors who looked most likely to score in a cagey opening 45.
Coleshill had the best chance of the first half when Jordan Nadat chested the ball into the path of Dean Rathbone whose half volley was brilliantly saved by Liam Connell.
The breakthrough came on the brink of half-time as Arca raced onto David Foley’s cutback to smash home from 20 yards to ease the nerves.
Neither side really pushed on after the break until Rob Briggs chipped the ball through to Gavin Cogdon, who in turn calmly lofted the ball over Paul Hathaway.
Two substitutes combined as Shields put the tie out of sight in the 90th minute, Alex Nicholson went on a surging 30-yard run before teeing up Carl Finnigan who tapped home from eight yards. Foley then played in Barrie Smith who added a fourth.
Coleshill boss Simon Lyons said: “I can’t fault the lads today they gave everything they had but Shields were simply better on the day.”