Pain but pride for Spennymoor Town after FA Trophy final defeat at Wembley
PAIN but pride for Spennymoor Town.
The former comes with the territory of any loss in a final but the latter should be the overriding emotion when the dust settles for the National League North side, who defied the odds in reaching Wembley but just fell short of what would have been a historic victory.
Spennymoor were the underdogs against Aldershot Town in the FA Trophy final on Sunday but it's in those circumstances that Graeme Lee's side have thrived in the competition this season.
Boston, Sutton and Rochdale were all supposed to see off Moors but were stunned by the part-timers, and while reaching Wembley was understandably celebrated as a remarkable achievement in itself, Lee's message in the week of the game was consistent and clear: we're here to win.
And they could have done. Maybe they would have done had Rob Ramshaw taken a glorious chance to give Moors a lead at the midway point of the first half.
It's moments like that where finals are won and lost. Aldershot, who play in the league above Moors, were contained and frustrated in the first half but the brighter and the better of the two sides in the second half, their 3-0 victory secured thanks to goals from Jack Barham just after the break, Dan Ellison 19 minutes from time and a stunning late third from Josh Barrett. The scoreline was harsh on Moors.
This was always going to be an emotional affair whatever the outcome for Lee, who has done a sterling job since taking charge of Spennymoor at the start of last year. The 46-year-old sprinkled the ashes of his late dad, Tony, a former Moors boss himself, on the Wembley pitch before kick-off. And he'll be immensely proud of his players' efforts while no doubt wondering what might have been.
It wasn't to be the dream birthday that Glen Taylor had hoped for. Spennymoor's record goalscorer turned 35 on Sunday and the captain hoped to mark the occasion by lifting the FA Trophy for the first time in the club's history. It turned out to be a frustrating afternoon for the striker, though, who tried the most audacious of overhead kicks from the edge of the box after just five minutes but after that didn't get the chance and moment he would have hoped for.
On the biggest stage in the biggest game of their lives, nerves will have no doubt been present for Spennymoor but didn't show. They settled well and should have scored the opening goal when Finley Shrimpton broke away down the right and teed up Ramshaw on the penalty spot but the forward, usually lethal in front of goal, scuffed his tame effort straight at Aldershot keeper Marcus Dewhurst.
There was nothing routine about Brad James' full-stretch save to deny a curling Barrett effort moments later but that was as close as Aldershot came in the opening period. Spennymoor were organised, disciplined and more than a match for their National League opponents.
But they fell behind just three minutes into the second half when James Henry broke down the right and his cross was turned in by Barham at the back post.
The opener energised Aldershot and the game's second goal looked likely to go the way of Widdrington's side. Substitute Kai Corbett was bright. Lee turned to his bench at the midway stage of the second half and introduced Aidan Rutledge, the hero who scored the last minute equaliser to send the semi-final tie against Rochdale to penalties.
But there was no rescue act this time around. Within a couple of minutes of the change, Aldershot had their second goal, defender Ellison meeting a corner from the left and heading into the far corner.
Moors stuck at it but ran out of steam, Barrett sealing the Aldershot victory with a stunning left-footed strike from the edge of the area.
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