Spennymoor Town FC fan pays £1,000 to get others to Wembley final
Fan pays £1,000 to get others to Wembley final
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Gemma Sherlock
BBC News, North East and Cumbria
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Spennymoor Town FC
Gary Finley, left, donated £1,000, to help fans watch Spennymoor FC at Wembley
A football fan has paid £1,000 to help others travel to Wembley for an FA Trophy final.
Lifelong Spennymoor Town FC fan Gary Finley said he had to "follow his heart" and pay transport costs for more than 65 fans going to watch their team play Aldershot Town on Sunday.
It comes after Spennymoor Town Council refused to help the club pay for fans to travel to the final as part of their Back the Fans and Pack the Stands campaign.
The council said it wanted to prioritise money on ailing public infrastructure, but admitted plans were being worked on for a civic reception and celebrations should the Moors win.
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Spennymoor Town FC are headed to Wembley for the FA Trophy Final
The club had already paid for some fans to get to the final as part of its campaign but had asked the council to consider allocating up to £20,000 from its general reserves.
The Back The Fans, Fill the Stands campaign allows people and businesses to donate directly to the club's PayPal account, with all donations going towards fan transport to Wembley.
Mr Finley said while it was "fantastic" seeing the club support fans, its purse strings were tight.
"I just want to help the club get the best backing they can by contributing financially," he added.
"It would be fantastic to see as many Moors fans as possible to see their heroes play, and hopefully win, at Wembley.
"Our family has been loyal supporters of our hometown club for decades and my son is the club's under-18s supporters' representative, so we just want all fans of all ages to see the lads play on the hallowed turf and bring the trophy home."
Spennymoor beat Rochdale AFC 5-4 on penalties to secure their place in the FA Trophy final.
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