Latest news with #IsuzuFAVase
BBC News
07-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Whitstable Town secure trip to Wembley for FA Vase final
A non-league football club in Kent is celebrating after securing a trip to Wembley Stadium for the first time in its Town Football Club drew 0-0 against Hartpury University FC in the second leg of the Isuzu FA Vase semi-final on Sunday – progressing 2-0 on have called the achievement "unbelievable" and said that reaching the final was a "dream come true".Whitstable Town manager, Jamie Coyle, said: "We're hoping to take as many fans as we possibly can. It's going to be one hell of a final." Supporter Polly Burgess she hoped that abut 6,000 Whitstable Town fans would make the trip to Wembley."We're really pleased for the boys, for the fans, the coaches – the club deserves it," she said."It's going to be fantastic. If we can get a huge contingent up there, it will be amazing."Fellow fan Nathan Grant said the day of the semi-final second leg began "a bit nervy", but the atmosphere improved in the second half when the trip to the capital looked certain."I've got a sore throat and struggling to talk this morning after so much singing," he said."I'm very happy and relieved that it's over and we're going to Wembley."Whitstable always travel with a large amount of fans and they didn't let the town down."Whitstable Town will play AFC Whyteleafe in the final on 11 May.
BBC News
05-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hartpury's Stephen Sarkodie hopes to fly mum out for Wembley game
A goalkeeper who moved to England with a dream of playing at Wembley may fly his mother from Ghana to watch it come Sarkodie arrived in England in 2018 to pursue his education at Hartpury University in Gloucestershire, and turned down a professional contract to put his studies Sarkodie, who learnt English before moving, said the language had been "the most challenging", but had shared his culture with his team by cooking them jollof - a traditional West African rice a Master's student, he will play against Whitstable Town with his Hartpury University team mates on Sunday in the Isuzu FA Vase semi-final second leg. Mr Sarkodie told BBC Radio Gloucestershire he had been on "a long journey" since moving to England."I've always had a dream of getting a degree before I play football so I wanted to focus on that dream and that's how I ended up here," he said."In Ghana, going to school is one of the most important things to do and my mum has always supported that, so to fulfil my mum's dream, I just wanted to get a degree."Mr Sarkodie said to move to England, he had to pass his English exam, but the language was not the only "challenging" aspect of moving thousands of miles from home. Cultural differences "The culture is quite different to where I was, everything is about church, Christianity and religion [in Ghana]," he said."I'm still drawn to my local food, I still eat that a lot. My favourite Ghanaian food is jollof - it is made of rice and tomato sauce - with plantain on the side. "My favourite English food is mashed potato and sausages."The Sports business management student said he introduced his team mates to jollof, and they thought it was "the best food in the world". 'Wembley dream' Mr Sarkodie has special plans for 11 May at Wembley Stadium, if all goes well on Sunday."I'm going to fly my mum to England for the first time to watch me play at Wembley," he said."I've always had a dream of playing Wembley, the dream is not gone yet."We still believe, and I still believe, we're going to get there."
