MILLY'S MEN ON A HAPPY HALIDAY

AS cup finals go, it was hardly a classic, but FC Halifax Town boss Chris Millington didn’t care a jot after steering the Shaymen to a second FA Trophy success in seven years.

- Jon Couch at Wembley

Unfortunately for the neutrals in a 27,374 Wembley crowd, it was a sloppy mistake as opposed to a moment of magic which settled this rather drab contest – midfielder Jamie Cooke charging down goalkeeper James Montgomery’s attempted clearance into an empty net following Louis Storey’s weak back pass just before half-time.

Gateshead plugged away in search of an equaliser but the culmination of a threadbare squad due to injuries, ineligiblity, and a gruelling end-of-season schedule clearly took its toll on Mike Williamson’s men.

“You can see exactly what we set out to do,” Millington explained. “Gateshead are a team we know well and they are a team we really enjoy playing in that they pose so many tactical questions that we have to be prepared to answer, and they did that again today, in bucketloads.”

FC Halifax came into this Wembley showcase as one of the form sides of the National League, unbeaten in eight – including a fine 3-1 win over champions Wrexham – since their penalty shootout success over Altrincham in the semi-final.