IT MAY not have been the footballing fairytale Lee Blackshaw had dreamt of, but he still describes playing the last game of his non-league career at Wembley as magical.
There was heartbreak for the 32-year-old from Stockport Road, Mossley, as Glossop lost to an extra-time goal as North Shields lifted the FA Vase.
Blackshaw had decided long before the Hillmen reached Wembley that he was retiring at the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
Still Blackshaw was able to reflect on a season which, had Glossop won at Wembley, seen them clinch a unique treble as they had already been crowned North West Counties League, premier division champions and also won the MEN United Cup.
“It was almost the perfect season, apart from Wembley. But if you had said at the start of the season we would win two trophies you would have taken it with the Vase final a bonus,” he said.
Despite the disappointment, former Mossley player Blackshaw described the whole week as a “great experience”.
He explained: “We trained at Everton before leaving on Thursday for London and on Friday we trained at Arsenal.
“It was a great feeling to walk out on to the pitch at Wembley where there wasn’t a blade of grass out of place.”
And Glossop dared to dream after Tom Bailey gave them the lead 10 minutes into the second half.
North Shield equalised 11 minutes from the end of normal time through leading scorer Gareth Bainbridge before substitute Adam Forster scored the winner for the North East side six minutes into the first half of extra time.
Blackshaw, who was substituted after 69 minutes, said: “We didn’t look like conceding until we did so from a set piece which were are usually very good at dealing with.
“That late goal gave North Shields a lift and we lost our legs in extra time when they were the better side.
“At the end of the day it was still a great achievement to get there and a dream come true to play at Wembley.”
Blackshaw was joined at Wembley by three other former Mossley players as Dave Young captained the side and Sam Hind were in the starting line-up while Ben Richardson was an unused substitute. Hillmen’s boss Chris Willcock has also managed Mossley.
Later there was an open-top bus tour of Glossop to mark the club’s most successful season of the modern era as they paraded their silverware before Blackshaw retired to concentrate on work and parenthood as he is due to become a father for the first time any day.
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