North Shields assistant manager Andy Bowman is hoping that Shields’ extra preparations will help them lift the FA Vase on Saturday afternoon.

Shields, who weren’t even included in the betting for the Vase by one bookmaker earlier in the season, will complete an extraordinary season if they win at Wembley this afternoon. They won promotion from the ENL second division last season, and have outlasted all the Northern League big guns to set up this afternoon’s final against Glossop, who lost to Whitley Bay in the 2009 final.

Shields couldn’t have prepared better this week. They’ve used the Newcastle and Sunderland facilities, and on their way down to Wembley used Aston Villa’s training ground, courtesy of one of Fenton’s old team mates, Gordon Cowans.

And as Bowman pointed out; “Graham also knows Tim Sherwood from his playing days, so the pair of them of them haven’t done too bad, they’ve taken their sides to Wembley for finals!

“We had a look at Wembley last night. I think it’s a great help to acclimatise the players to what they’ll be playing in. We can’t replicate the atmosphere of 10,000 people, but we think it’s a big help to be able to look around the stadium and get used to the surroundings.

“After all, it’s going to be one of the biggest days of their lives. Graham, Kev Hughes and Gareth Bainbridge went down to Wembley for the media day, and they came back gobsmacked at the stadium. There is no better place to play a football match.

“The lads have enjoyed the build up to the big day – for example, they’ve been fitted out with suits and tracksuits – and we’ve done a few things to help the preparations. We’ve tried to do everything as professionally as possible.”

Shields have watched their North West Counties League opponents on several occasions, as well looking at some scouting reports.

“We’ve watched Glossop three times since we got through. They’re a different team to us, they like to get the ball forward early and pick the bits up.

“They beat Dunston in an earlier round, and we’ve watched the DVD from that game, plus we’ve had a run down on them from other people.  They’ve done the double in their league, winning the league and league cup, and they’ll give us a really tough game. It’s going to be very competitive. We don’t know what team they’ll play, but we’ll be ready as much as possible for them.

“On the other hand, we like to get the ball down and knock it about. We’ll be wanting to get our wide lads on the ball as soon as we can, and stretch Glossop.

“Some of the players might freeze when the game kicks off.  Some will put their nerves to one side, and be ready to get on with the game. Some might think that they have to do something different. It’s hard to shut everything out on a day like this, but the opposition will be going through the same feelings. Not many of their lads have been here before either.

“But it’s important that we start the game better than them, and the players not spend the first 15 minutes looking for their mums in the crowd.

“It’s a massive achievement to get that far. To hear the likes of Thierry Henry, Kaolo Toure and Gareth Bale say that playing at Wembley is a big day for them at their level, then it must be absolutely gigantic for us. We must grab the opportunity with both hands and hope we get the right result.

“A lot of that is down to the way we prepare for matches. We leave no stone unturned, and we’re very thorough. Even as early as the first qualifying round at Northallerton, we’d been to watch them beforehand. Later in the competition when we played Phoenix Sports, Erith and Highworth, Graham went to see them play. It’s a matter of getting the little things right, and hoping that the little bit of extra work will help us win the Vase. Some of the lads might not get to play at Wembley again, and so they must grab this opportunity with both hands.”

Everyone connected with Shields is amazed that their season is ending with a game under the famous Arch, and their fairytale run has gripped the imagination in the town.

“We’ve done fantastic this season. When we won the second division championship last season, we sat down in the summer and looked ahead. We aimed for a midtable finish, and to have a decent run in one of the cups. It’s far to say that we’ve exceeded all expectations! We’ve finished fourth in the league – we had a chance of winning until we lost at Dunston – and we’ve got all the way to Wembley in the Vase final!”

There will be around 5,000 North Shields fans following the team today with 47 coachloads included. “It’s fantastic to have a following like that. All the buses and trains have been instantly booked, and everybody in the town has got on to it. The club has been putting on events in the town as part of the build up, and the community has become a part of it.”