CONSETT chairman Frank Bell has mixed feelings about his club’s trip to Wembley for the all-Northern League 2020 Buildbase FA Vase final this Bank Holiday Monday.

Consett and their opponents, Hebburn Town, will both be appearing at Wembley for the first time in their history – the latest in a long line of EBAC Northern League clubs to do so in the Vase final – but the 90,000-seater stadium will be eerily empty for the biggest day in both clubs’ history.

The competition has been badly delayed because of the pandemic, and Bank Holiday Monday is the only date that was available for the FA to organise the final as a showpiece Wembley event.

The game will be followed by the 2020 Buildbase FA Trophy final between Harrogate Town, now of League Two, and Concord Rangers, again without a crowd.

The compensation for all four clubs is that both games are being televised free-to-air by BT Sport, but as Bell points out, it is not the same for the club’s supporters.

“It’s going to be the biggest moment in Consett’s 122-year history, to get a chance to play at Wembley,” he said. “We’ve never been anywhere near Wembley in our history before – the club has been through so much else, such as moving to a new stadium a few years ago.

“It’s great for the club, the management team, players and officials, but unfortunately their families and fans can’t be there because of the Covid restrictions.

"It would have been great to have a few thousand people follow us to Wembley, but unfortunately it isn’t to be.

“We’ve tried in all sorts of ways to play the game in front of fans, but unsuccessfully. We’ve spoken to our MP, the FA, and the DCMS (Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport), and nothing can be done.

"I even suggested that only our 300 loyal season-ticket holders attend, but even that was turned down. If 300 people can go to the Crucible Theatre and watch snooker indoors, why can’t 300 people go in the open air to Wembley?

“Having said that, we’re mindful of the big challenges that people, companies and organisations have faced because of the pandemic over the last 12 months, and we count ourselves fortunate to be playing at Wembley.”

With the Northern League season having been cut short in December last year because of the pandemic, the Steelmen have lacked match practice, and have been playing friendlies in recent weeks

“I’m not sure how sharp our players are going to be because we haven’t played for four months, but the manager and the coaches are working really hard on that," added Bell. "Hebburn, of course, have been in this season’s competition and have played a couple of games.

“We’ve been a successful club over the last few years, and many other clubs would love to be playing on Monday.

“It’s easy to get dragged down by some of the negatives over this game, but at least we’re getting a chance to play at Wembley, and hopefully we’ll bring the Vase back with us.”