Whitley Bay hero Ian Chandler thought that he was going to be subbed before he scored the winning goal which gave his side the FA Carlsberg Vase at Villa Park on Saturday.

Chandler grabbed the all important goal of a nervous final seven minutes into stoppage time to make Whitley the second team from the Albany Northern League to win the competition.

For long periods, it looked as if one goal would decide the destiny of the Vase, and when Andy Bowes missed a second-half penalty, many felt their chance had gone. But Chandler struck with a firm header in the seventh minute of extra time to send Tiptree back to Essex empty handed - and naturally provide the highlight of his career.

"I'm normally off the field around the 75th minute mark, because my legs aren't what they used to be," said Chandler.

"I was a bit worried about being subbed again, because for the first hour or so I hadn't been at my best, and I thought it would be either me or Michael Fenwick to come off. But I thought that the more Tiptree tired, the more I came into the game.

"I took a bit of a risk for the goal and decided to go across the front of the defender - and it paid off." Chandler was given a little extra encouragement by his teammate Bowes - who was with Bedlington three years ago - as they prepared for extra time.

"Before we restarted, he told me to go and win it for us, and to get him out of the proverbial,'' he admitted. "For the penalty, it was either him or me to take it, but because he scored from the spot in the last game of the season we decided that he should take it."

Manager Andy Gowens, meanwhile, will be giving his medal to one of his squad this morning, he said: "We only get 21 medals, and we've got 21 other people in the squad. I'll be giving mine to one of the other lads."

Maybe he should look after the trophy itself, because skipper Gary Middleton managed to drop it unceremoniously just after it was presented to him.

Gowens felt that his side deserved to win, he said: "I thought we were the better team, and their keeper kept them in it with a couple of very good saves.

"It's a great reward for a lot of lovely people at the club, who have been through a few hard times. This day is better than when we beat Rochdale and Preston in the FA Cup.

"When I watched Tiptree a fortnight ago, I thought we were fitter than them, but I thought it would still be tight right through, considering the occasion. But as you could see, we didn't practice penalties! I want to take the club to a different level now, because we need to get back into the UniBond League. It's great to see the club back on the map again."

Skipper Middleton might change his mind about retiring during the summer. "I've been playing non-League football for 17 years, and this caps my career, and makes up for when I lost with Bedlington," he said.

"I nearly didn't finish the game, because I had a problem with my knee ligaments - but it was worth it in the end."

As with most recent Vase finals the game wasn't a classic for a sparse 4,742 crowd in the 45,000 capacity Villa Park.

There were only two real chances in a nervous and hesitant first half. Tiptree's Colin Wall headed a free-kick wide, and Whitley's Michael Fenwick headed an excellent opportunity straight into the hands of keeper Jason Haygreen. The second half started brighter, but Andy Bowes showed plenty of nerves when he side-footed a spot kick for a foul on Marc Walmsley weakly at Haygreen, who actually had time to change direction on his line and still get his body behind the ball.

But Tiptree striker Andrew Aransibia was guilty of a worse miss after 61 minutes, when he found himself completely unmarked six yards out to meet a left wing cross from David Barefield, but he somehow managed to head wide. Whitley got stronger and more dangerous as the game went on, and in the last minute of normal time Haygreen touched a powerful shot from Walmsley around the post.

They kept the momentum going in extra time. Chandler's right foot curler shaved the post, but he was celebrating in front of the travelling fans after 97 minutes when he perfectly headed in a low cross from Steve Cuggy.

And after that, Whitley took no risks as tempers frayed on occasions, and near the end were unlucky not to get a second when Chandler's shot deflected wide.