THE magic of 77 years of football history touched a North-East pub football team as it played in one of the last matches at Wembley yesterday.

Members of the Red Stripe team, from The Owington Farm, Billingham, beat off competition from 900 other sides to win a place in the Bass Leisure Retail Cup, the stadium's last final before its closure today.

Despite a shaky start, which saw their opponents, from The Buck Inn, Sale, Cheshire, take a lead of 2-1, the Teesside team drew on the spirit of such legends as Matthews, Hurst and Gascoigne to romp to a 9-3 victory.

Alan Baynes, one of the Red Stripe players, said it was an unforgettable experience.

"We travelled down to London on a coach on Saturday and there were 52 of us, including families and supporters," he said.

As part of their reward for qualifying for the final, Red Stripe's members were given a VIP tour of the stadium.

They were even allowed to use the players' dressing room.

Mr Baynes, whose brother, Colin, also plays for the team, said they were keen to look their best for the occasion.

"We asked for sponsorship from local firms to pay for T-shirts and track suits," he said.

Along with memories of the match, the team brought back a trophy to mark its victory.

Also in action on the hallowed turf yesterday were Tom Newton, from Hartlepool, who played for a side managed by World Cup legend Nobby Stiles in another match, and 11-year-old Sarah Minns, from Stockton, who had the role as a ball girl.