FA VASE FINAL Whitley Bay 2 Glossop North End 0

WHITLEY Bay became the first team North-East team to win at the new Wembley Stadium with a well-deserved win over Glossop in the FA Carlsberg Vase final.

Whitley’s matchwinner was Lee Kerr, who was unplayable in midfield and tore Glossop apart at times, and set his side on the way to their second Vase final win in seven years with the opening goal.

The Seahorses had to hang on against some late pressure, but the Northern League defence was strong enough to keep them out.

Manager Ian Chandler, who scored the winner in the 2002 final, said: “Everything with our preparation and our build up clicked into place, and I’m absolutely delighted for the players.

“Maybe we should have made the game safe at 2-0, but by then we’d scored two very good goals to put us in control.

The lads didn’t freeze, they settled down well and played their usual game.

“Lee Kerr got the man of the match award, but all of the players were at their best. We could have done with a third goal, because 2-0 is a strange score and Glossop kept coming at us. It was a nervous last ten minutes, but I thought we deserved to win.

“There’s no better place to win than Wembley. It’s been a poor season for the North-East, so hopefully we’ve given everybody something to smile about.

“As regards myself, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet about what’s happened. It was special scoring the winner seven years ago, but managing a Vase-winning side feels just as good.”

Whitley settled well, and nearly took the lead after 16 minutes from a more central position, when Adam Johnston, five yards inside his own half, spotted Glossop keeper Matt Copper off his line. The desperate keeper managed to push the shot onto the bar with his outstretched right hand.

But Glossop, with just less than half of the 12,212 crowd behind them, nearly took the lead midway through the half when Nick Allen found space 25 yards out, and his left foot shot rattled the angle of post and crossbar with Whitley keeper Terry Burke helpless.

Dave Hodges twice posed danger that Burke managed to repel, but then Whitley took the lead on 35 minutes. Paul Chow fed the ball to the edge of the area from the right where Kerr’s clever turn left two defenders standing, and even though the angle was tight, he managed to squeeze the ball in between Cooper and his left hand upright.

And Whitley were celebrating again in first-half injury time, when a Glossop attack was halted by Lee Picton inside his own area, the ball was played forward quickly by Kerr to Chow, who sidestepped a defender and raced clear to comfortably beat Cooper.

Glossop were leaving themselves exposed, and McFarlane’s left wing run opened up the defence and he set up Johnston ten yards out, but his low shot was blocked by Cooper.

Whitley hit the woodwork again on 69 minutes when the inspirational Kerr picked out Bell from a free-kick, and his twisting header struck the bar.

Chow should have made it 3-0 from Bell’s lay off, but he headed over from six yards.

Whitley Bay: Burke; Taylor, Picton, Mc- Farlane (Fawcett 58) , Coulson, Ryan, Moore, Robson, Kerr, Chow (Robinson 73), Johnston (Bell 58). Subs (not used): McLean, Reay Glossop: Cooper, Young, Kay, Lugsden, Yates, Gorton, Bailey (Hind 55) , Morris, Allen (Balfe 65), Hamilton (T Bailey 71), Hodges.

Subs (not used): Whelan, Parker Attendance: 12,212