Whitley Bay skipper Damon Robson said that it was a great privilege to lead Whitley up the steps to collect their third successive FA Vase last Sunday.

The midfielder led the team into the record books with a backs-to-the-wall 3-2 win over Leicestershire side Coalville, and greatly enhanced their reputation as Vase specialists.

“It was a really special day, if not more so than the previous two because we made more history,” said Robson.

“It was a real privilege to be captain for the third time. Dave Coulson, the usual captain, was on the bench, and so before the game we both agreed that if we won, we would go up together. I felt as if there was some extra pressure on me, because the last two captains had both won!

“Coalville were probably the best team we’ve played in the Vase in the last three years. We rode our luck a bit at times, and it was a roller-coaster game. We didn’t play as well as we had been in the league games leading up to the final. We took the lead against the run of play in the first half, and we showed plenty of character to go back into the lead after they equalised twice.

“But we couldn’t sustain any kind of momentum, because Coalville dominated for long periods of the game. We would maybe have five good minutes, and then Coalville would take over. We couldn’t affect them for whatever reason, so we tried to minimise them. We played more of a counter-attacking game, which worked well.

“The difference was in the finishing. For example, their striker hit the post when it seemed easier to score, and yet Lee Kerr scored from a much tighter angle with his header.”

Both the Vase and the Trophy are now in the hands of north east clubs for at least one years, Quakers having broken the north east’s duck in that competition, 33 years after Whickham became the first north east club to lift the Vase.

“It was great to make it a north east double. We’ve kept in touch with Chris Moore, who used to play for us and went to Darlington, and we wanted Darlington to win on the Saturday. Chris had hoped to join us on the Saturday night at our hotel, but he texted me a picture of his two missing front teeth after he was injured, and had to go to hospital!”

Robson is one of five players in the Whitley side who have picked up three winner’s medals, the others being Terry Burke, Lee Kerr, Paul Robinson and Paul Chow.

“Three years ago, when we lost at Lowestoft in the 2008 semi finals, we wouldn’t have believed it if somebody at that point said that we would be in the following season’s final. Not many players get a chance to play at Wembley at all in their careers, and now I’ve played three times there. The third Vase medal has gone into my office with the other two.

“Maybe now we should be looking to press on in the league. Last year we finished around 20 points off the lead, this year it was 10. It would be great to give the fans a good run at the league, as well as having a good Vase run again.”

Whitley Bay’s Vase winning teams in the last three years: 2009 final Whitley Bay 2 Glossop 0, Scorers: Kerr, Chow.

Team: Burke, Taylor, Picton, McFarlane (sub Fawcett, 59), Coulson (c), Ryan, Moore, Robson, Kerr, Chow, (sub Robinson, 73), Johnston (sub Bell, 59).

Subs not used : McLean, Reay.

2010 final Whitley Bay 6 Wroxham 1. Scorers; Chow, Eastaugh og, Kerr, Johnston, Robinson, Gillies.

Team: Burke, McFarlane, Timmons, Ryan, Anderson, Hodgson (sub Picton 69), Robson, Kerr, Johnston (sub Gillies 69), Chow (sub Bell 61), Robinson.

Subs not used: Kindley, Reid.

2011 final Whitley Bay 3 Coalville 2. Scorers: Chow 2, Kerr.

Burke, Anderson,Timmons,Williams(sub Coulson 67),McFarlane (sub Gibson 90), Robson,Robinson,Pounder (sub Smith67), Ormston, Kerr,Chow.

Subs; Rowe,Hayes,