As Kent football prepares to descend on the Wembley for Saturday’s FA Vase final, Kent FA Chairman Barry Bright has issued a rallying call to all those heading to the National Stadium.

“I’m overjoyed to see a club that keep within its’ means by a superb group of volunteers achieve a dream of reaching Wembley.” said Bright. “And Saturday will be a tremendous day which I hope each and every single person within the club will enjoy themselves and that it a memorable day for the players and wouldn’t it be fantastic to see the Vase come back to Kent.”

“I will never forget the day of the last Vase Final at the “old” Wembley and Deal and THAT goal late in the game brought great, great joy to the whole of Kent football – not just in the town of Deal, the whole of Kent football rejoiced in their achievement and then we saw the magical afternoon when Ebbsfleet brought the Trophy back to the County for the very first time, and Kent football decided that whilst everyone has their own sides and rivalries, many, many people turned up to go to Wembley for the first time, and I hope that that will be the same again this weekend and we see thousands descend onto the Arch; whether they be grandfathers or grandmothers, grandsons or grandaughters – let’s all turn out and celebrate the big day.”

“You know that does tend to happen in our county rather than in some parts of the country and we rejoice and celebrate in success in Kent sport but for some reason it seems more focused in football!”

“It doesn’t come too often – let’s face it you can put alongside it the three Play Off finals that Gillingham have been in – tens of thousands of people leaving Kent on those days; I don’t think that there was a bus left in the County as they all headed for Wembley.”

“But it truly is wonderful for a club like Tunbridge Wells and you really have to put in into some perspective at a club where the players aren’t on Premier League wages if they get anything – they’re playing for the love of the game and the fact that they enjoy their club.”

“And there are people working tirelessly there behind the scenes who never really get a mention, and for all of them it’s got to be something magical and something great that I hope for Royal Tunbridge Wells as a town and that they turn out in their thousands and Kent football will follow them…”

Barry then remembered the Irvine family – Dad Alan of course was part of the Tunbridge Wells side who won the Kent League in 1985 (which before this season was the club’s only honour), whilst son Andy is the club’s top scorer on the March to the Arch.

“It must be magical in the Irvine family mustn’t it,” Barry mused, “the conversations that they’ll have not just leading up to the weekend but in the coming months – goodness, it’ll probably go on for years as someone else in the family tries to emulate what Andy will achieve this weekend as he follows Alan’s footsteps into the Clubs folklore!”

Saturday could see the third club win a national trophy at Wembley during Barry’s time involved with the County. With a fond smile, he told us, “You know I still find it fantastic when I speak to the people who were involved at Deal all those years ago – not just my dear friend Tommy (Sampson) but the players and the people behind the scenes and the first thing they all talk about all these years later is that May afternoon at Wembley.”

“You do remember it don’t you Barry?” the times I get told it… and that surely is in this commercial day of football in the country a great message there for those of us who love our great game of football really should be taking on board… and possibly some of my colleagues at the Football Association should at times be thinking to themselves as actually there is a lot more than some of the exploits at the top because I know that each and every one of the Ebbsfleet players, the Deal players and I sincerely hope now the Tunbridge Wells players will cherish their medals that they will take away from the game but it will mean so much.”

A staunch supporter of football in our county, Barry went on, “We sometimes don’t measure just how far Kent football has come in the 13 years since Deal’s triumph.”

“It’s easy when you’re involved in the game who will be looking all the time for the next achievement which means you don’t look back and appreciate what we have achieved – we have made tremendous strides in Kent football and we are so strong now right across the board not just in terms of Gillingham who of course have won League Two so well, but right the way down through the next structure of the Kent League and the Invicta League and the County League and Girls and Women’s football.”

“But now also into Blind and Disability football where we say to anyone who wants to be involved in our great game we’ll find a way for you to get involved. When I was younger that would never have happened!”

“I have watched people work tirelessly and you’re probably right that the whole of football in our county has progressed so well. There are still massive challenges that we must meet for the generation ahead of me when I step down as chairman, but there is lots of fun and enjoyment ahead for all of us.”

“When Deal won that Vase at Wembley all those years again, I think I was going to be the “second” man on the moon as I was so elated – and I promise you that I hadn’t even reached the bar at the time – and whilst I sadly couldn’t have travelled to the North East for the second leg of the Shildon game, I was very close to the commentary all afternoon and I did enjoy another little drink at the end of it!”

“And I did remember my old friend Peter Wager who was chairman of the Kent League who along with his wife did so much for Tunbridge Wells Football Club – it was a little thing that went through my mind and still does. I think that Peter’s up there and is looking down with a glass of wine in his hand and big smile on his face.”

Barry finished our exclusive chat by saying “The family of Kent football cares – it enjoys in the success – it cares about people – it worries if someone does get badly injured – it’s a different type of life from different parts of the country – yes there will be people who have never been near Tunbridge Wells Football Club in their life who when they won the Semi Final would have been saying “well done boys!” And of course it was – now can they finish the job and bring the trophy home? We’ll wait and see…”