IN THE mind of Tom Killick, no FA Vase-winning team can ever match the achievement of Wimborne Town at Wembley Stadium 25 years ago today.

Magpies' 5-3 triumph over Northern Premier League Guiseley in the shadow of the Twin Towers completed a remarkable, staggering run for the unfancied Cuthbury side.

The club had never been beyond the third round, let alone anywhere near the national stadium, when they started out in the competition. In fact, not a single Dorset team had made the trip to Wembley at that stage.

Led by rookie boss Alex Pike, Wimborne saw off Mangotsfield United, Chard Town and Horsham before the big guns started to appear in number, each one seemingly stronger than the last.

Hastings, who went on to win the Southern League South Division, were despatched 2-1 in an away replay and North West Counties League Division Two runners-up Newcastle Town were beaten at the second attempt, this time 1-0 in Dorset.

The eventual champions of Eastern Counties League Division One, Diss Town, lost 1-0 in a Cuthbury replay and following a stalemate at Bamber Bridge, Wimborne triumphed 2-0 in the return clash against a side which would go on to win North West Counties League Division Two.

Trailing 1-0 in the final against Guiseley, who had won the Vase the previous season, goals from Taffy Richardson, Jamie Sturgess and striker Killick put the underdogs 3-1 up.

After the break, Killick bagged another and although Guiseley pulled one back, Sturgess's second made it five. A final Guiseley effort, ultimately, proved meaningless.

At the final whistle, elation. No wonder Pike conducted a post-match interview in the bath, ending a seven-year stint without alcohol with a few sips – or possibly more – of champagne.

"What people forget is that it's the equivalent of a Wessex League team winning it now, over and above teams like Hereford and Salisbury," said Killick.

"I remember playing Hastings, who were clear at the top of the league above and that's what you had to deal with in those times.

"Without being disrespectful to subsequent participants, what gives everyone involved a bigger sense of pride is that we had to overcome better teams, which is not the case these days.

"If you are in the Wessex League now, you are not going to come up against any team which is higher-ranked.

"The group of players we had was very strong and there were some big characters who carried us through."

Now the much-celebrated boss of Poole Town, Killick's abiding memory of that cup run – and the final itself – is perhaps best summed up in one word: surreal.

"We were a Wessex League team thrust into this unusual environment where there was a lot of press attention and all of a sudden we were walking out at the national stadium," he said.

"I remember early in the game thinking how strange it all was.

"When I look back, it was one of the best moments of my career but also I think fondly about the relationships between the players, supporters and the people running the club.

"It was a really pleasurable time in my life, not just from a football perspective, but socially it was a really good place to be.

"They were a special group of players and it was a pleasure to be involved."

And what of the memory of scoring at Wembley, not once but twice, an achievement which countless professionals do not get the chance to experience.

Killick added: "My mum and dad aren't huge football fans, although funnily enough they watch Poole most weeks, but in those days they didn't use to come to football very often.

"It was a very emotional moment for me to score and see them in the stand. That was quite a big deal. It's probably one of my most treasured moments."