Tompkins proud to have given Ascot United fans and community something to celebrate

Ascot United manager Jamie Tompkins spoke of the pride he had in his players - and the pride he felt in giving the town and community something to celebrate - after the Yellamen lifted the FA Vase at Wembley on Sunday.

In front of a 'Yella Wall' of more than 4,000 Tompkins men lifted the Vase for the very first time in the club's history after substitute Kai Walters steered home a late header to seal a 1-0 win over Newport Pagnell Town.

The contest was evenly balanced for the most part - and most would accept reigning champions Newport had the edge for much of the first half - however, a tactical switch in midfield wrested back some momentum for the Yellamen in the second half, while Marcus Mealing's introduction turned the tide firmly in their favour.

Ascot saw their early rhythm disrupted by a collision between Rob Gerrard and Newport's Russell Short, a clash that saw both players withdrawn with concussion. The incident led to Walters entering the fray for the Yellamen, but he and his teammates needed some guidance from Tompkins and their coaching staff at half-time to get to grips with their opponents.

Speaking in the press conference after the final whistle, Tompkins said: “It was calm.

“We knew that both teams would have a go, but our defenders felt very comfortable. They were winning their duels and headers, so no one was shouting and screaming at half-time.

“They knew what was wanted from them and they'd all bought into it. When the time came in the later part of the game, they looked a little bit fitter.

“We just needed to adjust our midfield three. Initially, we had two holding midfielders and one further forward. That just didn't work for us, we couldn't keep possession as well, so we switched that around and they were fully on board with it.

“They showed that a little bit more in the second half, which allowed us to get up the pitch and get crosses into the box.”

Tompkins made one other call that tilted the balance in Ascot's favour. Realising top scorer Brendan Matthew was a little isolated in attack, he brought on former Marlow striker Mealing and his impact was almost instantaneous. With his first touch he saw a shot cleared off the line and, from the resulting corner, he cannoned a header off the crossbar. Then in the 79th minute, Matthew and Harry Grant worked the ball well down the left for Grant to swing in a dangerous cross. Mealing couldn't quite reach it in the middle, but man-of-the-match Sean McCormack whipped in a good ball to the near post and Walters dived in to flick a header across the keeper and into the net via the far post. The Yella Wall erupted, and there were further celebrations 15 minutes later when the referee sounded the final whistle to crown Ascot as champions. After climbing the famous Wembley steps and lifting the Vase with his players, Tompkins reflected on what it had taken to get his team ready for the occasion. He said: “I was really proud to walk out at the most iconic stadium there is, it was incredible.

“Some of the players had never been in this stadium before, so we tried to prepare them in different ways. Tactically and technically on the pitch, but the whole psychological aspect of the game was also so important.

“To go from our ground to Wembley, they were in awe of it, so we had to come up with ways to build up to it, so it didn't seem so big.

“You can't replicate Wembley, but we did go to Reading in the week and that was great.

“The surface as well, they're used to bobbles on the pitch, having to take a touch and facing a tackle. But they were able to keep the ball a bit more and show their quality.”

He also had a message of thanks for the 4,000 Ascot fans who roared them all the way to the final whistle and the most famous cup win in the club's history.

“We had a lot of our supporters here today,” he said. “Many of them family and friends, but others as well and hopefully the impact is that they'll come back to our games and support us again. We're very much a community club. To see that many people here to watch us is incredible. It's a special day for our family and friends but also our core supporters who have followed us across the country on this run. Their support has been unbelievable. To make their day and for them to be proud of what we've done is really special.”