Poignant clips and invoking the marines: a day with Southend for their Wembley glory

National League side secured FA Trophy in a shootout – and as their manager told his squad beforehand in the hotel ‘it’s been a hell of a journey’ The noise gave it away. The sweet sound of 22,000 ecstatic Southend supporters swimming in a sea of Wembley ecstasy left their head coach, Kevin Maher, in no doubt: soon he would raise the FA Trophy. Maher, unable to tolerate the tension, had turned away just before Gus Scott-Morriss’s winning penalty against Wealdstone, but was instantly embraced ...

By Sam Dalling