History-making Saddlers: We'll be back
So near, so far – and so proud. Dean Smith's Walsall may not have won at Wembley yesterday but the club, the team and 30,000 fans made the town proud on their first visit to the famous stadium in 127 years.
The game ended in heartache, but despite a 2-0 defeat it was an unforgettable occasion for Saddlers supporters.
Dean 'Ginger Mourinho' Smith hailed the support as fantastic after Bristol City ended the Johnstone's Paint Trophy dream at the final hurdle.
Goals from Aden Flint and Mark Little gave City the win in front of a huge 72,315 crowd.
More than 40 club coaches and many more minibuses made the 120-mile journey down the M1 for the big day.
Wembley Way was turned into a sea of red and white as fans – who included music mogul Pete Waterman – made the most of the occasion.
After the final whistle Smith couldn't hide his disappointment with the result, saying nerves may have got to his players, but said of the fans: "They were brilliant. Our supporters were fantastic to get 30,000 down here.
"I'm proud of the achievement of getting here but disappointed at the result. We won't dwell on it, we knew it was a special occasion, we wanted to come here and embrace it.
"It's too early to say whether there are regrets but some will be disappointed. Maybe it was a bit of nerves."
The town has been awash with Wembley fever since Walsall's win over Preston in January secured their place in the final.
That victory sparked joyous scenes not seen at the Banks's Stadium for years and Walsall mayor Councillor Pete Smith said the journey to Wembley would live long in the memory.
"The whole town is proud," the mayor, who was at Wembley to see the game, said. "It's put Walsall on the map, invigorated the town and captured everyone's imaginations. The journey has has united the people of Walsall.
"To bring 30,000 here is incredible and the atmosphere was absolutely brilliant. To see all those Walsall fans rousing the team was just amazing. It's been a first-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but we hope it's not once-in-a-lifetime."
One of the highlights of the day was seeing Graeme Brookes finish his heroic challenge of walking from Walsall to Wembley.
The eight-day 138-mile walk saw the 31-year-old raise around £6,000 for Walsall Society for the Blind – in memory of his grandfather and devoted Walsall fan Ronald.
Ronald followed Walsall for 83 years even though he was both deaf and blind and never missed a match.
And Mr Brookes, from Worcester, said it was the thought of his grandfather that kept him going.
"I knew everything that he had been through so I just had to keep going," he said. "My feet are hurting. My knees are hurting but I knew I would make it. I never expected this welcome. It is fantastic. So many people are here."
Walsall defender Ben Purkiss echoed his manager's tributes to the fans. He said: "The support we had was amazing but I'm just sorry that we couldn't experience a win."
