Victorious valediction

Stratton St Margaret's James Mitchell enjoyed the honour of being the last captain to climb the steps to the Royal Box and collect the FA Cup from the Queen.

Although the royal visitor was really a lookalike, the rest of the day was authentic, including the thrill of the win and the honour of playing in the most famous football stadium in the world.

James and his team mates demolished the Nonames team 5-1 in the final game to be played at the old stadium before it is pulled down and redeveloped.

They did it on a shocking Wembley surface of sand and mud which mirrored that of Swindon Town's League Cup triumph in 1969.

But players and fans alike were determined to make the most of their day and they were not disappointed.

Billed as underdogs before the game, the Swindon lads outclassed and outfought their considerably younger opponents.

Barry Dickens and Phil Ausden netted twice each, with Liam Kearns scoring the other Swindon goal. It was a fantastic team performance, according to skipper James Mitchell.

The 36-year-old said: "I am ecstatic it has been a wonderful day."

Nomads boasted two brothers, Steve and Phil Ausden, who were following in the footsteps of other brothers to grace the Wembley turf including Jack and Bobby Charlton and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil.

Phil, 34, capped his day with two strikes the first a curling shot from outside the box. He said: "I had run out of time and energy so I just hit it and I thought it had hit the top of the net at first. It wasn't a bad effort was it?"

Fellow scorer Barry, 18, said: "This is something I will never forget."

The respective team captains won a national radio competition to earn the right to play at Wembley.

The Nomads were formed seconds after James won the competition. Most of the players were primarily golfers, all members of the Swindon Irish Golf Society.

After taking the lead, the players sprinted towards the Royal Box and performed an Irish jig, to the delight of their supporters.

The team's one and only competitive game before their Wembley date resulted in a 4-0 defeat, which did not bode well.

But all 14 players the starting 11 and the three substitutes performed superbly on the day.

Around 140 friends and family of the team who made the trip to London roared their approval as the Nomads made a pre-match appearance on the Wembley balcony.

As the respective teams received their match briefing in the players' lounge, chants of Jimmy Mitchell's Barmy Army could be heard from the Swindon faithful.

As kick-off approached, Wembley's PA system boomed out crowd noise to welcome both sides as they emerged from the tunnel. The Nomads were dressed in England's traditional white kit, their opponents in the red away strip.

The Swindon travelling army of fans stoked up the volume in the Royal Box and drowned out the opposing supporters. One of those who had made the trip was Aaron Lanney, a Swindon exile and member of the Swindon Irish Golf Society.

He was dressed in unorthodox Irish regalia for the occasion and said: "What a fantastic day this is. I am really happy to be here to cheer on the lads.''

The opening was slightly nervous but Phil Ausden's strike set his side on the way and when Liam Kearns netted a second, victory seemed a formality. However, Nomads received a scare shortly before half-time when Phil Hitchell pulled one back for the Nonames.

The second half saw wave after wave of Swindon attacks, allowing Barry Dickens to net two superb goals. Phil Ausden also scored his second of the game, firing in off the post.

The stadium erupted at the final whistle to celebrate the Swindon triumph.

Team manager Mick O'Dea, father of Nomads' goalkeeper Michael, said: "It was disappointing to see the pitch in that state but I think it suited our game. I can't quite believe it but I know there will be a few pints of Guinness being drunk."

The Swindon Wembley heroes were cheered off the pitch as skipper Mitchell made his way up the 39 steps to the Royal Box. He received a replica of the FA Cup from Her Majesty the Queen, alias look-a-like Elizabeth Richard.

The roar that greeted James as he lifted the cup could almost be heard back in Swindon.

As the players made their way back to the dressing room to continue the celebrations Her Majesty found time to praise the Swindon team: "I very much enjoyed it and I think the better team won. I think it is appropriate to say 'they think it's all over it is now.'"

In the Wembley bar James and the team emerged to a heroes' reception. While Kevin Keegan was forced to skulk out of the stadium after the national side's dismal showing against Germany recently, there was no such problem for the Swindon party.

Speaking after the dust had settled on his team's marvellous triumph James Mitchell said: "I think the final epitaph must be 'we came, we saw and we bloody played'.

"Most of the lads have decided this is their swansong how can you top playing at Wembley?

"I would just like to say thank you to everyone who travelled from Swindon to provide us with such brilliant support.''