Gareth Bainbridge is approaching the final furlong of his second season with North Shields and has already scored over 100 times for the club.
The 29-year-old striker netted the landmark goal against Bedlington Terriers last month and his goalscoring exploits haven’t wavered in The FA Vase either.
Bainbridge has bagged 16 times en route to the Final – the most of any player this term - and is looking forward to a "great occasion" against Glossop North End at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Glossop North End v North Shields
The FA Vase Final 2015
3pm, Saturday 9 May
Wembley Stadium
Buy tickets here
“I actually feel more relaxed in the Vase," Bainbridge told TheFA.com. "The players don’t know you like they do in the League, where you’re often playing against your friends.
“It’s felt different, all the way through this year, to how it has felt in previous seasons. It felt like it was always going to happen.
“Going into games, I just couldn’t see us losing. Even in the semi-final, I just couldn’t picture any outcome other than us winning.
“The Final will be a different game; the most difficult. We know they’re an excellent side and the right two teams are in it – the two most deserving teams – and it’ll be a great occasion.”
Bainbridge (right) with captain Kevin Hughes and boss Graham Fenton
Bainbridge’s arrival in the capital on Saturday will be the first time he’s ever seen the national stadium, let alone been inside it and stepped onto its hallowed turf.
Now he’s hoping to become a Wembley winner and the latest name on the list of players to have found the net at the home of English football.
“Winning at Wembley would be a dream. I’ve been asked a hundred times about what it’s going to be like and I can't put it into words," he said.
“It’s every young kid’s dream to lift a trophy at Wembley. We’re non-League footballers, so we’re still those young kids – we’re not professionals who get to play there perhaps three or four times in their careers, we’re still the kids dreaming of playing there and winning there.
"It’s just amazing and it’d be a dream to cap it off with a Wembley win.”
If you want to be part of the crowd at Wembley on Saturday for one of non-League football's most prestigious cup finals, you can get your tickets online here priced at £15 for adults, £10 for OAPs/students and £5 children.
