Delighted Morpeth joint manager Nick Gray tipped his cap to veteran defender Chris Swailes after a titanic FA Vase final performance at Wembley Stadium.
At 45 years old, Swailes is not only among the oldest players to grace the home of football, but he scored the equaliser in the Highwaymen’s 4-1 victory over highly-fancied Hereford – his third success in the competition.
That came after heart surgery in 2014, when he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
Hereford 1-4 Morpeth Town
The FA Vase Final
Wembley Stadium connected by EE
Sunday 21 May 2016
Morpeth win £25,000 from The FA prize fund
In the wake of Fabrice Muamba and James Taylor’s enforced retirement from football and cricket respectively following heart problems, Swailes’ achievement is amazing.
He needed keyhole surgery after discovering he had an irregular heartbeat, and Gray is under no illusions how important former Ipswich Town, Bury and Rotherham United defender Swailes has been to their success.
“He has changed the club. He’s a massive influence, infectious on and off the pitch,” he said.
“He was running eight miles a day and one day said he was out of breath. An operation was required, it took him a long time to recover and he didn’t play for a long time.
“He ran out of legs today but was a deserved winner. I can’t speak highly enough of him – I am as proud as punch. He’s had about 15 clubs and no one at any level in football deserves it more than him.
“He’s the kind of bloke who doesn’t sleep at night – he’d give his bed up for someone else. As for his goal – if he headed it, the ball was going over the bar so he chested it in.
“I’ll sing and dance tonight and drink champagne. Savour the moment – it may never happen again.”
Swailes himself added: “To win at Wembley at my age doesn’t happen very often. We were massive underdogs and it’s sweetest moment of my career because it’s here and now.”
Following Swailes’ leveller, goals from Luke Carr, Sean Taylor and Shaun Bell sealed the win after Rob Purdie had put Hereford ahead after 75 seconds.
Meanwhile Hereford boss Peter Beadle has guided the club, defunct 18 months ago before the phoenix club formed, to two cup triumphs and the Midland League title this term.
They may have come up short at Wembley, but Beadle was adamant the sky is very much the limit for his ever-improving team.
He said: “We’ve been through a lot this year but have not been clinical enough to kill teams off. We’ve done exactly that today and that’s difficult to take.
“Their equaliser was a set piece and we’ve had problems from them all season.
“We weren’t good enough in the second half and have been far better, and that’s why it hurts so much.
“And although we’ve put Hereford FC back on the football map this season, when you turn up for something like this you want to win it.
“The runs we’ve had through league and the cup have got people excited again and to have 20,000 people here is massive. But it counts for nothing if we don’t continue our run next season.”
