FA Halifax Town midfielder Kingsley James acknowledges he will never be able to top the feeling of getting married and lifting the FA Trophy in the space of two days.
The 24-year-old came off the bench at Wembley Stadium to replace the injured Scott McManus, who had grabbed the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win against Grimsby Town.
After the Mariners failed to clear the ball fell to midfielder McManus 20 yards out, and he curled a beautiful strike past James McKeown.
FC Halifax Town 1-0 Grimsby Town
The FA Trophy Final
Wembley Stadium connected by EE
Sunday 21 May 2016
FC Halifax Town win £50,000 from The FA prize fund
James helped his side hold out to keep a clean sheet and end a frustrating season on the highest of notes, after the Shaymen were relegated from the National League.
And having married his then girlfriend Emily 24 hours earlier in York before racing down the motorway to join his team-mates, James was on cloud nine at the final whistle.
“It's been unbelievable, I don't think I'll ever forget this weekend for as long as I live,” he said.
“It's a great story to hopefully tell the kids when I'm older. There's no comparison; I married my lovely wife yesterday and today I've won a trophy at Wembley and there's some great players who have never achieved that.
“For us as a group of players, especially with the way the season has gone, this has been unbelievable today.
“We are still very disappointed but if we had lost today it would have had a massive negative effect on everyone, so to end on a high is really good especially for the fans because they've had a tough season with us as well.”
Match-winner McManus was replaced on 74 minutes with an injury, and had to climb the famous Wembley steps on crutches in order to lift the trophy alongside his team-mates.
But despite tasting extreme highs and lows with Halifax this season, he insists he cannot see himself at any other club.
He said: “I have been at this club five years and I've just committed myself to another two, it feels like home.
“I think this moment is the first moment we've got over relegation. These are totally different emotions.
“We were nearly dead and buried at Gateshead until Connor Hughes put a lob over the keeper otherwise we wouldn't have been here. We have all done it together and every single one of us deserves that.
“I might be on crutches but there was nothing going to stop me climbing up the steps for the trophy.”
