Playing at Wembley is nothing that novel for the Liverpool and Newcastle players that will step out under the arch in Sunday's Carabao Cup Final. But what's it like for those lower down the pyramid?
Playing at Wembley stadium is something many footballers dream about doing, but only the privileged few get to do it.
Granted, if you are one of the elite players in the country you might get a dozen trips to the capital in your career. Sam Johnstone, now of Wolves, is one of these players. When he spoke to Goalkeeper.com in 2022, he emphatically stated that “the more people, the better the adrenaline!”
"I know it sounds mad, and these are massive games. But once you're on the pitch, it really is just another game of football. At least that's how I see it”, explains the Englishman.
“To be honest, I think it's sometimes harder when you're not on the pitch. Because, when you're on the pitch, you're so concentrated on the game and what’s going on in front of you, everything else becomes a bit of a blur.
“I’d been to Wembley with Preston a couple of years before [he was promoted with Aston Villa] on a slightly smaller scale, and then I’d spent time with Villa, got to Wembley then and the crowd was that bit bigger. All these little experiences are picked up along the years."
Since, the Englishman has turned out for the national side under the arch.
However, for those outside the elite level of the game, you might be lucky to get one trip alone during your playing days.
Two people who know what it is like to call Wembley their office for the afternoon are Chris Neal and Chris Haigh. Ahead of this weekend's Carabao Cup Final - in which two of the richest clubs in the world face off in Newcastle United and Liverpool - Neal and Haigh spoke to Goalkeeper.com about their memories of playing at the national stadium lower down the football pyramid.
Chris Neal was between the sticks for Salford City, the club owned by the Class of 92, as they achieved promotion to the Football League for the first time in 2019.
Salford defeated AFC Fylde 3-0 at Wembley to reach League Two. The former Port Vale and Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper was proud to have played there.
He told Goalkeeper.com: “First of all it is a massive stadium, a massive arena to play in. I think it is what every footballer wants to do, is to play at Wembley.
“So, to be one of the few who get to play at Wembley is a privilege and an honour and, to get a positive result there goes hand in hand with the achievement. I absolutely loved it to be honest with you. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The Salford players and staff visited the stadium the day before the game to get a feel for the place before their big day arrived.
Visiting the national stadium 24 hours before kickoff gave Neal and his Salford teammates a chance to get a feel for the venue before it got hectic on the day. He explained: “The game was on a Saturday, so we went down there on the Friday because we were staying over.
“We got to the hotel and then went to Wembley in the afternoon to have a look around. That gives you an idea of what you are going to be facing the day after. So, you have a little bit of insight into the changing rooms, the stadium itself, the entrance and things like that.
“It was a good experience because you know what you are going to get on a matchday. But, to then actually walk off the coach into Wembley on the day, into the changing rooms is an unbelievable feeling.
The stakes for Salford City and AFC Fylde were high that afternoon with promotion to the holy grail the reward - the football league and a place among the 92.
Despite big rewards for the victorious team, players and coaches must keep to the same routines. That being said, Neal did mention one difference between your average National League game and the promotion playoff final at Wembley.
He commented: “You are changing in a much bigger environment in a much bigger changing room, so you have more space than in some of the National League dressing rooms. Obviously that was nice!
“In terms of preparation, it’s the old cliché, every game is the same and it was just try and prepare exactly the same, try and keep your nerves at bay a little bit.
“Obviously playing at that stadium is different from every National League ground. So, it was about trying to keep your nerves under wraps a little bit but in terms of preparation it is the same as every other game.”
Another non-league goalkeeper who has starred at Wembley is Chris Haigh.
He was between the sticks for the then National League South side Concord Rangers as they reached the 2020 FA Trophy final.
However, Haigh would have to wait 12 months for his trip to Wembley, as it was scheduled at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The game eventually took place in early May 2021, and, despite the delay, Haigh always fondly looks back on his moment.
He said: “My memories of Wembley in general are fantastic. I was lucky enough to get there which was incredible.
“We did lose the game 1-0 to Harrogate Town that day, but it is a day that I was lucky where everything went my way and, I made loads and loads of saves to keep Concord Rangers in it for as long as I did.
“So, it’s a bittersweet memory but the overriding emotion is a fantastic one.”
Harrogate Town had been promoted to the Football League in 2020 and the FA Trophy final was meant to be their final game as a non-league club.
However, because of that postponement, it meant they had established themselves in the Football League which only widened the gap between the two clubs.
Haigh explained: “It was a challenging game for sure.
“We were in the National League South at the time and, Harrogate had got promoted. The game had been postponed due to Covid so, we were playing against a decent League Two outfit.
“I certainly had to be on my game that day if we were going to get anything out of it.”
Not only did Haigh get to experience what it was like playing on the pitch at Wembley, but he and his Concord Rangers teammates also got to experience what it was like to be one of the England players playing there as they were handed the home team dressing room for the day.
Haigh talked us through the experience: “The nerves kicked in when we got to the stadium.
“The day started by leaving our ground and having all our fans there sending us off. So, it felt like a different day to a normal National League South match, which felt more nervy than usual.
“We got to the stadium on the bus and sort of went into the underground car park (where the coaches go) so that felt surreal, to be honest with you. We were lucky enough to get the home changing room, so we got the dressing room that England use and it was incredible. We have all the facilities that they would use.
“The build-up to the game was the most nerve-racking part or the time that I most felt stargazed by Wembley. After that it felt like a normal game but up until that point, it certainly felt different let’s say.”
As Haigh said the game was originally due to take place during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic.
It was postponed twice and, when it was finally played, it was behind closed doors due to the restrictions on having crowds gathering. It meant no fans were present inside the stadium. Haigh was “gutted” that the Concord faithful or his family couldn’t attend the match.
He said: “Concord Rangers do not have the biggest following, so I’m not sure how much of a difference it would have made. But, look I was gutted to not have fans there, however, I’m not sure how different I feel about it.
“I know all my friends and family were watching it on TV and all that stuff, so I was happy with how it was.”
The capacity at Wembley is 90,000 and can feel cavernous when it it is full to the rafters. .
However, when the stadium is empty it can feel like being a seahorse in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Though, despite the lack of supporters, you knew where you were.
He explained: “Having nobody there even during the warm-up, you felt this is Wembley.
“You have no fans to distract you from that. In my case, you certainly feel that this ground is massive and with nobody there, it feels even bigger.”
The goalkeepers on the pitch are not the only people who feel the pressure when playing at the national stadium. Coventry City goalkeeper coach Aled Williams has prepared goalkeepers to play at Wembley on two separate occassions.
In the past few years, the Sky Blues have played in a Play-Off Final against Luton Town and an FA Cup Semi-Final against Manchester United.
Williams described what it was like working at Wembley: “Stressful!” he jokes.
“No, it was fantastic, both fantastic achievements to get there.
“I think the Play-Off year one, we had a late run. We were excellent. Ben (Wilson) scored a goal which got us into the Play-Offs because it took two points off Blackburn, which was fantastic for him. And it was within a season where he achieved so much as well. It was probably something I was more proud of than anything.
“He broke the club's clean sheet records, he won the Golden Glove. He was in Team of the Year.
“Three years before that, he was just released from a League Two team in Bradford City, and he's come back and done all that, and he went to Wembley. The penalties were tough. We managed to correctly identify the correct diving side on most, but they were just fantastic penalties on the day.
“We went again last year, we had that fantastic FA Cup run. And then we sort of came alive in the second half of that game in the semi-final, played outstandingly, and should have won in the end. The emotion was there. And the VAR lines comes into play, which we sort of forgot about for a brief moment, and again, it went to penalties again.
“We saved the first, thought that you know, hopefully this time we'd score them all. And it's just not to be, because penalties are a lottery when you're taking them. But I think for everyone in the club, you know, it was something to be extremely proud of to achieve, to get there.
"Just hopefully, when we get there next time, we will be on the winning side!”
