Southend United (0) 0
Wealdstone (0) 0
Southend win 4-2 on penalties
Attendance: 43,307
Admission: Complimentary
Mileage: 132/5,278
Match 85/25/2427 - Sunday, 17th May 2026 - FA Vase Final
AFC Stoneham (0) 0
Cockfosters (0) 0
AFC Stoneham win 4-2 on penalties
DOUBLE BAGELED
Wembley brought the curtain down on the 25/26 season being double-bageled by Non-League Finals Day.
Thankfully, we were spared the drudgery of extra-time with both finals going straight to penalties as two very poor games laboured their way to their conclusions.
As a friend posted, it’s a day spent in the company of good mates, even if you have no allegiance to any of the competing clubs. But, should you not be part of such a group, then two uninspiring games can make for a very long day. That I was not part of my mates group was entirely my own fault, missing the deadline for neutral tickets and took a seat among largely Southend United supporters.
Goalless draws by definition are extremely tight matches which these were, so it is a marginal opinion that the two better sides lost out in the penalty shootouts and the best two players, Junior Moses for Cockfosters and Wealdstone’s Nathan Tshikuna, ended with losers medals.
The Vase final was contested by AFC Stoneham, who hail from Eastleigh in Hampshire and Cockfosters, whose journey could be negotiated entirely on the London Underground with a couple of changes of line.
I had watched Cockfosters semi-final, second leg game at Punjab United, in which George Lutaaya scored an extraordinary goal, that I said at the time he will never do again, let alone in a Wembley final.
One decent chance fell the way of Cockfosters’ Kendall Gyamfi in the first half, racing clear to go one-on-one with Callum Lee but a poor touch allowed the goalkeeper to smother the ball with relative comfort.
Gyamfi struck the bar early in the second half and Stoneham’s Duarte Martins did similarly with a header after 64 minutes but chances remained very much at a premium before tired legs took out what little remained of momentum in the game.
Stoneham scored from all four of their spot kicks whilst Cockfosters missed their second and it was a sad moment for Moses, who after excelling for 90 minutes, blazed his penalty high over the bar to complete the Hampshire side’s 4-2 win from the spot.
One hoped for better fare from the Trophy Final involving National League teams, Southend United and Wealdstone, but once again, defences ruled the roost and goalmouth action was scarce.
Harry Cardwell struck a post for Southend with just seven minutes on the clock and they had a goal ruled out on 27 minutes following a corner and a foul on the goalkeeper, whilst Wealdstone brought a good save from Adeng Ndi to deny Anthony Georgiou just before the break.
The second half was even tighter with Keenan Appiah-Forson clipping the bar with a cross and Georgiou blazing over.
Ndi dived low to his left to save Wealdstone’s opening two penalties before Southend missed their third but two successful spot kicks with Gus Scott-Morriss firing home the winning kick sent the Shrimpers’ 22,000 fans home deliriously happy.
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