A 17-year-old substitute with an outstanding footballing pedigree lit up Wembley yesterday afternoon by scoring twice to turn the FA Vase final on its head and leave a lasting memorial to Kirkham & Wesham Football Club.

Matt Walwyn, son of the late Keith Walwyn, a scourge of defences in a long Football League career, notably with Blackpool and York City, was unleashed with 11 minutes to go after Kirkham had built pressure on Lowestoft Town, to whom they had gifted the lead in the 11th minute with an own goal headed by Phil Thompson.

Walwyn showed class and composure to secure an equaliser in the 84th minute, when Sean Paterson crossed after being found with a pinpoint ball out of defence by Ritchie Allen. Walwyn’s winner, in the second minute of four minutes of added time, was a tap-in after Paterson had drawn Andy Reynolds, the goalkeeper, and squared the ball to him. It was a fitting finish to a move initiated by Dougie Shaw, Kirkham’s captain and central defender, who played himself out of trouble with a neat turn and slipped a pass to Paul Eastwood, who sent it through for the inexhaustible Paterson to sprint clear of the defence.

Mick Fuller, the Kirkham manager, said: “I know his mum is proud of Mattie. It’s just a shame his dad couldn’t be here, too. He’s inherited a lot of good footballing things and he has a great future.”

Kirkham had struggled to find the rhythm that has characterised their displays in a first extraordinary season in the Vase and brought them promotion in their first season in the Vodkat North West Counties League second division. However, the backing of David Haythornthwaite, a wealthy businessman, enabled Fuller, the manager for 15 years, to send on young talents such as Allen, 22, and Walwyn, who broke the gallant resistance of their Ridgeons League opponents.

No wonder Haythornthwaite, the club president, and Dai Davis, the long-serving chairman, had long since decided that Kirkham & Wesham should be no more. From next season, the club will be known as AFC Fylde in an attempt to draw more supporters to their ambitious project to advance farther a club formed from a merger of two village clubs in West Lancashire.

The players carry 2022 on their shirt sleeves, the date when Haythornthwaite wants to see AFC Fylde in the Football League. “The great thing about the football pyramid is that it enables any club to have the dream of doing what we plan to do,” he said.

Fuller has been pinching himself throughout Kirkham’s Vase run and, talking of fairytales, his parting gesture in the corridors of Wembley was to turn around to reveal to the cameras the inscription on the back of his pink T-shirt, which read: “Peter Pan. Wembley 2008.”

Kirkham & Wesham (4-4-2): P Summerfield — A Jackson (sub: M Walwyn, 79min), D Shaw, P Thompson, A Keefe (sub: R Allen, 53) — P Blackwell, P Eastwood, M Clark, G Smith — M Wane, S Paterson (sub: J Sheppard, 90). Substitutes not used: J Moffatt, J Abbott. Booked: Smith, Eastwood.

Lowestoft Town (4-1-4-1): A Reynolds — C Poppy, N Plaskett (sub: G McGee, 78), M Saunders, M Potter — Darren Cockrill (sub: Dale Cockrill, 46) — B Hough, R Woodrow, J Godbold, R King (sub: R Hunn, 53) — R Stock. Substitutes not used: A McKenna, A Rix. Booked: Woodrow.

Referee A D’Urso
Attendance 19,537

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