This is how a small town football club in Milton Keynes turned Wembley green with historic football victory

The town of Newport Pagnell is buzzing after momentous community support has led to a resounding victory at Wembley football stadium.
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The town’s football club adult team, known as The Swans, today (Sunday) scooped the biggest prize in its history when it won the FA Vase final 3-0.

Incredibly, 7,000 people from Newport Pagnell were at Wembley Stadium to cheer them on. That is from a town with a population of under 16,000.

The stadium was a sea of green, the colour of the club’s shirts, while at home Newport High Street was bedecked with green and white flags, organised by the Town Council and put up by the town’s Christmas lights committee.

Wembley was a sea of green shirts in support of Newport PagnellWembley was a sea of green shirts in support of Newport Pagnell
Wembley was a sea of green shirts in support of Newport Pagnell

Shop windows loyally changed their displays to green and white and signs all over the town, in everywhere from primary schools to care homes for the elderly, urged ‘our boys’ to victory.

"When I drove through Newport, I thought maybe the Queen had changed iher colour theme to green for the Jubilee!” said one visitor. “Then I realised it was all about the local football club. Never have I seen such massive community support for one club.”

Pubs in the town were the hub of the support for the club that was founded in 1963, playing matches in a local field. The Kings Arms ran special coaches for people to get to the match and even provided bacon butties to ease the pre-match nerves.

Back at the football club’s Willen Road ground, crowds had also gathered the previous afternoon (Saturday) to wave the team off to London.

The town was bedecked with green and white flagsThe town was bedecked with green and white flags
The town was bedecked with green and white flags

The Swans were playing Littlehampton Town FC, a team from Sussex, and the game kicked off at 12.15pm. At 1.45pm, as the Swans romped home with the biggest prize for clubs in the ninth and tenth tiers of English football. the atmosphere at Wembley was “simply electric”, said fans.

Some staunch supporters vowed it was “better than any Premier League final.” Meanwhile those remaining in Newport Pagnell, glued to their TV sets, let out a collective roar and prepared to welcome their heroes home.

Newport Pagnell Town skipper Ben Ford has thanked the town for its incredible support and said the Swans players were “living their dream”.

On the eve of the match, he’d announced: “The big day is almost upon us, the players are prepared and ready to go. We cannot wait to see you all down there turning Wembley green.

Victory for the SwansVictory for the Swans
Victory for the Swans

“The support we have received from the football club, local schools and our families has made the preparation extra special. This weekend will not only be ours to remember but will be yours to remember for many years to come! We are living our dream Sunday and hopefully inspire 100s of kids to make it there one day too.

Late afternoon saw the Wembley coaches returning and the town’s pubs packed as the long evening of celebrations begins.

"Proud is too small a word to sum up how we feel. This has been the greatest day Newport Pagnell has seen for decades,” said one supporter.