Kirkham and Wesham has been beaming this week in the aftermath of its football team’s wonderful Wembley win.

Councillor Liz Oades, town mayor of Kirkham, said: “Everybody has had just a big smile on their face all week.

“I was at Wembley with my family - it was a wonderful day out, a superb result.

“It was a wonderful match from start to finish. It was a wonderful atmosphere. I didn’t see any bad temper from anybody. Both sets of supporters got on very well.

“And on Monday both towns turned out to welcome them home. It was absolutely amazing. I was on the bus with them and the crowds were tremendous.

“The team were very buoyant. I think they were overwhelmed. I think they were shocked by the numbers who turned out.”

On a relatively sad not though, coun Oades, said it was a shame to see the name of the team change to AFC Fylde.

“It is sad because it has been associated with the two towns for a long long time, but I suppose that’s what they call progress,” she said.

Gary Newton, landlord of the Black Horse pub, Preston Street, Kirkham, bought the team a drink before the official homecoming celebrations got underway on Monday evening.

He said: “All the lads came in for a drink and sat outside. They had to get to Market Square for 6pm. The lads went round all the pubs. I got them a drink.”

He paid tribute to the team saying: “It was a superb achievement: “I went down to Wembley. It was a cracking day out.”

Winning goalscorer Matt Walwyn, who was studying for his A-levels before the final, said: “The dream was to score at Wembley, but twice wasn’t in the script.”

Boss Mick Fuller said: “This is the original fairytale. We were the better side , but we left it late.

“But it’s all about winning and to win here in front of all these fans is absolutely tremendous.

“We’ll all remember this day for the rest of our lives.”

Chairman Dai Davis added: “I thought that we thoroughly deserved it and l’m so pleased for everyone connected with the club who has worked so hard for this.

“What Mick (Fuller) and his management team have achieved is nothing short of miraculous – the Vase was the icing on the cake.”