So me and the young un are standing on platform 3 at Bristol train station with a handful of Owls and what seemed like an awful lot of Poolies, we were

easily outnumbered here, but there seemed a subdued mood about things at the moment.

For my part I was pleased I wasn't dashing for yet another shit before dinner time, as had been the norm every day for the week leading up to the final as nerves started to get the better of me.

This was like all my Christmases and Birthdays as a kid rolled into one, this was THE most important day of my Wednesday life. Missing out on the Wembley dates before, due to work commitments at the time, and even though I 'd been there and celebrated when we'd been promoted before, this was something else.

Not least because I was there with the young un, another key moment for us to share, and we were determined to make the most of and take everything in.

Like most young Owls fans of her age she's only known heartache and disappointment, the now customary malaise that Owls have learned to wear so well. This day was for her, and for all young Owls, this was their pay day. Their reward for not straying when it would have been oh so easy.

Took a few photo's on the platform, but we didn't really speak too much about what was to come, certainly not bubbling at the moment. Some of that might have been a little overhang from the night before, but take it steady.Pace yaself.

When we slowed into Cardiff station though, that's when the twitching started again. Over the wall at the side of the station, you could see, every now and

again, a glimpse of blue and white.tantalising. The stadium peering out from behind other buildings.

As we walked out of the station a Poolie at my side asked how I thought the game would go.

"Shitting it?????" In best Poolie astounded voice!

"Aye.Literally.5 or 6 a day for the last week, you never know with finals like this do ya?"

He was genuinely shocked that I could be worried about whether we'd win or not as they felt they were coming to make the numbers up more or less and thus were determined to have a cracking day out.

I shook his hand and wished him all the very best for the day ahead and to have a good un, no matter what. He was the first of many. Come out of the Train station into blinding sunshine and masses of Blue and White shirts.they were everywhere. followed the crowd."Let's just see where this takes us".turn the corner and WOW!

Owls as far as the eye can see.Owls to the left.footy hats, jesters hats, octopus hats.top hats.Caps. Loads of police, but very laid back.

Walking through wave after wave of blue and white, bouncing, staggering, falling, more bouncing accompanied by the bouncing song.In fact I think that

was the only way to move forward at one point.dancing, jumping, happy smiling faces, glazed eyes, a long day for some and it was only just after dinner time.

Captain America, Big hat jock, Ali G, the real Michael Vaughan, the real Big Fat Ron.painted faces, painted hair, writing on faces, beer after beer, song

after song, banner after banner.photos being taken.New friends, old friends.Footballs being booted up and down. Stirling Owls flag. Bottled beer sold outside pubs in hoppers full of ice.

More songs. A lone voice starts.it didn't take much. Others join in. Turn another corner, even more blue and white army, and still it stretched

into the distance. Meet ups as arranged.A few now recognisable 'old' faces and some very new ones.

Always great to meet new people, especially when we've met on t'net before.face to the name.etc.etc

It was almost like an automatic thing at around 2 o clock.everyone seemed to be drawn towards the stadium at the same time, a little freaky, like the Morlocks did to all the good looking NATURAL blondes on the Time Machine.

Everyone just grabbed their drinks and off we went.up the main street, left up to the main drag up to the stadium.and it was just a continuous river of

Owls, full width of the road and all the way up.singing, laughing continued all the way up.You could feel it building up inside as we approached the stadium.Nervous excitement.stomach churning, wanting it to last forever, wanting more and more.There was electricity surging through every single person walking up that road and we were all as one, an incredible feeling.

You can see the stadium come into view very gradually and it looks magnificent, the fact it unveils itself piece by piece and so tantalisingly just makes the walk up there so much better.the pulse quickening, chest thumping. when you get up sides it, especially viewed from the bridge over the river.it almost stops your heart from pounding .

Loads of pre match hugging going on, drunken bloke falling over several times on the bridge, so badly drunk he attracted the interest of the local police constables.

Quick adios to friends and a stroll over to the TV cameras...Surely they'd been waiting for us? Everyone just sort of melted away to their allotted areas.

Me and the young un went over to gate 6 which is lower section. No pushing, no queue build up, no back logs.They've got this taped here.like clockwork

Inside the ground, massive in the tunnels at the back of the seats.and STILL the crowds were bouncing in there.The singing and party mood in that area was busting..as you walk along in the subdued lighting surrounded by concrete it's just more of the same as it was outside, wall to wall blue and white stripes, every now and again there's a break and a shaft of light from an opening leading into the main arena and your seats.As I said to the young un.Take your time going in.savour it.we did.

As you step into one of those shafts of light and out into the arena it's quite an emotional experience, and just one of many that would get the Beastie emotions set to overload and the tear ducts bust to overflowing.I must have looked a right muppet at times.In fact at least 3 times I can remember getting a little over emotional.Bollox!.If you can't be moved by some of the stuff that happened on this day you never will be.

Difficult to take it all in..

Quite a few Poolies in their 'half' and that's a very loose use of the word 'half' as there seemed to be Owls the whole way round. They went all the way down one side as far as their goals and half way round the other way, and come 2.30pm when it was our turn to have the music played and 'Hi ho Silver lining' got to THAT line, the noise and emotion was cranked up another notch.

The inflatables were out in force and being slung around.We got an inflatable elephant swimming ring, loads of beach balls, a whale.I could see Hoyland Owls inflatable ball pool above us.A packet of Nobbys crisps, balti flavour, (Given away free outside the ground) got thrown about.and all ended up in the 'moat' at pitch side.

Half an hour later and as Paul Sturrock proudly led the team out I couldn't take any more, and yes, I was off again..and I'm starting again now, just thinking about it.

The fur was up, the waterworks were going, that tight funny feeling around the top of yer head, and of course.The stomach rumblings were back with a vengeance.I don't want to dwell on it, the back doors were twitching again as well.Yet through all this, I had the nouse to phone Bradford Owl who was at the San Siro and hold the phone up to let him hear a little of the atmosphere. I don't know how much he got of it, but this was one of the most intense moments of the whole weekend.Everything throughout the season would either mean everything or nothing at all in the next couple of hours.It does strange things to you does thoughts like that.

Tried a quick chant of 'I've got a shed.' but no one was having it.Miserable gits!

No one joined in the new Whelan, Whelan, Whelan song either.Sod em!

To start with, the greatest surprise was that Stevie MacLean was on the bench. I thought he was gone until next season at the earliest.

When he started warming up right in front of us there was an almost simultaneous outburst of song.STEVE MacLEAN!

The first 45 minutes was prolly as good as we've played all season. We looked confident and were passing the ball about. The midfield, right across the park were just excellent, and I find it difficult to pick any single one of them out over the others.

I will say though that during this whole game it was fantastic to see two players who have come in for some stick, much of it deserved, pick up the

baton and run with it. Not to detract from JP and Whelan who were prolly top 2 candidates for MOTM but Brunty and Rocastle were excellent, and to pinch a line from Phil

Collins.looked as though they'd waited for this moment for all their lives..Oh lord!

The defence too were magnificent and 'Pool hardly got a look in in that first half, going in 1-0 up was the very least we deserved and should prolly have made it more comfortable.

Second half couldn't have started any worse really could it?

They caught us napping and we were prolly still thinking how well we'd played first half when the ball was in the net. Worse still to come they compounded our misery with a suspect (From where I was sitting) free kick. That was it then.I was absolutely convinced now we wouldn't get back into the match, even though I'd had a dream that we would come from behind, and lets' be honest here, it's Roy of the Rovers stuff that isn't it?

To take the lead, then come back from the dead in such a dramatic fashion?

Stuff of schoolboy dreams.

Once they got that second goal they had a great deal of confidence and although we had started to make inroads I really feared the worst. A lot of our players seemed to disappear for at least 20 minutes, especially the midfield who had been so heroic first half.

The triple substitution was a masterstroke, and a final throw of the dice by Sturrock.

The lads up front had put plenty of work in without getting any reward, but with the Flying Drew Talbot and MacLean on the lift they gave the crowd was fantastic, you could feel it all around the Wednesday fans, and Drew did run at them.

They looked very good together and could be a nice pairing in the future. When the penalty came have to hold my hand up and say I didn't see anything wrong at the time, when Westwood was sent off I almost over gasped.

Good job I kept a couple of gasps back because I needed one when MacLean stepped up to ball. There was never any doubts about who would take it, and he was on the ball as quick as flash, just as there was no doubt in my mind when he booted it home.

The place went mental..I threw the young un up in the air and hugging was set to optimum as everyone grabbed someone near them, whether they knew them

or not.There were arms and scarves, legs, blue and white painted heads, balloons flying all over the place.

The relief was massive, you could actually feel it in the air, the feeling of the shift in fortunes was tangible, and that was as good as the game over for the poor Poolies, and I think they knew it.

Extra time came, and with the benefit of hindsight, it just made the whole day even better.

When Whelan picked the ball up from the Poolies player and set forward towards their goal, again, just like when Steve MacLean stepped up for the penalty, there was a feeling inside, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one that felt it, you just knew this was IT..and it was.

Dog pile on the wabbit time.except Hecky who totally missed the pile.

Of course the fans maxed the mental this time, I lost track of who was grabbing who, the noise was incredible.We were now in the final straight, the home run and we were back in front again, and this time it was for keeps.

Even this wasn't enough to totally destroy the plucky Poolies as they had a chance to nip in behind, but someone got a tackle in that was worth the admission price alone. At the time I thought it was Woody, but didn't have a wonderful view at that time, but have since been told it was Bully.As good as a goal that tackle IMO, and kudos to whichever player did get the foot in.

We were watching the clock more than anything at the end, and I've never seen a clock count down so slow in my life, that last fifteen minutes seemed to last an hour, and each digit change was slow and excruciatingly painful..

I think the game was already over when Drew decided he wanted some of the scoring action, and this bit will stay in the Beastie memory a good long while as it was right in front of us at ground level..OK.Given my memory is shot it'll prolly last around a month, but it was incredible when Drew went round the flailing Konstantopolous and knocked the final nail in.My last gasp had already gone on the Whelan goal and this just wrecked me totally.Yes, I was at it again, the waterworks were in full flow.The young

un was up in the air..The lad who had kept running down to the front got maximum huggage from Beastie and everyone else around that area.

The one thing the goal did do was speed the clock up and hasten party time.

In no particular time order.

The faces on the players at that final whistle.Bully, shutting his eyes, with a massive grin on his face, opening his eyes to take it all in then walking over to our end and soaking it up more.Peacock, pointing at the fans.The smile on Rockys face that split his head open, how brilliant was his face, he could have lit the city up.He collapsed on the pitch and others piled on.Brunty had a flag and ran past.Bully grabbed a flag and draped it around him.The moment, that fantastic moment when Bully walked over to lift

the trophy.The cameras were on other players faces and.I just can't describe how they looked.In awe? Proud? Amazed? Absolutely, earth shatteringly gobsmacked? This was just before he lifted it, when he actually lifted.OH MY LORD!

The fur was up, the young un was up in the air, yeah you know what happened.the waterworks.You better believe it.

They walked the whole length of the Owls fans with the trophy. Hecky came over with a bottle of Champagne.JP doing the 'EASY clap'.. Woody and Lucas coming back out with the trophy after everyone had gone back in.Huge grin on Lucas' face.

STURROCK.The grin on his face when he walked down towards our end with the trophy.another trying desperately to take everything in, and pleased for everyone involved and proud of his team and achievements, you could see the whole lot in his face.Happy, happy man.

Walking out of the ground, and we were amongst the very last to leave, along with a few Poolies who to their credit stayed and clapped our players. Back out into the street and you just couldn't move.

The young un had gotten hold of the Elephant swimming ring and though it was for a kids 5" waistline, we managed to force it on and it became handy as a

buffer outside as everyone was shoulder to shoulder walking down the street. The overwhelming feeling walking down that street was truly unbelievable.It seemed to take an age to get to the other end, but I also didn't want it to ever end, the whole weekend was incredible but the last three to five hours or so had been the peak of it all and I didn't want to come down for a good while yet.

We met up with a Poolie mate of mine and went for a drink in the Hard Rock café, rubbed his nose in it a bit, won a bet against him after he asked who looked the youngest out of us, whoever it was that picked me thanks.I'd never have heard the last of it.Loads of Owls in the café as well, and a great atmosphere in there...

There were Poolies everywhere and rather than be down about it all, they were so incredibly proud of their team, and rightly so, they were determined to celebrate that fact.

Back round to the Red Rooms after saying good bye to my Poolie mate and his wife a few more drinks with Owlsonliners before some had to depart.

On the train back to Bristol another abiding memory. Loads of Poolies and we were outnumbered again.

They were in fine voice too, we gave them a couple of songs back but they were far too good for us, and determined to make the most of it.

The highlight of course was one of them was called Kenny, and his 'mate' decided to sing out 'Kenny takes it up the arse..Doo Dah.Doo dah'

This happened whenever there was a moment of quiet, much to the embarrassment of Kenny who went from shades of red to purple and couldn't hide or get away as the train was jam packed.

Great, funny moments.felt it for Kenny, but not too much as I started one of the Kenny songs.It was just too damned catchy.

Shook the hands of all the Poolies on the train, in fact every single one I met.

Thanked them for their good humour, chewed over the penalty, and genuinely felt a bond between us on this fantastic day. They really were a credit.everything about then.team, manager, fans the whole lot.