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McAlees, who has been at the Golds helm for a decade, is a Chelsea fan and should have been at last Saturday’s showpiece game. But he didn’t want to take anything away from this Sunday when he and almost the whole of Littlehampton will be at HQ.

"Now it's our next game it seems real. We're that close now. I had the chance to go to the FA Cup final to see my team Chelsea but I didn't go because I thought it might take the edge of next weekend, so I stayed at home.

The Town players celebrate winning the Vase semi to reach the final / Picture: Martin Denyer

"We're all going up on Saturday, leaving around midday, and having had six weeks between the semi-final and final, I've tried to take in every moment because it will soon be gone."

McAlees admitted he had to pinch himself when reflecting on the the season Town have had, having already won the SCFL title and the Peter Bentley Cup. "I have to pinch myself how well we've done and what good football we've been playing. Once you get momentum you really get the ball rolling, and now here we are on the verge of Wembley - it's a boyhood dream.

McAlees said not until Town went 4-0 up against Loughborough Students was he content they were going to Wembley. "You just can't count your chickens." He is confident they can bring the Vase home on Sunday. "We've got to do everything right and not be fazed by the occasion but I think we can do it," he said.

I snubbed Chelsea's FA Cup final for Littlehampton's day at Wembley