Town 'buzzing' over Wembley final

Ebbsfleet United FC was formerly known as Gravesend and Northfleet

Up to 25,000 football fans from a Kent town are expected to attend their football team's first Wembley final.

Fans of Ebbsfleet United FC, from Gravesend, will watch their side take on Torquay in the final of the FA Trophy on Saturday.

On Thursday the team travelled to London, before moving to a hotel in Buckinghamshire for training.

Charles Webster, co-editor of Ebbsfleet's fanzine, said Gravesend was "buzzing" in anticipation of the game.

"I'm getting goosebumps at the moment, because people you talk to wherever you go, whether it's the paper shop or the pub or whatever, they're all talking about the game," he added.

'Dream come true'

David Sheress, from Chatham, went to his first match 58 years ago.

"It's just a dream come true to think a small team like Ebbsfleet United are going to be playing at Wembley," he said.

The club is owned equally by 20,000 football fans who each paid a stake of £35 to the website MyFootballClub for a takeover last November.

Mark Pendergast, who is one of the investors, has travelled from Dubai to see the game.

He said: "All in all it was probably a 12 or 13 hour journey to get here."

Another fan, Dan, registered on MyFootballClub as Shooter, said he travelled from Los Angeles, California, to go to the game.

"I'm here to watch Ebbsfleet at Wembley, I got here today and I'm going back on Monday," he said.

Ebbsfleet United FC, which was known as Gravesend and Northfleet FC until last year, will be just the second side from Kent to appear in the FA Trophy final - Dartford were runners-up in 1974.