Hornchurch midfielder Jordan Clark insists he will be telling everyone he comes across in the build-up to the FA Trophy final that he is playing at Wembley.
The Urchins bagged a spot in the final of the non-league cup competition and will now face Hereford at the national stadium on Saturday, May 22.
And the former Thurrock man believes this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and they must now enjoy the experience.
“You think about it when you’re five, six or seven years old, and everyone wants to be a professional and make it – sometimes that doesn’t happen and things can go against you," said Clark.
“To get to a massive stadium like Wembley is the pinnacle and no disrespect to anyone but most of us will never get a chance to get here again or anywhere close to this.
“You’ve got to enjoy the moment and the next eight weeks leading up to it as I know, for sure, any time someone talks to me I'm going to be like 'do you know I'm playing at Wembley?'
“I’m going to be milking it for sure and I'm sure the rest of the boys will be as well.”
Clark also revealed he can’t describe the feeling he had on the pitch at Meadow Lane after beating Notts County in the semi-final.
“It’s quite hard to put into words what it feels like and the feeling I had at the end of the game when you’re looking around at your mates and you realise that you’ve made it to Wembley,” he added.
“It’s pretty surreal and hard to sum it up. Obviously we haven’t played a league game since November, so we’ve played every single game for the last four or five rounds as if it is our last, and you put everything in that and training.
“It’s turned out really well for us and we want to go one step further by lifting the trophy when we do actually get to Wembley.”
Playing away at the oldest club in England and a 19,841-seater Meadow Lane stadium was an experience in itself, let alone Wembley.
"They’re obviously a huge club, like the gaffer said before we have to respect them because of where they are, and how big a club they are but at the same time you can’t fear them and have to play your own game," added Clark.
“Standing in the centre circle before the game, you’re looking around the ground, and it looked a lot bigger than it actually was. I looked before, it is a 20,000-seater stadium but it felt larger.
“I don’t know whether that was because it was empty so I'm not sure what it’s going to feel like standing in the centre at Wembley,” he chuckled. “It’s going to be mad.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here