West Ham assistant manager Stuart Pearce says his surprise visit to box office giant-killers Hornchurch can help them cap a truly Hollywood FA Trophy fairy-tale.

Former England skipper Pearce gave Mark Stimson’s Wembley-bound players an evening they’d never forget when he dropped in on a training session on Thursday.

The Urchins, who play in the Pitching In Isthmian Premier Division, stunned National League Notts County on penalties in the semi-finals and will meet sixth-tier Hereford in the FA Trophy showpiece on May 22.

The 59-year-old, whose side train just over four miles from Hornchurch and who attended the session as an ambassador for Pitching In, said: “If you put this achievement into a film, you would say it’s a little bit far-fetched – but they’ve achieved that. Hopefully, they’ll go on to win the final.

“It’s been brilliant for me to come and meet the manager and players. You name the whole spectrum of it – I don’t think there’s been any club in world football who’ve had a cup campaign like this, over the duration they have, with no league football to keep the players fit.

“Wembley is the holy grail for a non-league player. If I was sat here solely as a person who’s only ever played the professional game, I probably would have hollow words.

“But I know what it meant to us at Wealdstone – and I know how big it is to win the trophy. There’s no better place to play football than Wembley.

“It may well be the best day of their lives for these players out there, so don’t miss the opportunity.

“Going out and playing at Wembley, with fans in the crowd – for me, there’s nothing better. If you’re a professional footballer, where do you want to play? You want to play in major finals and as a non-league player, the Trophy is the major final.”

Entain, owner of Ladbrokes, has launched a multi-million pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/