Gateshead Football Club. They don't do it the easy way do they?
Mike Williamson and his side defeated Barnet on penalties to reach the FA Trophy Final for the first time in the club's history. The Heed have been semi-finalists twice but beaten on both occasions and will now take on Halifax Town in the Wembley showpiece finale next month.
It's just the second time in Gateshead's history they've played at Wembley, made more special by their plight in recent years. The Heed were a whisker away from Football League status in 2013/14, beaten by Cambridge United in the play-off final, before almost ceasing to exist four years ago.
READ MORE: Gateshead beat Barnet on penalties to secure FA Trophy Final place at Wembley
They bounced back as National League North title winners last season and have written another chapter into the Tyneside history books. Goals from Adam Campbell, Louis Storey and Greg Olley saw the Heed race into a 3-0 lead, pegged back by Barnet's Harry Smith on the brink of half-time.
Gateshead had three more golden opportunities to extend their lead heading into the break, before a second-half of contrasting fortunes saw the Bees make it 3-2 with ten minutes of normal time remaining from the spot through Harry Pritchard, then equalising in the 101st minute of the game.
Penalties beckoned with the Heed having to overcome yet another obstacle. It's been a tough slog of a campaign for the Heed; losing their two leading goalscorers from last season in Cedwyn Scott and Macauley Langstaff to Notts County, injuries woes throughout the entire campaign and five members of the squad are cup tied, but they keep overcoming the next hurldle.
James Montgomery - who's grandfather's cousin is Sunderland's legendary goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery - was the penalty saving hero in the last round beating Farsley Celtic and repeated his heroics to secure a place in the final. The Heed shot stopper was part of the Gateshead side that were beaten by Bromley in the FA Trophy semi-final back in 2017-18, with the emotions at full-time bubbling over.
"Unbelievable," he told Chronicle Live. "What a contrast it is. I was in tears for a different reason today and I said last time, it was the first time I've been close to crying on a footy pitch, today I had a few and I wasn't the only one.
"That group of lads, to get to this final and put us in with a chance of being one game away from winning this competition, is absolutely unbelievable. It's the best group of lads I've ever worked with.
"We've made history again, I said it in the dressing room before the game, the club has only been to the semi-final twice before and this was the third time. We've went one step further this time and hopefully we can go two steps further.
"Hopefully we can kick on now and use this as a catalyst for games in the league and obviously enjoy the day at Wembley, but we want to be on the right side of survival and the right side of the occasion."
For manager Williamson, the FA Trophy Final will be another marker on his CV but admits that'll count for nothing if they lose the final and are relegated from the National League. Nonetheless, he was full of praise for his players efforts after being pegged back, he said: "What a game, it was a real hard fought cup tie and going 3-0 up you knew it wasn't going to be the last goal against a very good Barnet team.
"It just typifies the lads that performance, the heart and then to be pegged back in the last 30 seconds, to clear the fog and block out the noise and go through on penalties thanks to our excellent goalkeeper. We had chances to go four and five [nil up at the break] and I was delighted with that.
"The boys were threatening every time we went forward but we know against a team like Barnet, they're fit and resilient and hard working, so I'm delighted to get over the line."
For the majority of players up and down the pyramid, the opportunity to play at Wembley once is a pipe dream, but for the Heed's player-coach Louis Storey, he'll be at Wembley for a second time having helped Hebburn Town win the FA Vase back in 2021.
"Words can't describe the emotional rollercoaster of the game first of all, but obviously what it means to help take this football club to Wembley," he said. "I'm just so happy for the fans, the guys that work behind the scenes who aren't always at the forefront and you don't really see.
"It's just incredible. It was a mountain to get over at 3-0 and then conceding in the way we did.
"We rest it again, at the penalty stage. We knew we'd been there before and we knew that emotion and extra noise was going to do us no favours.
"I said in the huddle before the guys did the penalty shootout 'this group is unbreakable, the strength is in the pack.' It's such a tight group and I'm so proud to be associated with each and every one of them because we all just muck in for the greater cause and that unbreakable mentality, that unbreakable culture we've got in the group showed in the penalty shootout.
"We conceded in the last minute and then go and win on penalties again."
Gateshead are back in National League action against fellow strugglers Yeovil Town on Tuesday night, with Williamson rushing off at full-time to watch the Glovers' televised game with Southend United.
Williamson said: "We've got a massive game against Yeovil and that's where our focus is. I said to the boys there, you've got to enjoy the moment and appreciate the gravity of the result but as soon as you leave the stadium you know where the attention is.
"It's on how best to recover and get our minds right for a really tough game on Tuesday. Nothing changes, it's the process. As Busted has said [Ian Watson, assistant manager at Gateshead], clubs have got to the final and gotten relegated so nothing matters except recovery.
"I'm in there now watching Yeovil now. They've signed a lot of players, they've got a good manager and play good football so that's where our focus is now."
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