EIGHT great strides were made by Clitheroe in this season's FA Vase.

But when it was time to make the final giant leap, sadly, they were found lacking.

Whether it was a case of not being able to or not being allowed, Clitheroe simply did not reach a level to give the men from Brigg much cause for anxiety.

The weight of expectation, the significance of a Wembley final, the organised effectiveness of the opposition all seemed to take a sudden hold to prevent Denis Underwood's side competing at their best.

Rob Gawthorpe, in the Brigg Town goal, had not a single save to make (unless you count a weak header by Andy Darbyshire at the death).

The relevance of this is intensified by the strong suspicion that if Gawthorpe had been even occasionally tested, he might have crumbled.

Frequently, he reacted to the sight of the ball approaching his area like a rabbit caught in a set of headlights.

At one point, he even manufactured an opportunity for Darbyshire by letting a harmless ball roll past him before rescuing the situation by belatedly diving on top of it. But Brigg's domination of the entire midfield, after Clitheroe had started confidently and forcefully, rendered the frailty of their keeper redundant.

Carl Stead, scorer of Brigg's opening two goals - his first being a mirror image of Eric Cantona's winner in Saturday's Cup final, was particularly influential.

But it was Stead's namesake, Nathan, a 20-year-old student who had trials with Bradford City in the summer, who stole the show.

Repeatedly, he took on and beat Clitheroe's defenders with a surge of speed reminiscent of Ben Johnson bursting out of the starting blocks.

And it was his sublime ball, struck cross-field with the outside of his right boot to Simon Roach, that set up Brigg's third goal which was cruelly deflected into the net by an unsuspecting Steve Lampkin.

The cruel complexion this put on the final score was unbefitting a Clitheroe side who, despite not nearly reaching their potential, played with spirit throughout.

This was no more exemplified than by Chris Grimshaw, the man who had to be talked out of retirement at the start of the season, who ran the length and breadth of the pitch and was Clitheroe's only consistently dangerous player.

He emerged from the game with much to be proud of and, shortly afterwards, left his son bursting with joy by running to the side of the pitch and placing his losers' medal in Callum's outstretched hands.

An hour and a half earlier it seemed likely that Callum would be clasping his dad's winners' medal later on.

Knocking the ball about with ease, Clitheroe created the first clear-cut chance when Grimshaw's clever pass beat Briggs' offside trap and sent Andy Rouine scampering towards the by-line.

He managed to centre the ball into the danger area but, with Darbyshire lurking, ex-Hull City defender Neil Buckley, substituted on 19 minutes after carrying a back injury into the game, got a leg to it and directed it out for a corner. In the ninth minute Darbyshire might have done better when he managed to get his shot in from 35 yards, after the keeper had come all that way out of his net, but put it wide.

Clitheroe's finest chance, however, arrived after 23 minutes when a deadly accurate cross from Grimshaw dropped over Graham Thompson's head and onto the left foot of Dennis Hill.

He got plenty of power into his shot but pulled it right and wide of the goals.

Just beyond the half hour, Clitheroe had a penalty appeal turned down when one of the Brigg defenders appeared to handle the ball. Referee Stephen Lodge's refusal to award it would be compounded when, thirty minutes later, he would penalise Clitheroe for a similar indiscretion.

There was no doubts, however, about Brigg's opener, a steaming 25-yarder from Carl Stead that he controlled with his chest and volleyed assuredly into the bottom left corner with his left foot.

Just after the break Dennis Hill had to head off the line when substitute David Mail, the ex-Blackburn Rovers player who enjoyed an excellent game, headed powerfully toward the top left corner. But referee Lodge's decision in the 65th minute to award a penalty, converted by Stead again, when the ball collided with Neil Baron's hand took the wind out of Clitheroe's challenge.

The third goal was academic.

Clitheroe never even looked likely to secure a consolation goal, their sole satisfaction being that the pure flame of their will kept burning until the end.

But, as Grimshaw astutely pointed out afterwards, long after the bitter taste of defeat has been forgotten, it will be "the whole, magnificent Wembley experience" that, for players and fans alike, will be the abiding memory.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.