Whitstable player-boss Jamie Coyle admits guiding the club to Wembley is a dream come true.

The Oystermen will play at Wembley for the first time in their history when they meet AFC Whyteleafe in the FA Vase Final on May 11.

It will be the greatest day in the club’s history and evergreen defender Coyle, at the age of 41, was at the very heart of it.

“I think any kid that is born and loves football, the pinnacle is you want to play at your national stadium,” said Coyle, who played 90 minutes as Whitstable drew their semi-final second leg 0-0 at Hartpury University on Sunday to progress 2-0 on aggregate.

“Obviously, I've represented my country in the seniors and won World Cups with that side but to take a team that you've assembled with the management team and walk out there, it's a dream come true.

“And it's not just me. It's not just about me. It's about everyone at this football club. They deserve it and I'm looking forward to it.

“I don't think it's quite sunk in for this young group at the moment of what they've achieved.

“But I've said the same thing as I said in the quarter-finals, no-one remembers the team that loses in the final.

“So we've got to make sure that we give a real good account of ourselves and we'll see what happens on the day.”

A total of 594 teams entered the FA Vase and Whitstable are still standing after getting through a staggering NINE rounds to get this far.

They started the Road to Wembley back in August with a 4-1 win at Corinthian Casuals.

“It's crazy,” admitted Coyle. “To think there's over 500 teams that actually start the competition.

“I’ll sit back and enjoy the coach journey home and just think about what we've all achieved.

“That's not just the players or the management team, it's everyone associated with this football club. The backing that we've had from the board.

“There's some really emotional people behind the scenes that have given up so much time and effort – and they deserve it.”

As for the second leg against Hartpury, the game was never going to be a spectacle on a pitch used 24 hours earlier for rugby.

Dry and bobbly, it didn’t help the hosts as they tried to bring the ball out from the back. It just reinforced Whitstable’s desire not to make any mistakes.

“We actually came and looked at it when there was a rugby game taking place on Saturday, so we knew it was going to be churned up a little bit,” added Coyle.

“But I think you've got to give them massive credit. I thought Hartpury played unbelievable football. They played through the thirds on a real bobbly, tough pitch and took a lot of chances in terms of their keeper dictating play. They caused us some problems.

“I thought they controlled the game in large parts without really threatening and looking like they were going to score. But we had to change quite a bit at half-time tactically and the players carried that out in the second half.

“Outside of a couple of shots from distance where Dan Colmer’s tipped over or around the post, they didn't really threaten us.

“But then I don't think we looked like scoring outside of Harvey Smith’s chance where he should have potentially scored. But it was a real mature, experienced level of performance from a young group. And that's what I'm really proud of.”

Asked if he felt comfortable during the game, knowing that one goal could change everything, Coyle responded: “Totally. Yeah, I did.

“Just the decision-making, even from the midfielders, they just weren't taking any chances and put balls into good areas.

“Ultimately, this pitch dictates the way that you play. And even though they did play through the thirds, we nicked it a couple of times in the first half because of the pitch and could have counter-attacked and scored a goal.

Read more: Hartpury University 0-0 Whitstable (0-2 on aggregate) match report

“But they're a young side that have got a bright future ahead of them. The majority of their players are 19-20-year-olds and you've got to take your hat off to them to get this far.

“They've got a real good management team that are really organised and they’ve obviously done a lot of work this week because they've played completely different than they did last Saturday against us.”

There’s no rest for Coyle’s men as they return to Southern Counties East Premier Division action on Tuesday night with a trip to Punjab United.