IT WAS a “fairytale” moment for Chipping Sodbury footballer Liam Pullen on Saturday as he walked out with Chelsea and Manchester United at this year’s FA Cup final.

The 21 year-old, scored his sides first ever FA Cup goal in the clubs history in an extra preliminary round tie against Brackley Town Saints Football Club., with that strike meaning his name would be included, along with 137 other goal scorers in the FA Cup this season, on the match ball.

He even had the added honour of carrying out the ball before the final, something he told the club would be “extra special”.

“It is an honour for my name to feature on the ‘Ball for All,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to the experience and will be very proud to be representing all of the players who have scored in this competitions.

“To have played and scored in my clubs first ever Emirates FA Cup match back in August was a dream come true and one of the highlights of my career to date.

The final, which ended 1–0 to Chelsea, marked the conclusion of the 137 FA Cup. Although Chipping Sodbury didn’t make it to the First Round of the competition, Liam’s manager at the club Neil Simons insists it is a “phenomenal achievement for both him personally and the club.

“We got the email through from the FA and I called him straight away. He didn’t believe me at all because we are all close and play jokes on each other all the time. But when he saw the emails he was delighted.

“It has marked out first ever season in the competition with a really nice memory, it is a massive milestone for the club and everyone here is really proud of him.”

Liam was selected for the award, and carried the ball featuring the 137 names of goal scorers out at Wembley. Among the names on the centrepiece is that of Premier League stars Alexis Sanchez and Willian, while Wigan Athletics’ hero goal scorer Will Grigg also features.

The FA Cup has a history and reputation of being ‘magical’. This is only further strengthened by Liam’s story. Manager, Neil recalls a conversation he had with Liam at the beginning of the season following the player’s decision to get back into the game after a year off.

“He was at Yate Town and it wasn’t quite going his way, so he took a year out and decided to get in the gym and work at improving himself physically. His first game back after pre-season and he scored our first ever FA Cup goal.

“It really is fairytale stuff, we have kept a programme from the match that will be in our clubhouse for years to come and we couldn’t be prouder to have played a role in the final this year.”