The 41-year wait is over and Shildon AFC are once more Champions of Durham!

A stunning late comeback with two Billy Greulich-Smith goals snatched the Durham FA Challenge Cup from Spennymoor Town’s grasp at Central Avenue Stadium in Billingham this lunchtime.

Spennymoor took a 1-0 lead into the interval when Keith Graydon scored just before the break and it must have looked like their name was on the cup when Ben Wood’s goal just after the restart was ruled out for offside.

With 15 minutes remaining, Spennymoor could have wrapped the match up, but the woodwork prevented them doubling their lead.

It was a chink of hope for Shildon, and with just eight minutes remaining, the Railwaymen forced their way back into the game when Billy Greulich-Smith equalised.

And with extra time looming, up popped Billy again to turn the game on its head and give Shildon the lead with seconds remaining!

The three minutes of injury time were the longest in many a Shildon fan’s lifetime, but there was no way back for Spennymoor and when the referee blew the final whistle, Shildon were crowned champions of Durham!

The fans and players will undoubtedly celebrate well into the night and will be looking to ensure it is not another 41 years before the feat is repeated!

For now, congratulations to Gary, Stuart, Phil, Keith, Dean and Amy and all the lads for a magnificent effort and thank you to all the fans who turned out to support the side, as well as all the fans looking out for updates around the world on a day that will be written permanently into the history of Shildon Football Club.

And in case you all missed it first time around, here it is again: Shildon are the 2013-14 Durham Challenge Cup Champions!

After the game, Wilf Tray caught up with the winning goalscorer, Billy Grulich-Smith and manager Gary Forrest. This is what they had to say:

https://shildonafc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Billy-Gary.mp3