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An emotional day for Gaz

28/ 5/2008

BRAVE skipper Gareth Owen was almost overcome by emotion when he spoke exclusively to the Express following County’s Wembley victory on Monday.

Still sporting a black eye after taking a bang on the cheek in the play-off semi-final win over Wycombe nine days earlier, Owen was euphoric as he tried to sum up his feelings as a summer preparing for League One football now beckons.

A stunned Owen said: "Words just can’t explain what’s gone on at Wembley today to be honest. We’ve been fantastic all season, but to culminate with a victory like that is simply amazing.

"This is what football is all about, it’s absolutely unbelievable.

"The lads have been dancing around in the dressing room, it’s fantastic."

Owen added: "This team has got drive, it’s got determination, I thought we fully deserved to win against Rochdale.

"We’ve got a young team and plenty of young legs amongst us, and nothing fazes us at all. If we go one-nil down we always fancy ourselves to come back, and we’ve done that again.

"We play football in the right way, and we’re always fancied to score a goal."

Owen didn’t struggle with his sore cheekbone, largely thanks to him wearing a rather fetching protective mask, but he wouldn’t have missed Monday’s showpiece final for the world.

"You know me," Owen said. "I would have played with a broken leg if I’d had to.

"It’s Wembley, it’s a play-off final, I would have done anything just to get out there and play at Wembley."

Ecstatic Owen concluded with his own captain’s salute for the magnificent travelling support as almost 20,000 made the trek to London, and ended up lapping up promotion in jubilant style after the final whistle.

Owen said: "Our fans have been brilliant all season.

"Even today when we went one-nil down they carried on singing their hearts out. Every single County fan was tremendous, and this victory is for them."