The rise and fall of Colne Dynamoes was a classic boom and bust story. The team made up of mates playing on a park pitch grew into the club that won at Wembley and threatened big town neighbours Burnley – but 21 years ago it all came to an end. In the first of a three-part series on the Dynamoes we look back at Colne’s greatest day, the 1988 FA Vase win over Emley.

April 23, 1988 is a date marked down into East Lancashire’s football folklore – and it is a day that no-one who trekked all the way to Wembley Stadium will ever forget.

It was a day that put the town of Colne on the map as the town’s Dynamoes beat Emley 1-0 beneath the famous Twin Towers to lift the FA Vase.

A quarter of the population of the town piled into buses, on to trains and into cars to make their way to London for the game.

And now 23 years on skipper Simon Westwell still smiles when he recalls the moments.

“I still get around Nelson and Colne with work – and the first thing people say to me is invariably about Wembley and the Dynamoes,” he said. “People remember what happened and the great days.”

The merchandise sellers were not too sure of Colne’s location, however, and sold red and yellow scarves, hats and flags bearing the name ‘Colne Valley Dynamoes’. They had mixed up the locations as Emley, a village better known for it’s landmark TV mast, was on the outskirts of Huddersfield at the top of the Colne Valley.

No-one cared about such small matters, though, and the sun shone brightly on the national stadium as the little clubs got their day out.

It was all about the football as Colne left the town’s Crown Hotel on the Thursday morning for the trip south. Few could believe their eyes as hundreds of well-wishers turned up to cheer their heroes onto the bus - and the eyes of grown men were filled with tears of joy a few days later when the streets of the town were packed as thousands upon thousands of people became Colne fans for the day to welcome home the Vase winners.

“It is probably fair to say that we were not the best footballing side but our team spirit was something else, the best I have been involved with,” said Westwell, who played 76 games for Preston North End before his time as Colne skipper.

“It helped with so many of the players being from East Lancashire, they were local lads – and because Graham White was so well known in the area it made everything all the more special for the people of the town.”

The hysteria surrounding the game was a world away from the calm in the Dynamoes team hotel in the Surrey commuter belt at Cobham. The players knew what was expected of them – and some of the backroom staff and certain players were more keen to go and sample the horse racing at nearby Kempton Park.

But those thoughts were swept away on the eve of the game when the Dynamoes were taken to the stadium. That’s when the enormity of the occasion started to sink in. Goalkeeper Keith Mason posed for photographs, local boys made good including Duncan MacFadyen, Clive Dunn and Nigel Coates were relishing the moment.

Ex-Claret Billy Rodaway, who was to play a vital part 24 hours later, laughed and joked that Wembley’s pristine surface was not suited to him. Rodaway had been the sem-final hero and one of the most endearing images of his career came as he charged down the Holt House slope to score the killer second goal to see off Sudbury Town.

Holt House was a mudbath on a stormy afternoon - and Rodaway was just the man to make a charge through the conditions.

Wembley, it’s fair to say, was not the sort of pitch he was used to.

Emley had started well and John Francis, who went on to have a glorious career with Burnley, missed two decent chances.

But Rodaway was outstanding, along with the rest of his colleagues, and Colne were to lift the ultimate prize thanks to a sweet right foot shot from paint sprayer Stewart Anderson after current Colne FC boss Coates headed into his path. It seemed that the destination of the prize was going to be decided by penalties when Anderson struck - but as the ball hit the net, the party started.

“I remember the game quite well and Emley probably had the better of the first half chances but we came back into it,” said Westwell.

“After the break we were better - and the one thing we had in that Colne side was an attitude that we were never beaten. It did not matter if we scored in the first minute or the last, we had the belief that we would win the game.

“So when we scored we knew.

“It is every schollboy’s dream to play at Wembley - we played there and won there.

“They were fabulous times - and no-one can ever forget the scenes in Colne town centre when we got back on the Sunday on the open topped bus. The streets were packed.”

It could easily have been so different and few people remember just how close the Dynamoes came to bowing out in the preliminary round of the competition that made their name.

They appeared to be home and hosed when they led North West Counties League rivalsGlossop 3-0 but complacency crept in and they needed a last-ditch winner by Micky Bartholomew to sneak through by the odd goal in nine.

It was dramatic and White and assistant Billy Gaskell were not happy as they stood in their dugout.

“You sometimes wonder if your name is on the cup when that sort of thing happens,” added Westwell, who is lettings manager at Burnley’s Petty estate agents.

“It was a long way from Wembley that day - but there are often stories about such escapes in cup competitions.”

But the players took heed of that scare and the Dynamoes made light work of Darwen in the next round, coasting home 4-1 at The Anchor ground. North-Eastern outfit Coundon TT were beaten 1-0 in the second round, and 2-0 home wins over and Fleetwood Town saw the Dynamoes into the last 16. A trip to Midlands side Atherstone United saw the Dynamoes win 2-1 to put them in the quarter-finals and earn a home tie with the then powerful Farsley Celtic, who were beaten 2-0 in front of a big and passionate Holt House crowd with members of the press crowded into a temporary area built on the roof of the boardroom.

That led to the two-legged semi-final with Sudbury, and thanks to hero Rodaway, who scored in both legs, Colne won 3-1 on aggregate.

“It was a great time for everyone,” added Westwell.

“And you know, if you can put a smile on people’s faces it is all worthwhile.

“Twenty-odd years on and people are still smiling about the Dynamoes.”