IT MAY seem like a lifetime ago to Mark Lea, but the memories of Swindon’s last trip to Wembley are something he will never forget.

The 37-year-old was one of six Swindon Town trainees that got on the hallowed turf prior to the play-off final against Sunderland in 1990.

Mark, who was only 17, also got an insight into Town’s victory celebrations.

The father-of-two, of Liden, said: “If I’m honest it feels like a different life. I wonder if it was me”.

Mark works as an international project manager for an electrical distribution firm these days, but was signed by the club aged 14 and trained there full-time from when he left school at 16 until he was 18.

As an apprentice he spent his time training, cleaning the toilets, showers and players’ boots and was paid £29.70 a week.

However, when Swindon Town got into the play-off final, Mark was one of the players that did a mini-shoot out against Sunderland’s apprentices to provide the 70,000 strong crowd with entertainment before the match.

He said: “As we came out there was a wall of noise and you had two colours, though mostly it was red because Sunderland usually played in red.”

The defensive midfielder scored all his three attempts on goal and got to shake the hand of footballing legend Sir Bobby Moore as he walked onto the pitch.

He only just made it as the coach stuck in traffic.

“We made it with literally five minutes to spare.”

After the match, Mark joined the players on the pitch at the end of the game and collected a piece of turf, which he still has today.

He said: “After the game we saw the players in the changing room while they were celebrating quite vigorously, I think I remember Ossie Ardiles [Swindon manager] smoking a victory cigar.”

Mark said he fell out of love with the game and left the club aged 18.

Although he will not be there on Saturday, he said he would be cheering the team on.

He advised the players to forget about the importance and scale of the occasion.

“They have achieved their goals this season by focusing on what the job in hand is,” he said.

“Although it’s an experience they’ll only get once in their life they have got to think about winning that game.”