Matt Bloomfield answered the question before it was even finished. After joining Wycombe in his teens, playing 558 times as a one-club man and now becoming manager, Mail Sport presented him with a simple query over his rose and thorn of a life in football.
‘Easy, mate,’ he interrupts. ‘Wembley.’ The 40-year-old Chairboys boss has been there, done that and bought the t-shirt for winning at the national stadium, but he has also had extremely dark days under the arches.
‘The low point of my career was missing a penalty there,’ says Bloomfield, referring to a shoot-out defeat in the 2015 League Two play-off final against Southend. ‘Actually, it was the lowest I’ve felt in my entire life.
‘But honestly, it was one of the best things that happened to me. Sometimes in life you need to experience tough moments because without darkness there’s no light. Without sadness there is no happiness.
‘It helped me learn about myself. I am glad I experienced that to learn about what it takes to be successful. Ultimately I believe that took me to my highest point, winning at Wembley to take Wycombe to the Championship as captain (in 2020 against Oxford).
Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield insists his Wembley experience will be invaluable when his team face Peterborough in the EFL Trophy final
Bloomfield captained the Chairboys to victory in the League One play-off final back in 2020
‘Wembley holds my lowest and highest moments in football and hopefully on Sunday I can return to those high ones.’ That will take the shape of a Bristol Street Motors final against fellow League One side Peterborough.
Bloomfield is aware Posh are the favourites given their league position – nine places and 23 points better off – but he believes Wycombe have what it takes to win the final despite his status as a rookie manager compared to experienced head Darren Ferguson in the opposite dugout.
Labelling the former midfielder as a rookie is not an insult, more a compliment if anything. This will be just the 95th game of Bloomfield’s budding managerial career – he impressed at Colchester before returning to Wycombe – and to get to Wembley already is a mighty honour.
‘Leading Wycombe out at Wembley will be incredibly special. I could sit here and be boring, or lie to you by telling you it’s just another game… but it’s not! My family will be as proud as punch. We’ve shared some tough moments where I’ve had to dig deep and be resilient.
‘Just to be manager of the club I love is an incredibly proud moment. There will be several carloads of my family coming down the A12 from Felixstowe in Suffolk! And 15,000 Wycombe fans coming over, it’s great to see some smiles and positivity, I hope they have the best day.’
20-year-old Dale Taylor has become an integral part of Bloomfield’s side since joining on loan from Nottingham Forest
But Bloomfield can also count on experience in his side, with former Wales international Sam Vokes leading the line
Meanwhile midfielder Luke Leahy will take inspiration from his former British champion boxer grandfather when his side look to pull off the upset
The Wycombe team is a perfect blend of youngsters, like Dale Taylor and West Ham loanee Freddie Potts, with elder statesmen such as 36-year-old Garath McLeary and former Premier League striker Sam Vokes.
But another key man is 31-year-old journeyman Luke Leahy, who says playing at Wembley will top a trip to Hampden Park when at Scottish club Falkirk. ‘I was about 19 but we lost, I want to replicate the occasion but with a win, I have got about 60 friends and family coming to watch!
‘My granddad Mick Leahy was a boxer, European champion and fought against Sugar Ray Robinson… knocked him down! I’ve seen lots of pictures, watched videos, it was some achievement from him. I want to keep the Leahy name going!
‘I know it’s not going to be winning European titles like him but the chance to play and win at Wembley is something my family and I will remember for years to come.’ Leahy, and all of Wycombe, will be hoping to deliver the ultimate knockout blow on Sunday.
Final marks full-circle for Posh protagonists
Peterborough’s two main protagonists of their bid for silverware remember where they were the last time the club won at Wembley in 2014. Darren Ferguson was in the same place, patrolling the Posh dugout, while captain Harrison Burrows was in the stands.
It is a full-circle moment for Ferguson, the son of Sir Alex now 10 years older and wiser, as he bids for further success on his fourth stint at London Road. And he reckons the fact this team is littered with boyhood fans of the club makes for a beautiful story on Sunday.
‘I remember thinking that day, “Imagine playing at Wembley, one day I want to be here playing”,’ says Burrows, just 22 but captain despite having less than 100 senior games under his belt. ‘It’s something you never think will happen but I remember just starting to think, “Maybe”.
‘Playing there is something I’ve always wanted to do, I’m absolutely buzzing. I can’t remember too much about the game but it’s more about just being there, about 25 of us – family and friends – and it was one of the best days of my life, just going crazy.’
Darren Ferguson has his own memories of the national stadium to spur him on in Sunday’s final
The former Man United star led the Posh to victory in the same competition in 2014 to give the club their first piece of silverware
Despite his youthful looks, Burrows plays with maturity and leadership that belies his years. A framed shirt from Kevin De Bruyne hangs proudly in his home after begging the Manchester City great to swap jerseys after a 2022 FA Cup tie, despite being a Manchester United fan.
United legend Ferguson Sr will be in the crowd at Wembley and his son says Sir Alex is no longer a jinx. ‘My dad went through a period where he couldn’t buy us a win when he came!,’ Ferguson Jr tells Mail Sport, laughing.
‘He’s come a bit recently and will be at Wembley, but he won’t have too much of a bearing on whether we win or lose. He watches all our games so he’s good to talk to, but I think he forgets it’s League One sometimes and not Manchester United!
‘I don’t think copy is the right word… but I’ve learned you have to take bits from elite managers. I’ve been fortunate, I went to see Pep Guardiola and spent some days with him. Went over to spend time with Carlo Ancelotti in Madrid for three days.
Harrison Burrows watched on from the stands that day, and now at 22 will lead his boyhood club out
‘I’ve been around to see other sports, met Eddie Jones for a day when he was at England Rugby. It’s not about sticking a team out on the grass, it’s about how they manage players, it was incredible to watch how intense Pep is, Carlo was the opposite – very chilled and calm.
‘As for my dad, I try to pick different things up from him still but I’ve never been one to be on the phone. I have to be my own manager, learn from my own mistakes. It gets easier as you go along and get more experienced.’
Asked if he finds it annoying that his father is namechecked in every conversation with the media, Ferguson Jr tells Mail Sport: ‘Well, you’ve answered your own question there!’ He is keen to forge his own story and, after four stints at Posh, Sunday can be another great chapter.
