I WOULDN’T say it was my favourite game but it is one I will never forget.

It was the last day of the 2008/09 season and a winner takes all match against Aveley in the Ryman North. No one would have guessed it would have panned out that way but that was what happened. We could win or draw and they had to win.

We were hit with a real blow on 20 minutes when our penalty taker Kris Newby was carried off injured. He hadn’t missed a kick all season and that would be significant.

They took the lead through Pet Elbi and led at half-time. We equalised through Steve Harrison and took the lead when Martin Tuohy scored his 52nd goal of the season.

With 15 minutes to go we were awarded a penalty and if we had scored it would probably have been enough to win the league.

Without Newby, Tuohy took it and James Marrable saved it.

Aveley equalised three minutes later and, at the same time, my right-back Ray Powell was sent off so we were down to 10 men but were still champions as it stood.

But they took the lead on 86 minutes and we needed to score.

In the fourth minute of injury-time we were awarded another penalty. The sun was so strong that day and Marrable had fouled Kurt Smith after misjudging the ball. Marrable was sent off and we had a chance to win the league with the last kick. After a long delay - in which they put defender Glen Golby in goal - Max Cornhill’s penalty was saved.

We played Concord Rangers in the play-offs and they beat us thanks to a Danny Heale goal. We were dead on our feet. The emotions were horrendous.

In non-league you come across the same old players all the time. I have had beers with Golby and it was made worse when he told me he could only dive to his right hand side, where the penalty went.

The next day I came over on Sunday morning and I just stood looking at the goal where Max missed late on and I picture that exact moment. I am doing it now!

But it is what makes football great.