It was anything but turf luck for Tony Hoskins when Purfleet FC won a piece of the hallowed Wembley turf in a national newspaper competition.

For Tony, of Prince Avenue, Southend, is the press officer at the Ryman Premier club and was asked if he would go up to the stadium to collect the prize.

He joined Fleet midfielder Martin Carthy and the duo became the last people to stand on the tunnel end goal line before it was ripped up.

"It was the most humbling experience of my life. To those outside of football that may sound a little OTT, but I mean it!" said Tony, who is also secretary of the Southend Borough Combination Veterans League.

"I could not help myself thinking back on all the great goals, scored by some of the greatest players ever, in the goal where I was standing over such a long period of time in the stadium's colourful history."

"It did not hit me at first. It was only when the Sunday People's photographer turned and said to us, 'you two, are the last two people who will ever stand on that line, in that goal - ever'!"

Purfleet entered the competition run in the People in conjunction with Interturf, the company responsible for maintaining the pitch for the last 15 years.

Tony said he thought they would just win a small square of turf and was quite surprised when he found out it was one of the 24-foot-long goal lines.

But Tony and Martin made the most of their time at the stadium by visiting the Royal box and going down the tunnel.

The turf has now been taken to Purfleet's Ship Lane home where it will take pride of place in front of the dugouts.

Workmen started bulldozing the 77-year-old stadium on Friday to make way for the new stadium.

On the line - Martin Carthy and Tony Hoskins take a look at the Wembley goal line before it was dug up for them to take back to Ship Lane

Picture: KIERAN GALVIN

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.