A WIDE variety of emotions run high ahead of a Wembley final, but when James Constable led Oxford United out in 2010 he remembers only one: fear.

The stakes were massive in the Conference play-off final against York City, but that did not fully explain the striker’s mood.

Instead, it was the memory of a visit three years earlier, where he put Kidderminster Harriers 2-0 up, only to lose the FA Trophy final 3-2 against Stevenage.

“Deep down I knew we had a better squad and we went there full of confidence,” he said.

“But still you had that fear of if that happens again, where does it leave me?

“It took so long to get over the first one and I couldn’t imagine being there and it happening again.”

Something similar is likely to cross the minds of those United players who lost to Barnsley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final last season in the build-up to Sunday’s big occasion.

Fortunately for Constable it was not a scenario he had to face, as he scored in the 3-1 win against York which ended the club’s four-year exile in non-league.

The experience was made even better by the fact the striker had inherited the armband in the second half of the season due to Adam Murray’s injury struggles.

He said: “It was a massive honour to be captain and for it to be at a club I loved and at a time where we looked really strong made it even sweeter.

“Every kid’s dream is to play at Wembley, but to captain them and then go to collect the trophy as well is something I’ll never forget.”

While the outcome of the 2010 clash was more critical to the club than this weekend’s final, any game at Wembley is hugely significant to those involved.

Like last year, Constable will be in with the U’s supporters soaking up the occasion.

And while he sympathises with those who are boycotting the game as a protest to the format of the competition, the 32-year-old feels most for the players.

“They are the ones caught in the middle,” he said.

“As an ex-player I’d want as many people there as possible.

“I can completely understand both sides of it, but knowing what the club means to everybody the players are going to want to see a full stadium.

“I can’t wait. It was so nice to go last year and see so many people I hadn’t seen for a long time.

“They were a massive part of the reason I was there for so long, I had such a good relationship with them and it was great to be one of them for a game.”