FALMOUTH Town manager Andrew Westgarth declared his side's unbelievable extra-time victory over Longlevens in the FA Vase to be 'a special, special day'.

Goals from Shaun O'Connor and Harry Emmett looked to have given the Hellenic League Premier Division side victory, but Luke Brabyn's 90th-minute penalty and Jack Webber's dramatic injury-time strike sent the game to extra time, with Brabyn netting from the spot again in the 110th minute to seal a famous win.

"I'm pretty speechless to be honest with you," Westgarth said. "[To be] 2-0 down with a minute to go I was fearing the worst and I thought it just wasn't going to be our day, and then Brabyn gets a penalty and what I thought was a consolation, and then for Webby to score probably one of the best goals I've seen at Bickland Park in the 90-odd, whatever minute it was in front of that support, it was just breathtaking. I don't think I've ever played in a game or been involved in a game with that atmosphere.

VIDEO: Relive the best moments from Falmouth Town's incredible FA Vase comeback

"I feared the worst [going into the 90th minute at 0-2 down] because they scored at the worst possible times for us. they scored just before half time and from our point of view a really sloppy goal to concede, and then they scored just after half time, again a really sloppy goal from us. 

"But then in hindsight them scoring that early probably did us a favour, because if they scored in the 75th and the 80th minute, that is game over isn't it. Once it went to extra time I felt the legs had gone from them and there would only be one winner.

"Massive respect to so many of our players today. Martyn Duff, he was playing on one leg at one point, you've got Jonno [Luke Johnson] playing on one leg, Bowsey [Bowyer], he was physically sick at full time, you could see him on the ground throwing up, and to do what he did. Toby [Clark], Coops [Joe Cooper], colossal at the back.

"Barnesy [Ryan Barnes], he'll be first to admit he could have done better with the first one, but that save on 120 minutes. The list is endless, I could name all of the boys.

"I said in my programme notes that these are special days, and today is a special, special day."

'Key players step up'

A familiar theme of Town's recent successes over the last couple of seasons has been their ability to pull results out of the bag in the latter stages of games and turn around games from losing positions.

Town also came from behind in their 5-1 win at Helston Athletic in the previous round, and came from losing positions in both of their recent Cornwall Senior Cup and Walter C Parson League Cup final triumphs.

Westgarth offered a succinct reason for this, saying: "Key players step up. I thought Ryan Chinn, at 2-0 down it could have been easy for us to go long all the time, but no, he demanded the ball, wanted to get on it, wanted to keep us ticking over.

"Brabyn, what unbelievable pressure, he probably thought his first penalty was a consolation, but then to get the winning penalty in front of the F-Troop at the Packet End to basically put us through.

"When you've already scored it's always really hard to take the next one, it just shows the character of the guy."

REPORT: Brabyn's extra-time spot-kick seals incredible comeback for Falmouth Town

Brabyn's first penalty kick in the 90th minute offered hope of a comeback, but when Duff sent an overhead kick narrowly wide in the first minute of injury time, Westgarth felt the chance had gone.

He said: "Yes, I must admit, at 2-1 you think: 'Oh, we've had a good go at it', and then Brabyn's gone up with the goalkeeper, didn't need to go in for it really, he had no right to go for it. You always say to your players, 'just put people off', and the 'keeper's punched it straight to Webby and he's volleyed it in first time.

"I can't wait to see the video, it was just a special, special moment.

"Webby only scores important goals! I remember his goal against Tavistock when we beat them 1-0, but I think that will be the best goal he's ever scored in his life."

Home comforts continue

The match was the first of a big month of cup ties for Town, who are set to play in the next rounds of each of the Cornwall Senior Cup, Walter C Parson League Cup and Cornwall Charity Cup over the next two and a half weeks, while their third round tie in the Vase is due to be played at the end of November.

The next three cup ties are all due to be played at Bickland Park, giving Town and the F-Troop the chance to create more memorable atmospheres like the one on Saturday.

"That is the great thing about cup results, fantastic to win it and the excitement of going into that clubhouse in a minute, and then the realisation of obviously that we're through, and then the draw on Monday. It's a fantastic period for the club at the moment.

"The good thing about the cups at the minute is that we're at home. We've got Penzance at home [in the Charity Cup], today was at home, Helston at home [in the Senior Cup], and if we beat Godolphin we've got Stoke Gabriel or Torridgeside at home [in the Walter C Parson League Cup].

"I fancy us to get anybody in the cups and I'm sure most teams won't want to play us in the cups because that's what we're about.

"We're really going to enjoy tonight [Saturday], we've got a team night out, a few boys have got initiation songs and the beer's going to taste quite sweet now."