Yet more Wembley heartbreak for Buckland boy and ex-Portsmouth player after remarkable finale
The former St Edmunds pupil has now suffered the agony of losing at Wembley twice in his career
While Marlon Pack is toasting securing his Pompey future, another Buckland lad has suffered the heartbreak of a Wembley penalty shoot-out defeat.
On Sunday, Boreham Wood were agonisingly seconds away from reaching the Football League for the first time in their history.
Facing Rochdale in the National League play-off final, they were leading 2-0 with 12 minutes remaining - only to finish 2-2 amid a remarkable finale.
Not only did the Dale grab a 97th-minute equaliser, they then went on to win 3-1 on spot-kicks to clinch a return to League Two after a three-year absence.
It was devastation for Nathan Ashmore, watching from Boreham Wood’s bench as substitute goalkeeper and no doubt dreaming of finally making the Football League at the age of 36.
Former Pompey youth-team player with Matt Ritchie and Joel Ward
The former St Edmund’s Catholic School pupil was once on the books of Pompey, featuring in the same youth-team as Joel Ward and Matt Ritchie.
However, he was released at the age of 14 and instead forged a strong non-league career, representing the Hawks, Gosport, Ebbsfleet and now Boreham Wood.
Just 12 months ago, Ashmore captained Wood to promotion through the National League South play-offs, beating Maidstone 1-0 in the final, while being named in the divisional team of the year.
And, following the culmination of a loan spell with National League North side Bedford Town, Ashmore occupied Boreham Wood’s bench for the entirety of their play-off campaign as they reached Wembley on Sunday.
Matt Rush and former Pompey triallist Abdul Abdulmalik netted to hand Wood a 2-0 lead going into the 78th minute - then Rochdale’s fightback began.
Substitute Tyler Smith pulled one back, before Mani Dieseruvwe’s 97th-minute header made it 2-2 to force the match into extra-time.
With the teams unable to be separated over those 30 minutes, the match entered penalties, where on-loan Manchester City keeper Oliver Whatmuff was the hero with two shoot-out saves as Rochdale won 3-1.
Losing Wembley finalist with Gosport
It represented more Wembley agony for Ashmore, who was part of Gosport's Wembley side in the FA Trophy in March 2014, when they lost 4-0 to Cambridge United in front of an 18,120 crowd.
The Football League continues to elude him. Incidentally, in the summer of 2013 he returned to Fratton Park seeking to win a contract under Guy Whittingham after the fans had saved the club from liquidation at the High Court.
He played the full 90 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Aldershot’s training ground in a team made up entirely of triallists - however, none were taken on.
And now he has come within a whisker of achieving his Football League ambition, only for his team to be on the receiving end of a remarkable Rochdale comeback.