Barnsley's Alfie Mawson revels in overdue Wembley joy

After copping the bitter pill of defeat in his final send-off game for former club Wycombe Wanderers – with the Chairboys going down on penalties in their League Two play-off final against Southend United last May – fortunes switched around for the centre-half close to his London roots.

He and his Barnsley team-mates were able to bask in the glow of a famous win in what is proving one of the most remarkable campaigns in the Reds’ history, with Mawson delighted to have finally come out on the right side of a Wembley result – after a ‘gut-wretching’ loss with his old club at the end of last season.

On exorcising a few ghosts, Mawson said: “You could say that. But I took everything I could from last season’s defeat, which made me a better player and person.

“I use these experiences where I can and (yesterday it) paid dividends.

“It is fantastic, but more so for the club, fans, the owner and the staff.

“But for me personally, it’s fantastic after what happened last year, especially after being one-nil down to come back and win.”

Several Barnsley players laid out on the deck at the final whistle – and it was understandable at the end of a week that has been mentally as well as physically draining for the Reds. But Mawson would not have swapped it for a minute, especially having traded Wembley despair for glory.