When it was announced that midfielder Callum Guy would be staying with the club until at least the summer of 2025 back in March the news was met with universal delight, with the midfielder a key part of the engine room that has made the team tick since Paul Simpson’s return back in February 2022.
Now with 141 appearances for the Blues to his name, he’d be first on the teamsheet for many fans with a blistering and extremely accurate shot (from both boots) added to his ever-blossoming repertoire this season.
We caught up with him to talk all things Wembley and promotion just before he headed off for his summer break.
Speaking first about the step up to League One, he said: “What a feeling! It hasn’t properly sunk in but what we’ve just achieved is something really special and something we need to savour for a long time.
“I think doing it at Wembley as well, I don’t think you can ask for a better way to do it. And on the penalties, with the confidence of the lads who stepped up, fair play to them.
“I thought everyone was excellent. I read somewhere that it’s been 17 years since the club last had a promotion, so to end that drought is amazing for everyone.
“The main thing for us all was to make sure that the hard work we did was worthwhile. We were back early last year because of the World Cup and stuff like that, so it has felt like a really long season.
“It’s been really tough at times, but we’ve all got through it together and thankfully it’s all paid off.”
With him being Blue to the bone now, he admitted that it had felt extra special to have got this done.
“It means everything,” he responded. “I think everyone knows how much I love this club, I feel like I’ve a really good connection with the fans and stuff like that.
“My kids have grown up coming to Brunton Park every Saturday so it’s really special to achieve that promotion. Seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces makes it even better.
“Abbie and the kids have been on the sidelines kicking every ball with me, and especially Abbie, she’s been a rock for me at home. She’s made sure I’ve been doing the right things, so to see her celebrating in the crowd at Wembley was a great feeling.”
Taking him back to the moments just before kick off on the world’s biggest stage, he told us: “I was trying to soak it all up.
“It was about taking as much in of what we were about to do as possible. Playing at Wembley in front of our fans was really special.
“I think it was so important to look around and see what it was all about so that you could put that behind you and get on with playing your normal game when the whistle blew.
“It was hot as well – and I don't do well in the heat!” he joked. “I was lathered in Factor 50 all day. It was a really tiring day and the lads who played 120 minutes were warriors out there.
“For the ones who stepped up to take a penalty as well, that’s unbelievable. But I’ve said this before, this group is a really confident group.
“We knew about our abilities and that if we brought our best to the game we knew we could beat anybody. We proved that after we’d lost the first leg against Bradford.
“I didn’t think we deserved to be behind after that but we managed to turn it round at home. Again, at Wembley, we could easily have folded when we went a goal down but we got a late goal in the end and there was only going to be one winner after that.”
“It felt like the equaliser was coming, to be honest,” he added. “The pressure we put on them after we scored was unreal. There was no sense of sitting back and accepting that it was going to extra time. We wanted the winner in normal time, and we created a few chances in extra time as well.
“When the penalties came I think I felt more nervous watching than I probably would have been taking one. There’s nothing you can do, you can’t affect it. It was so nerve-wracking, but they all nailed it.
“There has to be a special mention for Taylor Charters, stepping up at such a young age in front of all those people, and the way he slotted it in, it was unreal.
“Like I say, its all about the promotion and it just hasn’t sunk in that we’ll be playing League One football next year.
“When the fixtures come out it’ll be nice to look at that and see some big games to look forward to.”
And it’s a challenge that everybody is ready for.
“Every time we’ve played in front of a big crowd this season we’ve performed quite well,” he said. “We know next year will be a real challenge for us but it’s one we’re going to look forward to.
“There’ll be some familiar places for me as well! I’m looking forward to that. There’s Derby, Blackpool and Port Vale, and it’ll be nice to play at those grounds, and even better if we win there.
“I feel like I’m going it feeling confident and in good form. I’ve been very pleased with how I’ve performed, and I’ve managed to add a few goals as well, which I don’t think anyone expected.
“The volley I had at Wembley was on target, that was neary another, but I think I caught it too well. I probably needed to shank that one a little bit.
“That’s something I’ll keep working on and hopefully I can add more next season.
"We’ll enjoy our holiday now but we’ll be looking forward to getting back in come the end of June and getting ready for that next challenge in League One.”
