Trowbridge head coach Steve Ojomoh has issued a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the town of Trowbridge for their backing of his national cup heroes, revealing the sight of so much support at Twickenham on Sunday brought a lump to his throat.
The former Bath and England star was left stunned by the convoy of noise and colour that made its way from Wiltshire to the home of English rugby, inspiring his team to secure the RFU Intermediate Cup with a 22-19 victory over Leek.
Ojomoh, 43, made it a personal mission to make the town proud of their rugby club when he took the job in the summer of 2012 and, after witnessing the scenes before, during and after Sunday’s final, he was entitled to feel that goal was very much on track.
“I can’t really explain it, but they really did make a huge difference for us,’’ he said.
“I had a lump in my throat when I saw them, it was wonderful. For me, they were worth an extra ten points.
"We heard them and we felt them, all throughout the day and it’s a big, big thank you from me for that. I hope they know how much it means.’’
Ojomoh, who jetted to Tenerife this week for a short post-Twickenham break this week, revealed he had good vibes about the day as soon as the team gathered at their Doric Park base to board the coach heading to London on Sunday morning.
“When I heard the supporters were meeting at the club too, I knew the game was won,’’ he said.
“For these guys (the team) to walk past all these people, get patted on the back so many times and wished good luck before getting on the bus was huge. They knew they dared not let the support down – it gave them an extra drive.
“The support was passionate too – that was what I saw from the word go. Our preparations reminded me of my playing days at Bath (he won four national cups with the club), the same sort of thing.
“The whole experience was wonderful. I went back up to the club the day after (the final) and the first people I met had never been rugby match before.
"We’ve found new supporters and inspired new people and hopefully that can continue now.’’
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