Trowbridge Rugby Club first team manager Nobby Knight said 2014 will always be a special year for all at the club, after promotion and a Twickenham final.

The club, which moved to Doric Park in Hilperton from Green Lane at the end of 2013, targeted promotion to the South West One East division in the first season at its new home.

Yet as well as achieving that aim, the club made its way to the final of the RFU Intermediate Cup at Twickenham, where more than 1,500 supporters watched the thrilling 22-19 win over Leek.

Mr Knight, who has been at the club for more than 15 years, said it was an incredible year for Trowbridge Rugby and added that no one ever dreamed they would get to the final at Twickenham.

He said: “When we moved from Green Lane, our expectations were to get promotion and that was the only goal.

“We never dreamed of getting to Twickenham, but we wanted a good cup run, as it would help us in the league.

“But then we kept winning and winning and then to go up to Guildford for the semi-final was unbelievable. Some of them already had hotels booked for Twickenham, so it was great to beat them and make it to the final.

“I turned up to Doric Park early on the day of the final and to see all the coaches and fans arrive from all over the place was out of this world. It was a day that no one will ever forget and for the team to hold out at the end was brilliant.

“You really could not have written it and after the final whistle I went down to the pitch from the stand and everyone had tears in their eyes. Even now, it still feels surreal and when we see a game on TV at Twickenham, it’s weird to think we were there.”

Several members of the cup final winning team moved on following their Twickenham triumph, but after a tricky start to the new season the team won three successive league matches before the end of the year.

Mr Knight, who is also a groundsman at the club, added: “We thought we would struggle as we lost nine or ten players from the Twickenham squad, but we have a young side and they are really starting to come into their own.

“We would like to consolidate our position in this league for a few years and then, eventually, push on.

“The support we have had since Twickenham has been crazy and we regularly attract big crowds.”