AFC Totton are seeking Premiership champions Chelsea's help ahead of their FA Vase final against Truro City.

And a long-lost friendship could be rekindled for Totton boss Stuart Ritchie if the Blues can help out.

The Wessex League high-fliers are desperate for somewhere to train the day before their Wembley date on Sunday, May 13.

Stags assistant boss Sean New has written to Arsenal, Fulham and Charlton asking if Totton can use their training facilities prior to their big day.

But he has yet to even receive a reply from any of them and now Ritchie's former Newport IoW colleague Brendan Rogers could hold the key.

Rogers, who is Chelsea's little known reserve team boss, struck up a bond with Ritchie while on the Island a few years back.

Rogers had dropped into non league football after being released by Reading.

Totton assistant boss Sean New said: "We've been trying non stop to get a message to Brendan but we've had no luck.

"I've been phoning Chelsea non stop - I was on the phone for 57 minutes one day last week - but to no avail.

"Stewart Henderson (Saints reserve manager) has tried as well, because he knows Brendan from their time at Reading.

"I'm sure once Brendan gets to hear about this he will do all he can to help."

New added: "We've got to sort something out because we're going up on the Saturday morning to London and we have to train somewhere. I'm not going to give up on the Brendan Rogers link, not just yet."

Totton, meanwhile, hope to sell their initial 15,000 allocation of Wembley tickets by tomorrow. Once they do that, they can ask Wembley for more -hence they are urging fans to visit Testwood Park today.

"It's been mind-boggling," said New. "People have been coming into the club non-stop.

"Once chap flew in from Gran Canaria last Friday, bought some tickets on the Saturday, and flew back the day after!

"I'm just so glad we're experiencing all this. I would have hated to have been in Billingham's position and lost the semi-final.

"I know Billingham had five or six players inconsolable afterwards - we'd have had 12 or 14 people bawling their eyes out."

For more non-league read today's Daily Echo and this weekend's Pink.