AND finally attention turns to Wembley.

This would usually be the column where the Argus’ Newport County writer assesses where it all went right or wrong in the season just gone.

The post mortem on why Peter Beadle’s side didn’t make the playoffs, whether Anthony Hudson can continue to make such a big splash and whether or not Dean Holdsworth deserves a second season, the kind of topics you sweep aside until the last ball has been kicked.

Yet, gloriously, for the first time in their history, the final kick of the league campaign is far from the end of the story for the Exiles.

For the first time it’s not merely the Gwent Senior Cup final that is delaying the players’ annual jaunts to the beaches of Spain or the bright lights of Las Vegas, but the biggest occasion most of them will ever experience as footballers.

Finally we can look ahead to the Exiles’ big day at Wembley without becoming pre-occupied with issues of relegation, form or fitness. Only the game matters now.

Cup finals at Wembley can make or break you, can elevate a club to a single afternoon of glory that is beyond the wildest dreams.

One only needs to look at Coventry City or Wimbledon to know that even the more unfashionable clubs can thrive at England’s national stadium, one of world football’s iconic homes.

And for all the negativity surrounding the Exiles for most of this term, there is plenty to give the Spytty Park – for now – faithful reason to believe May 12 could be Newport County AFC’s greatest triumph.

Firstly, the Exiles have a significant advantage over York in terms of their preparation. County have two weeks to focus on and anticipate the big stage free from distractions. Little injury niggles will be given time to heal and minds weary from a season of struggle can refocus.

Not so for York. Tomorrow and next Monday the Minstermen will play the Conference’s form team Mansfield in a two-legged tie of obvious importance in the Blue Square Bet Conference National playoffs.

There is no more nervy or emotionally wrenching experience in the English football leagues than the playoffs and for York it will be certain to have some impact on their final prospects.

Injuries, suspension, fatigue and distraction could all dent York’s hopes.

Secondly, the Exiles, despite an appallingly bad league campaign considering their expectations last summer, have, relatively speaking, shone against York.

When you finish only 19th in the league there is a certainty you’ve flopped in many games, but not so for Newport against their Wembley foes.

Four points over the Bootham Crescent outfit and two decent performances should be hugely heartening to each and every Exile.

County have been a mid-table side in 2012 since Justin Edinburgh’s January signing spree and they should feel like underdogs with every chance of experiencing the joy of winning at Wembley.

They aren’t the no-hopers they were before December when Danny Rose practically kept them competitive on his own.

But that is not to say Edinburgh is without challenges, because the next two weeks will throw some up for him.

Having been sent off at Wembley in a cup final and being on the field during Paul Gascoigne’s meltdown in the 1991 FA Cup final, Edinburgh will surely impress on his players the need to keep a cool head on the day.

While two weeks’ rest is ideal for injured players like Jake Harris, fit and firing performers like Sam Foley and David Pipe will be straining at the leash come May 12. It’ll seem like an eternity.

Edinburgh must also show every part of his man-management repertoire.

The former Tottenham defender will have several players in his match day squad who aren’t going to be offered new contracts for next season and yet they must be motivated to play their very best football.

If the Exiles are anything less than their best, the league table suggests York will capitalise.

At yesterday’s media session – held intriguingly at Rodney Parade, not Spytty Park – where the Exiles modelled their new kit, the spirit in the camp was ebullient and we cross our fingers that remains the case.

There is little danger of the mood among the County faithful being anything but.

As a veteran of one FA Cup and three League Cup finals at Wembley as a supporter, I can only convey the rather trite plea to savour every moment.

For those of us who don’t support a club from Manchester or funded by a Russian billionaire, winning the very top titles remains a pipe dream, but Wembley glory can provide the most memorable moments.

Ticket sales have been no surprise to me whatsoever, the city of Newport rightly embracing this unique occasion, the first County appearance ever on this stage.

So, to the 15,000 who will be clad in Amber, the message is to enjoy every second.

And if the players keep their cool and play without fear – something they’ve been unable to do in the big FA Cup games of recent years – then glory could await.

Bring it on.