FROM celebrating promotion to scoring an FA Cup goal live on national TV, Nathaniel Sherborne has pretty much done it all during 11 magnificent years’ service to AFC Totton.

More than a decade of devotion is rare in modern-day football but, ironically, it was the striker’s admirable loyalty that cost him the chance to fulfil every footballer’s dream: to play on the hallowed turf of Wembley.

The Stags were progressing nicely in the 2006/07 FA Vase when then manager Stuart Ritchie made his move for a bright, young striker from Alton Town.

But ‘Sherbs’ being Sherbs, he felt it was only right and proper to see out the season with the Brewers before pinning his colours to the Stags’ mast.

So imagine his feelings when Totton became one of the first teams to grace the new Wembley, playing in front of a record Vase crowd of 36,232 against Truro City.

Sherborne recalled: “Stu said he’d like to sign me and said we want you now, but I decided to stay loyal to Alton until the end of the season.

“I wasn’t cup-tied for the Vase, so it’s a massive irony that the loyalty I showed Alton cost me the chance to play at Wembley.”

Eleven years later, loyalty remains an essential part of Sherborne’s DNA and he fully deserved last Saturday’s guard of honour as he took to the pitch for his last ever home league match against Wimborne Town.

Two days earlier the Stags had hosted a curry night with former Manchester United, Newcastle and Northern Ireland international Keith Gillespie in Sherborne’s honour and there is still a testimonial match to come.

Discussing his decision to hang up his boots at the age of 34, Sherborne explained: “My body’s telling me it’s time to call it a day.

“My priorities have changed and it feels right.

“The club is moving in the right direction under Louis (Langdown) and Wildey (Adam Wilde).

They’ve got us digging in and playing good football.

“Other than me and Dave Allen, it’s a really young squad. There are too many people in it born in the 2000s for my liking!”

“AFC Totton been a great club to be part of,” he continued.

“For my first six or seven years here it was very rare that we weren’t winning a championship, doing well in a cup or competing for promotion in the play-offs.

“The massive highlight for me was scoring on TV against Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup. I’ve been very lucky to be part of such great squads and work with such great people.”

It hasn’t always been plain sailing for Sherborne, however.

He suffered a serious leg injury during the 2012/13 pre-season and did not feature at all during that campaign.

He then spent more time on the sidelines in 2013/14.

“I had a bad injury when (Ritchie’s successor) Steve Riley first came in as manager and I’d been really looking forward to playing with Richard Gillespie and Dave Allen,” he recalled.

“It was hard, but something like that gives you a massive amount of perspective when you’re playing at Bideford on a Tuesday night and it’s hammering down with rain, because there was a time when I thought I’d never play again.

“After an injury like that, I was lucky to go on for another five or six years.

“This club has been good to me and I’d like to think I’ve repaid them with a few goals.”

For many players, quitting football leaves a giant hole in their lives that they struggle to fill.

Fair Oak-based Sherborne, though, shouldn’t have too much difficulty keeping busy.

His first child, Leo, was born in November, he’s getting married to partner Shelley later this year and has just moved into a new role as sales director at Carnival(P&O) Cruises.

Before he goes, he has one last league game to play when Totton travel to Evesham United on Saturday in the final fixture of a very positive Evo-Stik South West campaign.