ADRIANO Moke has admitted he was “itching” to help York City win at Wembley having only played for a couple of minutes during his two other visits.

The 27-year-old midfielder was a 90th-minute replacement during the Minstermen’s 2012 FA Trophy final victory over Newport and, then eight days later, was left on the bench during the Conference play-off triumph against Luton.

Having been named as a substitute for a third successive time by Gary Mills at the world-famous venue, the omens did not look good as the Glenn Hoddle Academy graduate targeted more pitch time at the weekend, especially as he had only managed two minutes during the final five fixtures of the National League campaign.

But Mills turned to Moke at half-time and, after seeing his side beat Macclesfield 3-2, later credited the former Portugal under-18 squad member with helping swing the final outcome in City’s favour.

Moke had earlier made vital cameo contributions during both legs of the aggregate semi-final victory over eventual league champions Lincoln and, expressing pride in his performances, he said: “Helping the team win at Wembley was an unbelievable feeling and, in terms of personal achievements, probably the highlight of my career.

“I was really itching to get on and I was ready when (Darren) Caskey called me over. As soon as you see the stadium, you get goosebumps and I said to myself ‘I’ve got to go on and change the game’.

“Hopefully, in the fans’ eyes, I did change the game, tempo and energy and I was proud of myself, the team and the fans for sticking with us. I’ve been in football for many years now and first played for the gaffer when I was 19 and, at 27, now feel that I’ve matured and become a bit more experienced.”

Back in 2012, Moke chose to leave City and stay in the Conference with Cambridge United, where he felt there would be a greater opportunity of first-team football.

Fast-forward five years and he has still encountered difficulties breaking into Mills’ first XI but, despite relegation to the National League North, he is not pursuing a move away from Bootham Crescent this time around.

“I would love to carry on working under the gaffer and Caskey and they both know that,” Moke explained. “If I’m in their plans, then why wouldn’t I stay and we’ll have to see what happens.

“I was really gutted when we were relegated, but we can bounce back next season with the gaffer, because the gaffer is a winner. Wembley has gone now and, hopefully, we can go for it next season.”