Corinthian Casuals have been forced to come clean after a series of errors saw their showpiece Wembley friendly with AFC Wimbledon descend into off-the-pitch farce.
Confusion over access for players and families, press accreditation and programme sales led to a number of heated exchanges between officials and stewards that took the gloss off what was potentially the biggest game in Casuals' history.
And chairman Brian Vandervilt admitted his club had got things horribly wrong.
He said: "We have to put our hands up and say we did not deal with it as well as we should have done.
"There were numerous errors on our part and a lot of confusion.
"Wembley told us they would be treating it like any other game and we did not follow that.
"The problems were nothing to do with Wembley, and it is with deep regret that I have to admit that."
Chaos ensued when a wristband policy failed to be implemented correctly, leading to players being denied access to areas reserved for them.
And AFC Wimbledon boss Terry Brown agreed the organisation left a lot to be desired.
Brown said: "It was a series of cock-ups, to be honest.
"People seemed to be learning on the job.
"My players weren't allowed in the bar after the game. Then, when we eventually persuaded them to let them in, they wouldn't let me in!"
When contacted, Wembley officials were eager to stress that the fault lay with the amateur side.
A spokesperson said: "Cor-inthian Casuals were informed well in advance that our policies are the same for any game played at the stadium, regardless of the crowd numbers involved.
"The fault lies with them, as, if they did not provide us with the right information, then obviously there would have been confusion."
Things got little better for Casuals on the pitch, as they suffered an 8-1 thrashing at the hands of the rampant Dons.
Elliott Buchanan (two), Luis Cumbers (two), Karl Beckford, Robin Shroot, Marcus Gayle and Sam Hatton got on the scoresheet, with Hinga Amara grabbing a memorable consolation for the hosts.
The defeat came hot on the heels of a 5-1 hiding at Worthing on Friday night, when a Joe Keehan own goal was the sole highlight for Casuals.
Teams who get hammered 8-1 are usually devastated, but this was far from the case for Corinthian Casuals.
Despite being thumped by AFC Wimbledon, most players insisted it was the greatest day of their footballing lives because they had achieved the dream of playing at Wembley.
Captain Chris Horwood and keeper Colin Harris, both substituted at half-time with their side 2-0 behind, described it as a fantastic experience, while Hinga Amara, whose superb solo effort was Casuals' only goal, claimed he was in ecstasy.
The 21-year-old said: "This was the pinnacle of my career. To come on and score in front of my friends and family at one of the best stadiums in the world was unbelievable - I literally danced with joy."
Harris watched on as his replacement, ex-Dons stopper Paul Smith, was beaten six times by his former team-mates.
"I felt sorry for Paul, especially as he wasn't at fault with any of the goals. But it has been a terrific day for all of us," Harris said.
"From the moment we arrived and walked into the dressing rooms, it was like a fairy tale come true.
"At the age of 24, it is a bit late for me to make the grade as a professional, but this made up for it."
Centre-half Horwood, 28, the club's longest-serving current player, labelled it as the biggest achievement of his career.
"At Casuals, we don't get paid - not even expenses - but this has been our reward for our loyalty to the club," he added.
"When I sat in the Wembley dressing room, I felt like a million dollars."
Previous match 
