June 2025 - A Day at Wembley, Lightsabres and Summer Fun
- Warren Muggleton
- Jul 8
- 3 min read
So, I said May had been the best commentary month of my career so far - June 1st was definitely the best commentary day of my career so far!
I was the lead commentator for BBC Essex Sport's coverage of Oldham Athletic vs Southend United in the 2024/25 National League play-off final at the home of English football, Wembley Stadium.
A new fifth-tier attendance record of 52,115 people saw the Latics edge out the Shrimpers in extra time for a 3-2 win and a return to the English Football League.
It was a bitter pill to swallow after Southend's heroic season but it was an amazing day to be in the commentary hot seat too!
If you need a reminder of what happened, here it is.
This was my first time ever commentating at the 90,000-seater stadium. I got there at about 9:30am because I wanted to soak up the atmosphere building up to it, helping paint the picture for radio.
I've been to Wembley before to watch sporting events but I will never forget my first time walking into the press box. I'd prepped a fact sheet about the stadium but nothing prepares you for the size of the place inside. Swathes of red seats, the huge arch which can fit the Euro Tunnel, splashed with sunshine - what a scene!
Despite this, I was not overawed to the extent of affecting my focus. I had prepped throughout the week and felt ready to take on this commentary.
I had two summarisers alongside me and, bar one technical issue, I was able to cue them in smoothly.
For me, this was probably the best commentary I've ever broadcast. I felt calm amid the 50,000 fans, kept my tempo controlled, shared my facts and got the goals right.
Being hyper-critical, there was one moment I got the score the wrong way round but corrected and some moments were edging on garbled - and of course, a win would have been amazing!
On the whole, though, it was a very proud moment to be part of a professional show to cover Southend's big day.
WHAT DID YOU THINK TO THESE CLIPS? GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
It took me a couple of days to learn this but my commentary also reached further than BBC Essex Sport...
This is BBC Radio 5 Live's Morning show on Sundays with former Match of the Day presenter Colin Murray.
In the first half-hour, they focussed on the play-off final, creating a montage of the two semi-final commentaries. So this included my commentary of Southend's penalty-shootout win at Forest Green Rovers - mentioned in my last blog.
I also got a name check, all of which I only found about this because a family friend told us.
What's more, Radio 5 Live also chose to take the BBC Essex Sport commentary feed on their online Sport Extra 2 channel, increasing the reach of my work to the national platform.
This has only boosted my confidence further. My experience is still limited at this level but producers at network level liked my commentary enough to include it as part of this feature, suggesting that I am really on the right track.
And just like that, the 2024/25 football season was over.
For the rest of the month, I have spent my time shining a light on other sports in Essex through multi-platform content.
This was a group in Marks Tey, outside of Colchester, who train in LudoSport... or light-sabre duelling!
I knew this had to be filmed, so went down to have a go and record as much as possible.
The result was an online news piece, a social media video and audio featured throughout the day of publishing. The social media videos have hit over 200,000 views - who knows, maybe LudoSport is a commentary opportunity to look into...
I have also been taking the chance to speak to football teams lower down the divisions in Essex as they prepare for the 2025/26 season, filming the interviews to create social media clips.
These have generated strong engagement on BBC Essex Sport's social media channels.
It is also a great way for me to get out into the football community across Essex to meet the managers and players. There will be chances for me to see more non-league football next season, so why not get a head start?!
Might as well enjoy the summer - after all, not long until the 2025/26 football season and we do it all over again!
Last updated: 8th July 2025
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