Northern Ireland international celebrating fourth promotion of his career with Oldham Athletic

The 34-year-old, who has played 69 times for his country, joined Oldham on a short-term deal until the end of this season in January after spells at Manchester United, Hull City, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland and Bradford City.

Evans had previously enjoyed play-off glory with Sunderland in 2022 as the Black Cats sealed their Championship return and there’s now further cause for celebration after he started in Sunday’s thriller.

Versatile Evans has made 10 appearances for Oldham, who finished fifth in the National League and had to come through fixtures against FC Halifax, York City and Southend to book a spot in League Two for next season.

It’s a fourth promotion of Evans’ career having also achieved the feat with Hull and Blackburn.

Upon his arrival earlier this year, manager Micky Mellon correctly predicted Evans’ experience would play a big role in achieving their main objective.

“Corry is the type of player who will help the group dramatically,” he said at the time. “He brings with him plenty of experience, he’s a great guy and he comes in improving our midfield options.

“He’s a player who will break things up, go into challenges and look to make the game difficult for the opposition.

“Throughout his career he’s played at the top end of the pyramid and he’s a great example of a player who we think can help us to get to where we want to be.”

Corry has been a regular visitor to Wembley to watch older brother Jonny, who is set to retire aged 37 after leaving Manchester United, including in a Champions League final against Barcelona.

“I went to watch their Champions League final against Barcelona and have been to FA Cup and League Cup finals and FA Cup semis,” Corry told the Non League Football Paper in the build-up to Sunday’s win. “It was nice to finally get there as a player and a brilliant experience, though the game was a bit of a blur.

"You are drained, both physically and emotionally, by the magnitude of the stadium, the national anthem and the fans who are different to what you are used to.

“I can’t remember much about the day because your full focus is on the game. It was a hot day and about 15/20 minutes in, I remember going to control a ball which normally would have been bread and butter.

“I couldn’t lift my leg and was drained. I turned round and said to a team-mate that I had gone. Once I got through it, though, everything was alright.”