Douglas Athletic successfully defended their GH Corlett Woods Cup title with a dramatic extra-time victory over Colby at the Bowl on Friday evening.
In a tight and tense affair at the national stadium, Lee Ford scored a 118th minute winner to break the Moonlighters’ hearts just when the dreaded lottery of penalties looked imminent.
With so little to choose between the two teams, it was far from an inspiring affair between the newly-crowned JCK Division Two champions Athletic and promotion hopefuls Colby.
The first half was marred by a serious-looking knee injury to Colby captain Adam Fretwell which required lengthy treatment before he was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
After the interval Mark Wolfenden looked to have put Athletic on course for victory with a far-post header from a corner, only for Marty Moore to equalise with an unstoppable shot from just inside the box minutes later to force extra-time.
Much like in normal time, there was very little between the two sides in the additional 30 minutes and when Connor Dowell hit the inside of the post in the 117th minute for DAFC, the contest looked destined to go to penalties.
However, Athletic had other ideas and Ford latched onto Dowell’s ball over the top in the dying seconds before slotting home from a tight angle to send the travelling Pink army into mass hysteria and clinch the club’s second successive Woods Cup trophy.
More in Tuesday’s Isle of Man Examiner.