Felixstowe & Walton United finally triumph in Suffolk Premier Cup after penalty shootout win over Leiston at Needham Market FC

Felixstowe & Walton United manager Stuart Boardley said it was ‘an incredible feeling’ after his side finally won the Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup after losing seven previous finals.

The Seasiders defeated Leiston 4-3 on penalties last night following a dramatic 2-2 draw in which Leiston scored twice late on at the Ecologic Stadium Bloomfields, home of Needham Market FC.

Felixstowe’s success was almost a carbon copy of their semi-final versus holders Needham Market, the Seasiders taking a two-goal lead early in the second period, before being pegged back in injury time and then winning the shoot-out.

They looked on course to lift the cup after Charlie Warren showed real desire to squeeze home his header at the far post from Ollie Brown’s looping cross after 61 minutes.

Warren then supplied a well-weighted clipped reverse pass to allow Cameron Forde-Brown to surge forward and drill home through the legs of goalkeeper Billy Johnson to make it 2-0 in the 79th minute.

Cameron Rayworth headed home powerfully from Fraser Alexander’s left-wing corner with 85 minutes played to reduce the deficit.

Johnson then went up for a 93rd minute corner and scored with a spectacular scissor kick, connecting with Fraser’s flag kick from the right, to equalise with a strike which was worthy of winning any final.

However, it ensured the outcome was settled in a penalty shoot-out, although Eddie Jackson still had to head clear Toby Stevenson’s effort from underneath his own crossbar just before the final whistle blew.

Harry Wright, who saved three penalties in the semi-final shoot-out, dived to his left to save Leiston’s first spot kick from Wyatt Hill.

Felixstowe, for whom Sam Ford had blazed a penalty over the crossbar two minutes before the break, held their nerve as Josh Hitter, Forde-Brown, Callum Harrison and Warren all netted from the spot.

And although Ben Fowkes, Seb Dunbar and Ryan Jarvis all found the net, it meant Jackson had to score Leiston’s with fifth attempt to keep the tie alive, but he ballooned his effort over the bar.

Seasiders’ boss Boardley, who along with assistant Andy Crump is standing down after five-and-a-half years at the end of this season, said: “It’s an incredible feeling.

“As you know it is a competition me and Andy have always targeted and have always done relatively well without going all the way, but to beat two higher-level oppositions in the semi-final and final is fantastic and it shows what a big club this is.

“I thought the first half was very even, but had we scored the penalty I don’t think we would have deserved to go in 1-0 up at half time, but in the second-half I thought we were good value for the 1-0, 2-0 lead towards the end of the game and of course Leiston are going to come on strong at the end.

“They changed formation, put two up top and started pinging diags (diagonal balls) at Kyran Clements and got people around him and he is a real handful.

“We had words at half time and said we knew what we wanted to do and it was very much take the game to Leiston as you can’t sit off good teams and I thought the lads did that to a tee and to a man they were outstanding.”

Boardley was full of praise for Charlie Warren, who has been attracting the attention of Football League clubs, and midfielder Hitter, who was sent off in last season’s final as Felixstowe lost 2-0 to Needham Market.

He said of Charlie Warren: “He’s some player. That’s why we have had a lot of interest higher up the echelons and I have no doubt that in the summer he will go into a professional club – that’s how good the kid is, and Felixstowe have played a large part in that development and we’re really proud of him and also the whole group.

“We talk about Charlie and his goals, but I thought Josh Hitter was on another planet tonight. He won absolutely everything in midfield, and I thought he was the stand-out player on the pitch.”

But Boardley, whose side are still in the promotion shake-up in Isthmian North, also recognised that it was a team effort to overcome his former club, who he managed to a 3-2 victory over the Seasiders the last time Leiston won the cup in the 2018-19 campaign.

“We had so many lads out there doing selfless things. Jordy Matthews came on and played really well but had to come off towards the end because we wanted to get the right players on the pitch for the penalties.

Callum (Harrison) has stepped up having not kicked a ball and rifled his penalty in the top corner. That kind of sums us up – a real team ethic and the boys are so together in there that when we are like that there’s not many who can stop us,” added Boardley.

The cup and medals were presented by Graham Poulter of competition sponsors Endeavour Automotive, Suffolk FA President David Sheepshanks and Suffolk FA Interim CEO Phil Lawler.

The teams:

Felixstowe & Walton United: Harry Wright, Ollie Brown, Tom Warren, Jack Ainsley, Hugh Cullum, Toby Stevenson, Willie Clemons (sub Jordy Matthews, 81 mins, sub Callum Harrison, 90+7 mins), Josh Hitter, Sam Ford (sub Rob Harvey, 90+6 mins), Cameron Forde-Brown, Charlie Warren. Unused subs: Stuart Ainsley, Leon Ottley-Gooch.

Leiston: Billy Johnson, Ollie Saunders (sub Wyatt Hill, 71 mins), Seb Dunbar, Albie Armin, Kyran Clements, Eddie Jackson, Jack Manly (sub Cameron Rayworth, 26 mins), Fraser Alexander, Ben Fowkes, George Quantrell, Rossi Jarvis (sub Ryan Jarvis, 83 mins). Unused subs: Stan Horne, Marcus Mehew.

Referee: Chay Hathway.

Attendance: 813