Striker proves he’s a cut above

Matchwinner Shaun Welford said defeat was simply not an option for him after the pain of last season’s penalty heartbreak against Sheppey.

Welford failed to score in that contest – which finished goalless – and he said that made him even more determined to make his mark against Cray.

The striker, who cut the grass at home on the morning match to take his mind off the game, said: “I was desperate for this one.

“We lost this final last year and that’s been in the back of my mind all season.

“I wanted to win this. In my little team talk before the match I got last year’s losers’ medal and threw it straight in the bin and said ‘it means nothing’.

“You work hard all season getting into a final and then you get a losers’ medal, it means nothing.

“I was hoping that would spur the boys on. It went down all right but three minutes in we’ve conceded and I thought ‘Oh my God, oh no,’ but thankfully we’ve got ourselves back in the game. I just so happy.”

“The first one, Jason Goodchild got into a little bit of a scuffle with their centre-half and I’ve made a run and it’s fell nicely to me. I think it’s come off a knee and a shin and it’s fallen nicely. I sent the defender the wrong way and slotted it into the bottom corner, I liked that one – that was a really good one.

“The second one, I always tell the boys I’m going to be back post so they know to hit deep crosses all the time.”

“Palms ( Ryan Palmer) has played a lovely little ball to (George) Savage and he’s hit it first time, deep cross.

“The keeper went for that and I thought ‘he’s not getting that’ and they’re bread and butter for me.

“I know I’ve got a free header and it’s just a case of getting it on target.”

Welford’s winner came at the end where most of the United fans were gathered and he paid tribute to their support.

He added: “How good were they? It’s that old adage, they were like the 12th man.

“Fair play to them, every away game every home game, they out-sing the opposition and for 90 minutes today they were so loud. They deserve this today, so in a way, it’s for them.”

‘I was desperate for this one. We lost this final last year and that’s been in the back of my mind all season’