Sheringham praised by cup rivals

Wroxham captain Gavin Lemmon paid tribute to Sheringham after the Anglian Combination side pushed their higher-league hosts all the way in Tuesday night's Norfolk Senior Cup final at Carrow Road.

Lemmon scored one and set up another - before missing a last-minute penalty - to ensure the Yachtsmen won the Senior Cup for the seventh time by beating Sheringham 3-1. And the Wroxham midfielder was glad his side justified its pre-match billing.

“We were always the favourites and everyone was a bit apprehensive about the underdog coming good, as we've seen in the FA Cup

this year.

“We went off into a 2-0 lead but then took our foot off the pedal a little bit and gave them a chance to get back into it. But I think our fitness told a little bit in the end. To be fair to Sheringham, they

were a credit to their club and gave us a really good game.

“We knew if we got ourselves together, our quality should show through with the level we play at and it did in the end. We could've got a few more goals, but Sheringham wouldn't have deserved that.”

Wroxham boss Damian Hilton felt the win put to rest the ghost of last year's final, when the Yachtsmen lost to Dereham Town.

“There are a few lads who've won it before, but as a manager it's the first time I've been here and won as a manager, so it's very good,” he said.

Shannocks manager John Kowalyk, who is retiring at the end of the season, was full of pride for the performance his players put in.

“I'm proud of all the players, all of the club,” said Kowalyk. “I'm retiring at the end of the season, so it's a massive achievement for me to get to the pinnacle of local football venues, to manage or play at. It's disappointing to lose obviously, but Wroxham are a good side and 47 positions higher in the pyramid than us. So I think the boys did themselves proud.

“The two goals in the first few minutes killed us. I thought we did well to one pull back on 45 minutes, but the third goal killed us on the break.”