Last night Lisnagarvey were crowned Champions of The Anderson Cup as they beat Banbridge in seven goal thriller at Havelock Park.
Having taken an early 2-0 lead, Garvey found themselves 3-2 down going into half-time before sparking a comeback of their own in the closing stages to snatch victory from their rivals.
The 4-3 win meant they have completed a double having previously beaten the same opposition back in March in the Millar McCall Wylie Kirk Cup Final leaving Coach Erroll Lutton ‘delighted’.
“The Kirk Cup and Anderson Cup are two very prestigious competitions to win and in the EYHL and Irish Senior Cup the boys put in some good performances and went close.
It was always going to be hard to replicate last season where we won five trophies, to get as close as we did this year and integrate a lot of youth players who are getting valuable experience is great.
Of course you always want to win more but we are delighted to win these domestic competitions and get those guys that valuable experience because winning is always a good habit, we are delighted.”
Taking an early lead, Garvey found themselves 2-0 up with just 14 minutes played and on course to win The Anderson Cup.
However, by the 27th minute they found themselves 3-2 down with a quick flurry of goals from Banbridge rounding off a frantic first half.
Lutton admits their opposition were too strong for them in the second quarter of the game.
“The start was great. We got a couple of good goals from open side hits at the edge of the circle.
We played really well but I think it was still competitive at that stage. It wasn’t as if we were running away with it or anything, Banbridge were still well in the game and had opportunities of their own.
We were delighted to get into that position, but they obviously had a strong second quarter and got their goals.
You are up against it at that stage and it’s just about having that belief and you have to keep trying to do the right things.”
That left Lisnagarvey with it all to do as a quiet third quarter meant Banbridge were less than 20 minutes from winning the game.
Then two short corner goals in the final ten minutes saw Garvey retake the lead and complete a comeback of their own to retain their Anderson Cup title.
Their Coach believes they were value for their goals with how they responded to going behind.
“The short corners were a reflection of our possession at the time because we were able to get into the circle and win some upgrades and we have faith in our penalty corner team.
Thankfully they were able to give us the lead and from there it was all about seeing out the game.”
