The Bargain Booze Furness Premier League served up a finish as exciting as The Premier League with the best conclusion to a season that has seen for many a year.
Bootle and Kirkby United fought it out for much of the season at the top of the table, but down the closing stretch Croftlands Park and Vickerstown reserves were neck-and-neck right up until the last game in which Vickerstown had to beat Haverigg United by over ten goals.
Unfortunately for them, they didn’t score enough and Croftlands took the title on goal difference. Matt Dean and Chris Wraighte fired home over 50 goals between them in Croftlands’ total of 113 for the campaign, while Vickerstown had the meanest defence, only conceding 40 goals in their 26 games, as both teams finished on 61 points.
Bootle and Kirkby didn’t finish the season empty-handed, though. Bootle beat Barrow Celtic in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to lift the Terry Clinton Memorial Trophy and Kirkby put five past Croftlands without reply in the showpiece Paul Wilson Memorial Trophy final.
Barrow Wanderers lifted the Division One title and will be promoted to the Premier League on the back of a 35-goal season from Dan Turner.
British Legion finished five points behind in the runners up spot, but did taste glory in the Furness Junior Cup by beating Kirkby United reserves 4-3 at Holker Street.
Barrow Wanderers backed up their league win by lifting the Horne Cup, following a 2-1 win against Bridge United.
The Division Two title went to Kirkby United reserves and they will ply their trade in the First Division next season along with Ulverston Rangers reserves, who finished in the runners-up spot.
Kirkby had a strong season and only lost two games in their league campaign, but Ulverston pushed them all the way and were only four points off top spot at the end of the year.
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