For Puckering it was Dunkirk, The Alamo, Custer's Last Stand and the Charge of the Light Brigade all rolled into one. As each man took to the field steely-eyed, he knew that before them lay their toughest challenge.

From the first, the waves of Imbiben's impressive firepower threatened to drown the defense of Puckering. Yet one man stood ever valiant against the rampaging foe, and that man was Knobbly. Against every Imbiben attack, he stood firm, except on the two occasions when Imbiben scored. But it was a counter-attack that led them to the first scent of victory. Gladstone shot up the wing like a fighter plane, his cross fell like a bomb onto the willing pate of Andy 'The Head' Burstow, and from there it was a short nod to the goal. Puckering were behind 2-1.

Walsham rallied his team with a strong half-time speech. "I told them we will fight them in the middle, we'll fight them on the sides and we'll fight them in the penalty box," said Walsham proudly. "And they responded magnificently."

If the first half was a battle, then the second half was a war. Yet the Irregulars soldiered on with their backs to the wall and Andrews unmoved in goal. And then from nowhere the game was tied. Bolger's frantic boot from the heart of the defense was picked up by Ferdinand in no-man's land. Yet probably no-one was more surprised than he when his shot rifled past the keeper, like a bullet from a gun, for the Irregulars second goal.

Yet it was still not enough.

The Irregulars finest hour came with only a minute left. Emerging from the trenches, Knobbly barreled up the middle like a racing tank, his cross rocketing off the Imbiben defenders and into the path of young Burstow. He made no mistake, the ball hit the back of the net, and victory was theirs.