JONNY Hague expressed feelings of pure joy after his Maidenhead Nomads third team were crowned Thames Valley League Shield champions last Friday.

Maidenhead defeated 10-man BAA Heathrow Reserves 2-0 after extra time in the final thanks to late goals from Jack Forrest and Fred Reid at Holloways Park.

The Nomads were supported by their chairman on the night and it is only the second cup the club has won in almost 30 years, which led to emotional scenes at the final whistle.

Nomads player-manager Hague told the Observer: “There was pure joy. I was so proud of the team in terms of their application and the effort they put in.

“We knew we were up against a very strong side and would be the underdogs, and it’s the first time this season Heathrow have not scored in a game.

“It’s really pleasing from my point of view and the end result was deserved. We had to dig deep but it’s the first trophy the third team have won, so I felt mostly joy at the end.

“Our chairman was full of pride and joy and it meant a lot to our captain, Nigel Padfield. He’s 42 and always wanted to win a cup. You could see the tears in his eyes at the final whistle.

“It’s great for the club and the third team. It’s set a bar for us to push on and win promotion next season.”

Commenting on the match, he continued: “We stuck to our gameplan which was to use our wingers and be defensively solid. Everyone applied themselves and did what I wanted them to do to a tee.

“The effort we put into aerial challenges, running and strong tackles was really committed all over the pitch.

“We created chances that we didn’t take and Heathrow hit the post and the bar but, over the 120 minutes, as the game went on, we grew into it and our strengths showed.

“The big difference was the red card, after which we went and got our goals, but we edged it up to the stage.”

The Nomads are currently second bottom in Division Four with four matches still to play this season, starting with a trip to Slough Wizards this Sunday (10.30am).

Hague said: "We let ourselves down a bit in the first half of the season and it wasn't a fair reflection of our ability.

"We've come together as a team after the turn of the year We have picked up two wins in a row and want to win the last four as a marker for next season, and a better league position that our effort deserves."