There was a triumphant ending to a mediocre season for Thackley as they successfully defended the Northern Counties East League Cup.

It was the Dennyboys’ second appearance in the showpiece and their 3-1 victory mirrored the previous season when they brought the cup back to Dennyfield.

Vince Brockie was the man behind both cup successes and the second marked a fitting end to his tenure. It was his last game as he departed to devote more time to his role with Barnsley’s academy set-up.

Under Brockie, Thackley harboured hopes of challenging for promotion, as they had during predecessor Dave Morgan’s reign.

Bright starts to both campaigns promised much but the club’s slim squad was stretched towards the end of a long campaign and they had to settle for tenth place in both of Brockie’s terms in office.

A failure at the first hurdle of the FA Cup was offset by a profitable run to the third round of the FA Vase but that merely underlined their inconsistency.

There were some very good Premier Division victories along the way and some ding-dong battles with neighbours Liversedge and Brighouse Town, who were to finish just two points off the title. But it was the cup games that did most to lift the spirits of players, staff and supporters alike.

The wins in the first and second qualifying rounds of the Vase earned Thackley the dubious honour of hosting title favourites Scarborough Athletic – but the Dennyboys won 3-2.

Soon after they progressed in the League Cup thanks to a 5-0 home win over Pickering Town but their run was stalled by a third-round tie at home to Barton Town. That was scheduled for the middle of the horrendous winter but was not finally played until the end of February.

With the other half of the draw escaping the brutal weather, it left the Dennyboys knowing they faced a quarter-final against Scarborough, the club who went on to pip Brighouse to the league title, and a possible semi-final against high-flying Worksop Parramore.

In the middle of April they hammered the Seadogs 6-0 and a fortnight later beat Worksop 2-0 to book themselves a second final on the spin and they faced a Division One outfit at a neutral venue for a second successive year.

Shirebrook Town had been beaten 3-1 the previous season and the Dennyboys emulated that with a victory over Louth Town.

Having taken on and conquered the big-hitters on their path to glory, no-one could suggest that beating a lower-ranked club in the final had tarnished the sheen on Thackley’s trophy.