Crane Sports manager Iain Radnor didn’t have many complaints on the outcome of the 2017 Suffolk Senior Cup final.
Crane were narrow 2-1 losers to SIL Senior Division rivals Achilles at Portman Road this afternoon, with Radnor acknowledging that his team ‘came up a little bit short’.
“I’m slightly disappointed,” reflected the manager afterwards, whose team went 2-0 down before Mo Fike’s textbook header, nine minutes from time, made things interesting in the final stages.
“We spoke at the start (of the game) about not leaving anything on the pitch and not having any regrets, and I just think one or two players came up a little bit short.
“We huffed and puffed all over the pitch, but we didn’t do enough to win the game.”
Radnor continued: “I think Achilles just about deserved it, they ran us hard at times and stretched us, giving us one or two problems.
“I think the result was about right, and we deserved to make it interesting in the end.”
The final 10 minutes certainly made for interesting viewing for the 1,190 strong crowd in attendance, with Crane throwing goalkeeper Ryan Bedingfield forward at one stage!
“We had to go for it,” said Radnor.
“It’s a one-off game and it was exciting.
“I’d rather have a go than not, but we fell half-a-yard short. Then again, it’s been a fantastic journey for us and we have had our cup finals en route (to this stage).
“We got a great result at Needham Market Reserves – as well against AFC Sudbury Reserves (winning on penalties after ending the game with nine men) – and those games felt like cup finals, as did the win against Haverhill Borough (4-1 in the semi-final).
“That was a brilliant win for us and we hit some serious heights in that game, but perhaps we didn’t save enough for the final.”
Radnor continued: “It was a great day, and it’s important that this competition is held at Portman Road. It’s the pinnacle and it’s an honour – there were two sets of lads giving absolutely everything.
“We had a lot of support and we thank everybody – they made a lot of noise from the start to the finish.
“It’s just slightly disappointing that we didn’t get the win for them, but we did our best.
“I’m proud of the boys, but good teams, good players and good people come again.”
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