Glenville Celtic Athletic Football Club were crowned Northern Areas Football Association 2019 Easter Tournament champions after beating Celtic FC by a solitary goal in extra time at  a rain-drenched Gelvan Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Monday.
Celtic FC were the better side on the day, creating numerous chances to open the scoring.
But it was Glenville, spurred on by their passionate supporters, who scored the telling goal to send their fans into delirium as the final whistle confirmed their status as champions.
Light showers were constantly falling when the game kicked off.
Both teams made early attempts to take the lead.
But a slick, rain-wet surface, coupled with some lacklustre finishing, ensured a goalless end to the first half.
As the second period got under way, both sides pushed for the elusive winner but it was not to be and  the match was goalless at fulltime.
As the first seven minutes of extra time began some skilful  interplay by Glenville allowed them to open the scoring, thanks to a Diego Appollis strike.
Celtic continued to press hard in search of an equalising goal but it was not to be.
The final whistle sent the Glenville players, staff and supporters into a frenzy of  celebration.
Speaking after the match, Glenville head coach Revino Trumpeter said he was incredibly proud of his charges for their determination  to win.
“It was a tough match for us. The guys were able to hang in there [but] we were outplayed.
“They [Celtic] kept attacking us, we couldn’t complete our passes, we couldn’t even get decent control of the ball.
“What is important is that we didn’t concede.
“I told my boys  not to remain compact and to try not to concede, so we managed to stick to our game plan and the task at hand.” Trumpeter said.
“We built up some momentum towards the end of the game so once we got the goal it was just about defending the lead.”
He said the win, the team’s second triumph in the tournament, would give his players a massive confidence boost as they look ahead to their next couple of fixtures.
Meanwhile, in the ladies final, Shatterprufe Ladies came from behind to claim a 2-1 win over the Park United Ladies as they secured the title.
In other results:
Under 10: Fairview Rovers 1 beat Glenville 1-0
Under 12: Helenvale beat Fairview Rovers 2-0
Under 14: Blackpool beat Hotspurs 2-1
Under 16: Apex beat West Lake 2-0
Under 18: Fairview Rovers beat Ramblers 2-1
Women: Shatterprufe Ladies beat Park United Ladies 2-1
Men third place play-off: Stardrift beat West Lake 1-0