Pinchbeck United beat Holbeach United in the Thurlow Nunn League
Pinchbeck United have signed off their Thurlow Nunn League campaign in style.
The Knights have ended their maiden campaign in Division One North with an eight-match unbeaten run which also featured five clean sheets.
They brought the curtain down on their season on Easter Monday with a 3-2 away victory over neighbours Holbeach United.
It ensured Pinchbeck finished on the same amount of points as the Tigers who edged eighth place on goal difference.
Knights boss Lewis Thorogood feels his side's strong finish will be a good platform for next season.
He commented: "I was pleased with the win on Monday and it is a really good way to sign off the season.
"The unbeaten run has been the biggest positive because, after the Christmas fixtures, the play-offs were looking a distant memory.
"It would have been easy to go through the motions but we've made it competitive and a challenge and to finish with eight games unbeaten is fantastic.
"It was a good way to finish and we've ended on a high.
"It's a real positive and gives us a building block for next season which is ultimately what we wanted to do."
Pinchbeck needed to overturn a six-goal deficit to leapfrog Holbeach in the league standings.
And they started strongly in difficult conditions at Carter's Park to take a two-goal lead.
They broke the deadlock when a great cross from Josh Panton was met by Ben Howlett who got in front of his defender to head home the opening goal.
Pinchbeck could have added to their tally as it needed a fantastic last-ditch challenge to deny JJ Ward while Andre Williams also put a good chance wide.
A second goal looked on the cards and it arrived when Krisztian Gagyi drove a cross into the ground before it reared up and flew into the home net.
The Knights looked in control of the contest but Holbeach hit back late in the first half when Marley Hamilton raced onto a long clearance to halve the deficit.
The goal changed the complexity of the game and Holbeach came out strongly to dominate the early stages of the second period.
However, Pinchbeck weathered the storm and restored their two-goal advantage when Joe Melson played in Howlett from a well-worked set piece to slot home.
Holbeach continued to battle and again cut the deficit when Jordan Keeble latched onto a clearance before finishing well past Ben Martin in the Pinchbeck goal.
But it wasn't enough to deny Pinchbeck who avenged a Boxing Day defeat against the Tigers who they defeated earlier in the season in the League Cup.
Thorogood added: "We would have liked to have finished above Holbeach but we knew it would have been a huge task to turn around a six-goal swing.
"We knew Holbeach wouldn't roll over but we have finished level on points with them and had the last kind of say and probably tried to put Boxing Day to bed.
"We've won two of the three competitive games against them this season which is a little psychological win although nothing major.
"We have done ever so well as a group, from the staff to the players, to keep everyone going and turn out the results as we have done."
Pinchbeck did lose Josh Doran to an ankle ligament injury with the same fate befalling Holbeach's Ryan Cook.
Melson also played on despite sustaining a fractured wrist and broken knuckle after landing awkwardly following a heavy early challenge.
They now face a spell on the sidelines with Thorogood hoping they will return for pre-season in less than two months time as Pinchbeck's focus now turns to next term.
The Knights boss said: "The work genuinely does start now to get ready for next season because it's only seven weeks away and it will fly by.
"We want to hit the ground running and genuinely do want to look at trying next season to challenge for the top five.
"We have fallen 15 points short of the play-offs this season and you can easily look back at five or six identified games which we've drawn or lost where we could have picked those points up.
"We want to keep the nucleus and body of this team together with some additions to the group which will probably give us that little bit more depth and quality in some areas and then there's nothing stopping us aspiring to be in the top five next season.
"It certainly will be the focus and the goal."
