Blackburn United under-17s fell short of picking up a first ever Scottish Cup trophy for the club as they were beaten 4-1 by Thorn Athletic.
Cheered on by around 700 fans at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie, the Burnie went into the half-time break level at 0-0 before being unable to halt Athletic after the break.
A Lewis Roberts header did give them some hope late in the game but they were unable to pull off a special comeback and had to settle for the runner-up spot.
Despite the result, coach Gavin Wallace said Thorn were deserved winners but the margin of victory was harsh on United as they look to bounce back and secure consecutive local trebles.
He said: “The lads were gutted and hurting but they responded brilliantly. They know they still have a huge chance of making it back-to-back trebles and incentives don’t come bigger than that.
“Thorn deserved to win but I don’t think 4-1 was a fair reflection on the game.”
He added: “We all want to say thank you to the 700 or so Blackburn fans who travelled and created a tremendous atmosphere. It was really appreciated and we’re just sorry we couldn’t bring the cup home for the village.”
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