Philip Lowry says Crusaders' dominant Irish Cup win over Ballymena United helped erase some demons from last season's final.
The Crues steamrollered the Sky Blues with a 4-0 win at Windsor Park on Sunday, with Lowry chipping in with a goal in the commanding rout.
Twelve months ago they snatched glory from the jaws of despair, scoring an injury time equaliser and last-gasp winner to earn victory over the same opponents, in a final Lowry admitted "passed the players by".
Read more: Crusaders dominate Ballymena United to win Irish Cup final
Now the 33-year-old midfielder is celebrating his sixth Irish Cup success, and his third with the Shore Road men.
"It was a team effort. I thought we were brilliant today from start to finish," Lowry told the BBC.
"It was a bit of a strange one today. We went into it thinking we had to put things right from last year, even though we won the competition in 2022.
"We were so bad in that final. I was anonymous last year and from a personal point of view I just wanted to put things right.
"To cap a season like that with the goals I scored is amazing."
He added: "It is a competition that has been very kind to me over the years. I just had a real good feeling about it today.
"We were missing a lot of key men including our skipper (Billy Joe Burns), but everyone just stepped up to the plate.
"And even though I got man of the match it could have been five or six others.
"It was a proud moment to captain the side, and my daughter was mascot. I am getting quite emotional thinking about it.
"That's the reason we play the game, with our family watching.
"These games can be gone in a blink of an eye and you wonder where they went. A lot of us felt that way after last year.
"To a man we were just brilliant today."
Lowry headed home Crusaders' third goal after Ross Clarke and Adam Lecky had bagged the openers.
Paul Heatley added a sublime fourth to wrap up the win.
"I always fancy myself to get a goal and I managed to get one today," Lowry said.
"I can't remember much about it. It was a brilliant ball from Ross and I just got on the end of it."
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