STUART Ritchie hailed the “amazing achievement” of his AFC Totton side after they successfully defended the Hampshire FA Senior Cup at St Mary’s last night.

Their 3-1 win over arch rivals Sholing completed a sensational season’s double for the Stags who are already looking forward to Southern Premier Division football next season after being crowned kings of Division One South & West.

“To win any trophy is a real accolade, but to win two in one season is an amazing achievement,” Ritchie smiled.

“I felt so relaxed tonight, it was unreal.

“We played ever so well in the second half. The lads were brilliant.

“I’m over the moon with the way the season’s gone and what these lads have achieved.”

With Ryan Scott, Carl Pettefer and Jamie Whisken all on holiday, Totton were so short of numbers that they had to play their two star players, Mike Gosney and Michael Green, out of position.

Winger Gosney moved into central midfield while left-back Green filled in as an emergency centre-half until Ian Richardson, delayed by a school governors’ meeting, was able to take over.

Striker Stefan Brown had an outstanding game alongside Gosney in the midfield engine room, while two-goal hero Michael Charles picked up the man-of-the-match award.

Two 16-year-olds also caught the eye with Ross Casey turning in a brilliant performance in goal and left-back Kane Crisp given the tough job of keeping Sholing’s lively right winger Marvin McLean at bay.

“Kane looked comfortable in possession and did ever so well for a young lad,” said Ritchie. “We’ve got a very exciting group of under-18s who I’ve got big expectations for.

“Ross Casey’s a good keeper with a great personality. He’s very confident and quite flamboyant with a great bush of curly hair!”

For Sholing boss Dave Diaper defeat was another bitter pill to swallow following the heartbreak of finishing second to Totton in the league and then losing out to Frome Town in the play-off final.

On the balance of the first half he felt they should scored another one or two after Lee Wort had given them the lead.

But Totton’s teenage ’keeper Casey – in for the cup-tied Grant Porter - stubbornly kept them out and Diaper was disappointed that a side who had conceded just 28 league goals were broken down too easily.

“Lee Wort scored a cracking goal and we should have been two or three up at half-time but their young goalkeeper played particularly well,” he said. “In my opinion he was man-of-the-match.

“He made two great saves from Kev Gibbens – one from a header, which he tipped round the post, and one from a volley.

“But no excuses. We should have taken our chances when we were on top and fair play to Totton for taking theirs.

"Our keeper Mike Hookway made some really good saves towards the end, otherwise it could have been more.

“They were three poor goals for us to give away and we were punished for switching off at the start of the second half. Of all the people you don’t want a clearance to fall to, it’s Mike Gosney.”

It was Sholing’s second county cup final defeat in three years having succumbed 1-0 to Fleet Town in 2008/09.

“We’re all very disappointed but we’ve got to pick ourselves up, move on and go again next season,” said Diaper.