Highworth Town lift the Hellenic Premier crown (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Highworth Town lift the Hellenic Premier crown

AFTER a nail-biting conclusion to one of their best-ever seasons, Highworth Town FC have finally been crowned as champions of the Hellenic Premier League for the first time in their history.

Their previous best spot was as runners-up to Banbury in 2000, but this time around, manager John Fisher had title-aspiring Didcot, Slimbridge and Bishops Cleeve all snapping at his heels.

Having lost last Saturday's local derby at Fairford, Highworth looked to be wobbling in the run-in to championship.

However, last Tuesday evening, they got back on track by beating their Pegasus Juniors visitors 6-4. Highworth held a 3-1 advantage at half-time with a goal from Adams and a brace by Miller.

Saye extended the Highworth lead to 4-1, only for Pegasus to pull it back to 4-2. After Saye had given Town a 5-1 advantage, Juniors added two more goals in a late burst.

All eyes were on Didcot on Thursday evening, the side who could have snatched the title off Highworth. But attempting to play so many league games in a short space of time proved too much for the FA Vase finalists.

And Didcot's 1-0 demise away to Abingdon United left Highworth knowing that they needed to win their final game to lift the shield.

Away to an already relegated Wootton Bassett Town, it looked an easy enough task on paper.

Nonetheless, the visitors knew they couldn't take any chances, especially as their rivals battled hard in an effort to spoil their opponents' aspirations.

Highworth, though, were not to be denied and a Phil Corcoran hat-trick put the icing on the cake of a truly memorable season.

Didcot, who face AFC Sudbury in the FA Vase Final at Tottenham Hotspurs on Saturday, May 14, finished as league runners-up after beating Fairford 2-0 on Saturday while Bishops Cleeve took third place and Slimbridge fourth.