From the dramatic moments to the contested calls, Fraser Watson looks at the key areas that defined another big day at the Meadow.

 

Goodwick's aerial attack

 
Speaking to neutrals beforehand, and the overriding perception was the 3G surface on the Meadow would suit Monkton's style of play more. There were times during the 90 minutes when it did indeed appear that way, but they struggled when it came to dealing with Goodwick's set-piece play.
 
The Phoenix Boys had already gone close from a corner when they struck from another, Scott Delaney's header onto the bar leading to Ben Adams' goal. Indeed, the experienced Delaney proved a handful every time he ventured forward - and went close again after the break when he nodded into the side netting.
 
Rhys Jones, who along with Will Haworth provided many of the telling crosses, also headed a chance wide and Nigel Delaney's side clearly had the upper hand in that department. Whether football is played on a slick synthetic pitch or a pond in Pendine - set-piece threat is always an asset.
 

Interval break turns the tide

 
Monkton started slowly, but there was a 15-minute period before the break when they were unarguably the better side.
 
Jimmy Wilkes frequently found space and had already been thwarted by a Nick Jones save and Kyle O'Sullivan goal-line clearance before he deservedly levelled matters. Moments after it went 1-1, Gareth Finnegan surged into box and with Jones stranded, placed a shot narrowly wide before the keeper was at his best to deny Wilkes again from point blank range.
 
The pressure continued but when the whistle went for the interval, the sides remained level. Goodwick regrouped, the pattern of the game changed after half-time and in hindsight, Monkton were made for pay for not fully capitalising when they were on top.
 

Jones dives low to deny Davies

 
To accuse the Swifts of wasteful finishing would be harsh - in reality they were left frustrated by the assured display of eventual man-of-the-match Jones.
 
The keeper was commanding when coming for crosses and made a string of saves over the 90 minutes, but there was one stop in particular late on which went a long way to securing glory for his side.
 
Connor Davies looked set to bury his angled shot into the bottom corner only for Jones to dive low to his right and tip the ball past the post. There was little more Davies could have done with his finish, but when it mattered most Jones was quick to react and had his angles covered.
 

Penalty call proves pivotal

 
In the dying minutes Monkton sub Jack Clarke burst into area before going to ground amid a challenge from Ben Adams. It felt like time stood still for a moment as players and fans waited for a whistle that never came.
 
From where I was sat, admittedly a considerable distance away, it looked a strong claim. Perhaps unsurprisingly, depending on who you spoke to post-match opinions ranged from it being the most blatant spot-kick never to be given to an absolute dive under zero contact.
 
Regardless, referee Tudor Walters waved away the claims, much to Adams' relief and the obvious ire of the Swifts. Debate over the moment inevitably spilled onto social media but without trying to fuel any fire - a photo later released from Raw Photography suggested that any potential contact took place marginally before Clarke reached the area.
 

Dalling delivers again

 
In any level of football, the biggest players produce in the biggest moments.
 
It was back in 2015 when Rhys Dalling played in his first Senior Cup final with Goodwick, scoring in the 1-0 win over Neyland. Fast forward 11 years to his fifth, and he once again proved he's the man for this kind of occasion.
 
The game was still on a knife-edge when 56 minutes in, Dalling picked up the ball on the edge of the area before cutting across two defenders and whipping a shot into the corner with his weaker right foot. It was a goal good enough to grace any game and underlined how much of a loss the striker was to his side when serving a lengthy suspension earlier in the season.
 
Nick Jones certainly merited the man-of-the-match award and Jonny Horgan's 40-yard strike into an empty net will go down in Senior Cup folklore - but it was Dalling's sublime finish that proved the defining moment of the final.