THERE was a cruel irony that Rudheath, late arriving after a bus booked to bring them did not turn up, should lose in stoppage time.

They did not deserve to.

But when David Bowe leapt highest to meet Joe Heath’s corner, he headed forcefully a decisive goal to secure for West Kirby a fourth Cheshire FA Amateur Cup final success.

Rudheath, playing in the showpiece for a first time, will have reason to feel regretful though.

They overturned an interval deficit to lead 3-1 after 65 minutes, only to blow it inside a mad 60-second spell.

Two of their opponents’ four goals were the direct result of gross goalkeeping errors.

Those mistakes proved costly, on both occasions giving succour to their West Cheshire League foes at the precise moment they had started to lose direction.

The first, on 29 minutes, arrived after the Northwich outfit had recovered from a slow start.

Liam Adderton’s clipped pass sent Heath clear, but he was second favourite to reach a ball that custodian Chris Jones failed to intercept after misjudging its bounce.

Heath, gleeful, rolled into an empty net.

West Kirby might have lead inside two minutes, only for Bowe’s header to hit the crossbar.

Rudheath rallied, and Ryan Jackson’s snap-shot from Matthew Clarke’s cut-back flashed past an upright.

When Ian Brunt spooned over from close range before the break, they had a narrow escape.

As if to recognise that fact, they proceeded to score three times in quarter of an hour at the start of the second period.

Scott Taylor drilled low past West Kirby goalkeeper David Pearce to restore parity, then swerved a free kick onto Shaun Alcock’s head two minutes later.

Jackson, limping heavily due to a knee injury sustained in the first half, nudged the defender’s flick-on over the line.

He then headed wide at the back post from Andrew Whitney driven cross.

Rudheath’s dominance yielded a third goal, again from a set piece, when skipper Paul Alcock met Taylor’s flag kick with a volley that flashed past Peace.

Whitney was denied when his goal-bound drive skimmed off a defender’s head and over the bar.

With a two-goal advantage, they had a hand on the trophy.

But that grip was loosened when Brunt smuggled Liam Simon’s free kick into the net at the back post.

Worse was to follow when stand-in custodian Matthew Heath, who replaced Jones when he sustained an injury, dropped the ball at substitute Lee Gibson’s feet.

Like Heath in the opening period, he took the chance.

Rudheath visibly wilted, though they resisted until the second minute of injury time when Bowe’s thumping header was too strong for Heath to halt.

Taylor had prompted Peace to block with a boot at his near post, while Peter Aidley’s drive dipped too late when they tried to react.

By then the damage, most of it self-inflicted, had been done.

West Kirby (4-3-3) Peace (GK), Butterworth, Brunt, Simon, Wingfield, Strange (Gibson 68), Morgan (Croft 65), Bowe, Baxter, Adderton, Joe Heath Subs not used Ashurst, Bull, Ireland Goals Heath 29, Brunt 71, Gibson 72, Bowe 90 (+2) Booked Simon (foul)

Rudheath (4-4-2) Jones (GK) (Matthew Heath GK 62), Dean Clarke, Shaun Alcock, Paul Alcock, Capper, Jackson , Aidley, Latham, Taylor, Matthew Clarke, Whitney (Humphries 69) Subs not used Millington, Feltham, Felton Goals Taylor 49, Jackson 51, Paul Alcock 64 Booked Paul Alcock (dissent)