Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said recently that you need luck to win a knockout cup competition - and following last Sunday's disappointment that's a sentiment the players and management of Hurworth Albion would probably agree with.

Leading 1-0 in injury time against East End WMC and just seconds away from clinching The Northern Echo Darlington Sunday Invitation League Cup Final, and with it wiping away the memories of the First Division cup final defeat three weeks earlier, Albion's opponents stole an equaliser to take the game into extra-time during which they nabbed the silverware with a heart-breaking golden goal winner.

As East End's relieved and exuberant players celebrated their smash and grab victory, Hurworth sank to their knees in equal amounts of anger and disappointment as the realisation of being deprived the league cup hit home.

That just ten minutes before full-time Hurworth's Darren Tate had had what appeared a legitimate goal ruled out for a foul on a defender only served to further frustrate the Albion men. Had that goal been allowed the outcome would probably have been very different.

Daniel Hannifan's golden goal winner served as proof, and Hartlepool United would no doubt agree, that football can be a cruel game although there could be few at Darlington RA's Brinkburn Road who didn't feel some sympathy towards Albion.

Richard Hill, manager of Hurworth, said: "Football can be cruel, but, despite losing two cup finals this season, we are getting stronger and stronger and I believe we can challenge for the Division One title next season.

"It's somewhat of a sickener to lose in this fashion, especially when we had so much of the game and had, what we felt was, a totally legitimate goal disallowed ten minutes from time.

"All the lads gave 100 per cent and, after an under par performance in the First Division Cup Final against Spraire, they can be really proud of how they played. I cannot fault a single one of them.

"Congratulations though, to East End who have certainly proved to be the team to beat this season and, although we have come close a couple of times, it wasn't quite enough.

"On reflection the game was an excellent advert for the division and proves there is a high quality of football being played in Darlington on a Sunday morning."

Against Spraire RA in the First divison cup final Hurworth played their part in a tough game but, in truth, were always second best to the deserved winners. However, Albion, keen to provide a cup giant-killing against the league winners, gave East End plenty to worry about.

On paper there should have been a gulf in class as Albion had finished the season sixth, 22 points below the final favourites but this provided no barometer of the game - both sides contesting the final equally with open chances a rarity in the first 45 minutes.

One of the rare scoring opportunities came when Tate beat the offside trap and raced clear but just when he looked ready to pull the trigger an East End defender produced a magnificent and vital sliding challenge that Darlington FC's Neil Maddison, watching from the sidelines, would have been proud of, to deny Albion's No 9.

Although Albion were ultimately to prove the day's unlucky losers, they did have lady luck on their side when Mark Hebden hand-balled in the penalty area but the referee failed to see the incident so Albion escaped punishment.

East End, missing their top scorer Steven Johnson who was away on holiday, looked lightweight up front and relied heavily on the workrate of powerful midfield man Neil Jackson who saw a low free-kick from distance go just wide.

All of East End's attacking moves seemed to go through the diminutive play-maker but unfortunately for his team there wasn't always an end product, although his left-to-right cross-field ball to put Hannifan in a scoring position demonstrated just what he's capable of. Hannifan could only put his effort in the keeper's hands.

Albion took the lead not long after the restart when Tate's pass sent Darren Wray racing towards goal and his right-footed shot went across keeper Scott Wood and into the far side of the goal.

The goal, and the tiring legs, opened the game up as more space began to appear in midfield but still clear-cut chances were at a premium.

With time ticking away and Albion with one hand on the cup as they looked comfortable with their one-goal advantage they appeared to double the lead when Tate fired past Wood from just inside the penalty area.

However, the referee spotted an infringement - an apparent foul on the last defender - and second later the relieved East End went up the other end almost grabbed an equaliser but Aaron Radstock dwelled on the ball too long and allowed a defender time to clear his weak shot off the line to save Hurworth.

But that wasn't to be enough as, in time added on, Rayne - scorer of Albion's goal - clipped an attempted clearance into the path of an East End player and his pin-point delivery found Radstock who made ammends for his missed chance by heading into the top corner. East End were ecstatic, Albion just deflated.

So followed golden goal extra-time in which neither side, perhaps in fear of conceding, appeared too keen to venture forward although Albion's Craig Luke should have done better with a header that he miscued wide.

Luke's chance, and Tate's disallowed goal, were made all the more relevant when Hannifan broke clear through the Albion defence and kept his composure to dribble past keeper Lee Hutton and shoot into the empty net.

Had Hurworth managed to hang on for the final few seconds of the 90 minutes it would've proved to be the biggest cup upset this season, and also deprive the eventual winners of the double.

Instead, Hanafin's strike meant Albion had to settle for runners-up medals for the second time in four weekends while the result ensured East End a magnificent League and Cup double.