Two former players returned to haunt St Neots Town as the two biggest teams in Huntingdonshire football did battle last night.

Peter Clark, who had a brief spell with them earlier this season, and Luke Knight, who helped them to the United Counties League Premier Division title five years ago, grabbed the goals that sent St Ives Town storming into the Hunts Senior Cup final.

The side sitting fourth in Southern League Division One (Central) seeing off hosts who find themselves 18th in the Premier Division won’t go down as a major shock – not when current form is taken into account anyway.

This was a 10th match without victory for the hosts while St Ives arrived on a high after thumping their league leaders four days earlier.

It showed as well. The hosts were seriously short on confidence and creativity while Ives played the better football and fully deserved their success which avenged a Red Insure Cup defeat when the sides met earlier in the season.

Clark made a memorable breakthrough on the half-hour when being allowed to run unchallenged before finishing with a fine 25-yard strike.

They had to wait until five minutes from time to double their advantage when substitute Knight rose to head in a Jack Higgs corner.

The margin of victory could, and probably should, have been greater. Ben Seymour-Shove hit the bar from close range before Dan Moyes sent a glorious headed chance flying over.

St Neots, who were under the control of director of football Iain Parr with boss David Batch and number two Steve Easthaugh away on business, posed little threat until halving their arrears in spectacular style in stoppage time.

Sixteen year-old substitute Dan Lewis - one of two debutants from the club’s own Academy system to be introduced along with Erhan Nurettin - struck with a peach of a curling shot from 25 yards to mark his first senior outing with a goal.

That strike provided a little ray of sunshine on another gloomy night for St Neots, but it was a fine one for St Ives who will face either Godmanchester Rovers or Eynesbury Rovers in the final.

Teams

St Neots: Sutton, Anton, Sweeney, Frater, Blackett, Hawkins, Clarke, Jones (sub Nurettin 57), Vieira (sub Lewis 81), Meechan, Ofosu. Unused: Tann, Wilton, Mailancol.

St Ives: Trebes, Sinclair, Jarrold, Moyes, De’Ath, Seymour-Shove, Clark (sub Keating 79), Higgs, Draycott (sub Cunniff 79), Phillips, Eason (sub Knight 65). Unused: Gentle, Watson.

Referee: Neil Hair.

Attendance: 205.