HOLDERS St Ives suffered cup final heartache for the second time in five days as Star lifted the UCL League Cup for the first time at Raunds on Saturday.

UCL League Cup final

Peterborough Northern Star 2

St Ives Town 0

HOLDERS St Ives suffered cup final heartache for the second time in five days as Star lifted the UCL League Cup for the first time at Raunds on Saturday.

Bidding to become the first club to retain the trophy since Rothwell Town in 1993 St Ives, without injured striker Conor Washington, never showed the form they are capable of and were downed by goals either side of the interval.

It followed on from their 2-0 defeat by St Neots in the Hunts Senior Cup final at Jubilee Park last Monday.

A low-key opening half saw plenty of midfield football and little goalmouth action.

Josh Moreman’s long range effort saw St Ives keeper Niall Conroy-Owen dive to save, while Star defender Richard Jones strode forward only to shoot wide of the target.

Jon Stead’s corner found Karl Gibbs whose header was easily fielded by Conroy-Owen while, at the other end, David Cobb’s run set up Danny Matson whose shot deflected to safety off a Star defender.

Six minutes before the interval Star made the breakthrough with a low 25-yard shot into the corner from Moreman which beat Conroy-Owen inside his right-hand post.

Star almost doubled their lead two minutes into the second half when Mark Baines latched onto a Moreman flick to draw a fine save from Conroy-Owen.

Lee Ellison’s free-kick brought Nick Conroy into rare action at the other end, but it was Star who went two clear after 55 minutes with Nathan Horne’s free-kick finding Gibbs towering above his marker to head home.

As St Ives pushed forward they were vulnerable to the counter and Stead was denied a third Star goal by a deflection on to the outside of the post.

Star continued to look the more dangerous side with Gibbs twice going close with headers and Conroy-Owen thwarting Richard Jones.

Gibbs and Stead fizzed the ball around to play in Baines whose final shot was off target.

In the 90th minute Conroy spilled an Ellison free-kick with substitute Tom McGowan following up to score off the crossbar only to be flagged offside as St Ives were denied a way back into the game.

St Ives: Conroy-Owen, Duncliffe, Cobb, Newman, Morgan Phillips, Dear, Foster (McGowan), Ellison, Matson, Fielding (Read), Bannister.