Lions boss Steve Kittrick had nothing but praise for both his own players and those of Thackley following their West Riding County Cup final success over the Dennyboys.

Thackley play their football four steps lower on the non-league ladder but Dave Morgan’s men showed that they were in no mood to respect reputations in the Valley Parade showpiece.

Guiseley were taken to extra-time before they won 4-2 and Kittrick said: “I was very impressed with Thack-ley as they did very well.

“We could have done without extra-time at this stage of the season and we tried our best to win in normal time but we couldn’t because they are a tidy outfit. Once we got our hands on the trophy I was delighted, though.

“It is a very nice piece of silverware to be honest and everyone at our place was chuffed to bits that we had won it.

“I hope that’s not the only celebration because we are still chasing a play-off place to the Blue Square Premier.

“We have played some good football this season and had nice runs in cups and are high up in our league table.”

Having lost to Crawley Town in the first round of the FA Cup and to Luton Town in the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy, Kittrick admitted it felt good to experience some cup glory.

He said: “After those defeats it was nice to win a trophy, so the County Cup does mean a lot to us and we did play strong sides, even in the early rounds. We took it seriously.

“I would say, even before we know if we will finish in a play-off spot, that it has been a good season for us. Maybe a good year because if you go back 12 months, we were still trailing Bradford Park Avenue in the UniBond Premier Division.

“We went on to win the title, so we have come a long way in a short space of time.

“Mind you, I set myself high standards and have learned a lot being at this level. It is the first time in my experience and for Guiseley but, despite that, I’ll be disappointed if we don’t get a play-off place this time.”