THIS is surely as good as it gets for Tommy Bryce after he watched his Glenafton side serve up a five-star display to win the Ardagh Glass League Cup with a 2-0 victory over rivals Auchinleck Talbot.

The Glens gaffer must have felt as if all his birthdays had come at once yesterday as his players - orchestrated by man- of-the-match Jambo McKernon in midfield - bossed the final from start to finish to send their supporters into a near state of delirium at the final whistle.

Cameron Marlow's first-half opportunist strike came when the Glens were already in the driving seat and further goals could and should have been added before Alain Kinney sealed things with a second goal just after the hour mark to ensure the silverware was going back to New Cumnock.

"The guys were simply fantastic and I cannot praise them enough," reflected a broadly smiling Bryce as his playing charges joyously paraded around Portland Park with their Ardagh Glass trophy prize and winner's medals.

"The only criticism I could possibly make is that we blew a golden opportunity to win the final by four or five goals because I don't doubt for a second that if Talbot had enjoyed the same domination then they would have punished us and then some.

"McKernon was the architect of our success, but I also felt Jamie McGeoghegan's pace and covering work in defence helped blunt Talbot's attacking forays while our own strikers Alain Kinney and Aaron Connolly bullied their defenders and posed a scoring threat every time we got the ball into the forward areas."

Goalscorer Kinney said: "That was a hard shift out there and I'm desperately tired just now, but no doubt the adrenaline rush from taking the trophy back to Loch Park to show our supporters will give me a lift.

"To beat Auchinleck Talbot in a cup final is no mean feat and I don't think anyone watching the game can deny we deserved our win."

It was a day on the other hand for the Tommy Sloan- steered Bot to forget, however the more-often-than-not successful manager was magnanimous in defeat.

He said: "We'll need to take this one on the chin and dust ourselves down before getting ready for our next game.

"Nothing much went right for us but that's not to take anything away from Glenafton who were by far the better side on the day and fully deserved to win the game.

"It says everything when their goalkeeper Brian McGarrity has not been called upon to make a save of any note whereas our Andy Leishman has produced a couple of world-class saves on top of twice picking the ball out of his net."

In the Stagecoach Leagues, previous frontrunners Auchinleck dropped down to third place in the standings behind Irvine Meadow and Petershill.

Medda are the new leaders following a high scoring 5-3 victory over Kilbirnie Ladeside whose marauding wing back Chris Malone netted a hat-trick. However, it ultimately counted for nothing as doubles from Chris Hall and Ryan Deas plus a Mark Thomson counter helped the visitors take the spoils.

Medda's closest challengers are Petershill for whom Stephen McGladrigan's first-half score looked to have clinched all three points in a hard fought contest at home to Hurlford United until prolific hitman Stewart Kean levelled matters late in the second half.

The goals also rained in at Bellsdale Park where Beith and Troon played out an entertaining 4-4 draw and a stalemate also ensued at Holm Park where bottom markers Clydebank denied new Arthurlie boss Craig McEwan a debut victory when Ian Gold bagged a vital equaliser in injury time to cancel out Ryan McGregor's opener for the Barrhead men.

Another crucial clash in the bottom half of the table went the way of managerless Cumnock for whom Robert Love and Owen Ronald were on target to secure a 2-1 triumph away to Shotts Bon Accord, who had led with a first-half Chris Walker goal.

Pollok continue to top the Super First Division after Davie Winters (pen) and Alan McKenzie goals brought a 2-0 success away to previously unbeaten Rutherglen Glencairn for whom striker Gavin Ross received an early bath for two yellow card offences.

Yoker took advantage of the Glens and Maybole (beaten 3-1 at home to Greenock) slipping up to move second-top with a 3-1 defeat of Cumbernauld United through Mark Maxwell, Davie Crerand and Michael Rogers goals.