Chris Morgan believes the introduction of Jordan Owens was the turning point in Saturday's Irish Cup final.
Crusaders were trailing Ballymena United 1-0 when Owens came on as an 81st-minute substitute at Windsor Park.
The Crues were rewarded when Josh Robinson scored a 93rd-minute equaliser to send the game into extra-time, and then Johnny McMurray sealed the win with a stunning volley with virtually the last kick of the game.
Read more: Johnny McMurray "ignored teammates' advice" to fire Crusaders to Irish Cup glory
Stephen Baxter's side bombarded Ballymena in the dying minutes of normal time to snatch a late equaliser, and they continued that pressure in extra-time before sealing their late, late, victory.
And former Irish League striker Morgan believes Owens' aerial threat was a telling difference.
He told the BBC: "Stephen (Baxter) is 100 per cent right. He said for an hour Crusaders didn't play that well. It was probably more like 75 minutes.
"The big change was Jordan Owens. He came on, and as much as anything Ballymena were probably thinking, 'oh no, it's Jordan Owens'.
"They knew what they were going to face and started retreating a little bit and went deeper and invited pressure.
"And that's what happened."
Morgan added: "We maybe thought it was going to be Jordan Owens getting the goal or setting the goal up. Who would have thought it would be Jonny Tuffey setting up the equaliser?
"Cup finals are all about winning, and performance goes out the window completely.
"If you win the game you forget about the performance. Crusaders might have reflected on the performance longer if they had lost, but they didn't.
"The found a way to win and that's the mark of a good side."
Paul Leeman heaped praise on former club Crusaders for pushing for the win in extra-time, while Ballymena appeared to be holding out for penalties.
"Ballymena were very much hanging on for penalty kicks and were defending on the edge of their box," he said.
"Crusaders threw absolutely everything at them and you have to give Crusaders credit for that, for taking the game to Ballymena and trying to win it in extra time.
"In the end it was a fantastic goal to win a cup final."
Read more: Ballymena United 1-2 Crusaders (AET): The Irish Cup final as it happened
Read more: Chris McKee opens up on future plans after Linfield loan spell
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox
