Darren Henderson said winning Saturday's West of Scotland League Cup final was the 'icing on the cake' for Hurlford United.
The Ford held their nerve in a penalty shootout to see off Kilwinning Rangers after a 1-1 draw at Townhead Park.
Goalkeeper Martin McDonald was the hero, saving two spot kicks as the East Ayrshire cracks won 3-2 to put a silver lining on a long, hard season.
And boss Henderson reckons it was the least his players deserved after a gruelling 13-month campaign.
He told Ayrshire Football News: "It just makes it all worthwhile. The boys have been at it from last May, so to go to the last game and win the penalty shoot-out, they deserve it.
"They were the best team on the day. I think over the piece we had the best chances.
"I'm just so pleased for the boys because they've worked ever so hard. We've had a small squad and it's been a challenging year, especially with six or seven teams going down in the league.
"But we managed to hang in and ended up finishing fifth which was a great achievement.
"To finish it off today was the icing on the cake."
Hurlford got off to the perfect start when Marc McKenzie raced on to Kris Kerr's pass and fired past Kilwinning keeper Harry Broun from 16 yards with just four minutes gone.
It should have been 2-0 five minutes later when Broun and defender Finlay Anderson got in a fankle on the edge of their own box but Kerr fired the loose ball wide with an open goal at his mercy.
Jordan Stuart fashioned Kilwinning's first clear-cut chance in 18 minutes when he robbed Chris McKnight near the half way line and bore down on goal but a heavy touch left him stretching for a shot that McDonald blocked with his legs.
Broun bravely saved at the feet of McKenzie a few minutes later but there was little else to trouble either goalkeeper before referee Ryan Kennedy blew for half-time.
Hurlford threatened first after the restart, the unmarked McKenzie not too far away with a curling effort from 12 yards in 49 minutes.
Kilwinning should have levelled the scores in 55 minutes when a knockdown fell at the feet of David Ramsay six yards out only for the striker to slice his shot horribly high and wide of the target.
But Ramsay made amends for the miss in 73 minutes when he chested down a long ball and slipped a shot through McDonald's legs from 14 yards to make it 1-1.
The final was now finely poised but Kilwinning were lucky to keep 11 men on the park when Kieren Wood escaped with a yellow card for a cynical challenge on Will Graham in 76 minutes.
There was still time for a double red card though with Ramsay’s late touchline tackle on Liam Miller and the Ford defender's reaction forcing the two straight cards from whistler Kennedy.
Broun was called into acton to deny McKenzie and Kerr as Hurlford looked to snatch it at the death before the final whistle sounded to take the match to penalties.
In the shootout, McDonald denied Stuart and Ricky Hanvey while Jamie Kirkpatrick blazed his spot kick over the bar as Ford won 3-2.
On target for the winners were Paul McKenzie, Chris McKnight and Sam Lidington.
Henderson added: "Big Martin has been magnificent for us this season. His first penalty save was as good as you'll get."
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
