Pulrose United were crowned Ardern and Druggan Combination Two champions after beating Castletown 4-2 on Wednesday evening.

Springfield Road has seen plenty over the years but few nights will have meant as much as this one.

Four years ago the club stood on the brink of collapse, staring into the abyss and wondering whether there would even be a future.

Now Pully have combination silverware for the first time in 26 years after brushing Castletown aside in front of a packed crowd of around 200 supporters.

For a club that nearly disappeared altogether, this was far more than just another league title.

A single point would’ve been enough to secure the crown ahead of Douglas Athletic, but nerves never truly appeared as they delivered a performance full of confidence, quality and emotion to complete the job in style.

The significance of the night stretched far beyond the football itself. Mo Powsland, Paul Henry, James Douglas, Ali Wood, Karran Halsall, Jacob Thomas, Paul Kelch, Mikey Skillen and David Hardinge (and probably a few more) were central to dragging the club back from the edge when collapse looked inevitable.

They rebuilt not only a club but a sense of pride around Pulrose, making this title all the more significant.

The hosts settled quickly and took the lead after only eight minutes. Hardinge’s dangerous free-kick caused problems inside the Castletown area and Callum Dunn reacted quickest to force the ball home from close range.

Pully were playing with the swagger of a side sensing history and six minutes later they doubled their advantage with the goal of the evening.

Dunn switched play superbly to Owen Canipa on the left and he cut inside before unleashing a venomous strike from 20 yards which flew into the far stanchion.

Town looked rattled but managed to claw their way back into the contest in the 20th minute through Ross Crawford.

The striker found himself unmarked six yards out after a low cutback and had the simple task of sliding the ball into an empty net to reduce the deficit.

The southerners nearly levelled just after the half-hour mark when Crawford went clean through, only to be denied brilliantly by the outstretched leg of Rob Maginn before Ali Ronan fired the rebound over.

It proved costly because Pulrose seized complete control before the break.

James Clarke had earlier seen a penalty saved but responded superbly in the 42nd minute, racing to the by-line before cutting the ball back for Joe Canipa to slot home from close range and restore the two-goal cushion.

Right on the stroke of half-time, Pulrose delivered another huge blow. Clarke slipped Owen Canipa through on the edge of the box and he drove into space before poking beyond the keeper to make it 4-1.

Springfield Road erupted: Pulrose already had one hand firmly on the trophy.

The second half lacked the drama of the first but Pully remained comfortably in control throughout.

Joe Canipa rattled the crossbar with an awkward effort that looped onto the woodwork, while Castletown struggled to create anything meaningful as Pulrose moved the ball around with confidence and composure.

Town grabbed a late consolation with two minutes remaining when Pulrose briefly switched off defensively.

Direct football released Crawford into acres of space and he calmly slotted beyond Maginn to make it 4-2, although by then the celebrations had already started.

When the final whistle sounded, players, supporters and club volunteers came together to celebrate a title that meant more than most.

DEAN TURTON