Stoke Newington Youth Under-10s are celebrating cup glory after holding their nerve in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to lift the Rural League’s Denis Regan Cup.

Andy Caws’ outfit reached the final without conceding a goal but they had to survive a fightback from a resolute Chase Side team to bring the trophy back to N16.

Chase had beaten Stoke Newington in the league a few weeks prior to the final, but after soaking up some early pressure, Stokey settled into their free-flowing passing game and showed great strength at the back, led by captain Bobby Rayner and fellow defenders Thomas Fokerd and Bruno Cox.

Midway through the first half, the Hackney side took the lead when striker Natty Carey squared a pass across the edge of the box for Joshua Clarke to slip the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper.

Their lead was then doubled after the break when a corner by midfielder Ethan Caws was cleared to the edge of the box and Rayner floated in a perfectly weighted cross for Clarke to double his tally with a flicked header into the top left corner.

Stokey now looked in total control thanks to a dominant midfield of Benjy McCabe, Caws, Clarke and Jamie Sutton, and continued to press for more goals.

Clarke was unlucky not to grab his hat-trick minutes later when he saw another header cleared off the line, before striker Makai Clifford’s follow-up came off the post.

More chances were squandered as Stokey failed to put the result out of reach and a lapse of concentration handed Chase Side a lifeline with a soft goal.

Then, with only seconds left on the clock, Chase Side equalised with a fierce free-kick from the edge of the penalty area to send the game into extra time – and the sides could not be separated in the ensuing period, meaning a battle of wits from the penalty spot would decide the outcome.

McCabe was the first to step forward, and the midfielder calmly scored before Stokey goalkeeper Rudy Ashcroft heroically saved Chase Side’s first effort.

Carey and man of the match Clarke then kept their cool to make it three from three for Stokey, sparking wild scenes of celebration from team-mates, coaching staff, families and friends.

Stoke Newington squad: Rudy Ashcroft, Bobby Rayner, Bruno Cox, Thomas Fokerd, Benjy McCabe, Ethan Caws, Joshua Clarke, Jamie Sutton, Makai Clifford, Natty Carey. Coach: Andy Caws.