ENDING their campaign with 16 straight victories, Ponteland United Reserves secured the league title on the final day.

With tensions running high in the decider with second placed Cramlington Town Reserves, a 3-0 triumph confirmed Pont as champions by a margin of five points.

The race for the trophy went right down to the wire, but it was Ponteland’s incredible form which saw them win their final 16 fixtures, ending with victories over their main two title rivals.

Former player Kennie Malia took over as manager three seasons ago, and spoke highly of the application of his squad as they went from 10th in the table to top of the pile during that time.

He said: “I’ve been there for three seasons and the squad keeps getting better and better, and our main target this year was to win the league. To do it is unbelievable.

“Cramlington knocked us out of both cups at the quarter-finals, so to to win the title at their place makes it even sweeter.

“When I first took over, I was managing the U18 team too so I had a lot of them lads coming through with the U21 players.

“The lads we have range from 17 to 33, and I know some of them can play at a higher level, but there is a great team spirit and that’s what it’s all about.”

Ponteland went into the final day two points clear of Cramlington, following a crucial 4-1 victory over Stobswood Welfare in midweek.

And they wasted no time in gaining the upper hand over their contenders, Dan Hadfield sending home the opener from the edge of the box after just four minutes.

Malia and his men were dreaming of silverware when they doubled their lead midway through the first half, a Cramlington defender putting the ball into his own net when a long throw caused mayhem.

And the all-important third came soon after, Hadfield running on to a through ball and coolly slotting home to give Town a mountain to climb.

To their credit, they fought hard after the restart but were denied by several stops from goalkeeper Chris Walker as Ponteland maintained their excellent defensive record which saw them concede just 31 times in 30 league games.

United aim to retain the Tyneside title next year as they cannot gain promotion to the Northern Alliance, due to the first team’s involvement in that league.