Horsham YM 2, Ringmer 0: Skipper Matt Duffield struck twice to upset the form book and give YMCA their second cup in successive seasons.

A frenetic John O'Hara League Cup final at Crabtree Park will be also remembered for a remarkable debut by a former Albion defender and one of the toughest lessons yet for a potential rising star of Sussex football.

Matt Geard, son of Ringmer boss Glen, was dismissed for foul and abusive language, just five minutes before Duffield sent the underdogs on the way to a win they just about deserved.

Geard junior, who has recently been signed along with Damion Dobbyn on a dual registration by Horsham, was shown an immediate red card by referee David Phillips on 55 minutes after a free-kick verdict had gone against Ringmer.

He would have barely made it to the changing rooms by the time former Seagulls stopper Ben Andrews, summoned from village football to play up front, laid on Duffield's opener with an hour played.

Duffield later produced a supremely cool finish after good work by Ramin Jarvand to wrap up the contest.

Ringmer had a handful of chances. Jason Dumbrill made routine saves from Geard's free-kick and a Dobbyn drive in the first half, plus a more demanding reflex stop from Shaun Grice's sweetly struck half-volley just after Duffield's second goal.

But YMCA stood up well to the challenge. They had the contest's more impressive individuals, competing in the context of a solid all-round team effort.

Boss John Suter said: "It wasn't a game for the purists but cup finals rarely are and I would say, who cares?

"Suddenly the grounds have dried out. It becomes bumpy and lively and it's difficult to get the ball down and play football.

"We have lost to Ringmer three times this season but the difference this time was we competed from the start right to the end.

"I don't suppose it was a pretty sight but it was a good all-round performance. Everybody had an input."

Asked if young Geard's nightmare moment was the turning point, Suter said: "I don't think so. I hope we would have won against 11."

Duffield took the plaudits for his two-goal display getting forward from the right of midfield, but the decision to make him the official man-of-the-match looked a touch generous.

The outstanding individual display was that by Ellis Hooper, the commanding YMCA centre back who allied composure on the ball to his more orthodox defensive qualities.

Alongside him, Phil Fitzgerald produced some of the best distribution of the contest while Joel O'Hara was one of the few players to master the tricky bounce.

Ringmer looked more of a threat after pushing Grice up front and had a decent outlet in hard-working Darren Longley down the right.

Their defenders rarely put a foot wrong but, when they did, they were savagely punished.

Andrews got the better of Glenn Davies to set up the 60th minute breakthrough. Having made space, he progressed down the left, then waited for the right moment to slide the ball across goal and into the path of Duffield, who poked it home.

A similar move almost set-up Paul Boxall to add a second, but YMCA had breathing space on 82 minutes, thanks to Stuart Corlett's failure to master the awkwardly bouncing ball under pressure.

Jarvand headed it forwards and Duffield came through from behind him, making token offside appeals futile as the skipper ran on to slide his shot past Keith Cheal.

Instantly Dumbrill denied Grice and YMCA survived Ringmer's increasingly desperate attacking efforts before celebrating victory.

It was a tough day for Geard senior, both as a manager and a father.

He admitted: "We didn't play at all. All credit to Horsham YMCA. They played hard and deserved it on the day.

"We were terrible but they still struggled to beat us."

Asked about his son's dismissal, Geard said: "He swore. Whether it was at the ref I don't know but, if it was, he deserved to be sent-off. You don't do things like that."

Geard's men can still target runners-up spot in the league to reward their steady re-emergence on the county scene.

For YMCA, the celebrations have already started.

Horsham YMCA: Dumbrill, Duffield, Fitzgerald, Andrews (sub Taylor 85), Hooper, Lefeuvre, Armstrong (sub Oakes 87), W. Potter, Boxall (sub Jarvand 65), McCreadie, O'Hara.

Ringmer: Cheal, Longley, Dobbyn, Davies, Cox, Corlett, M. Geard, Martin, Grice, Holden, Smith (sub King 45, King replaced by Mears 65). Unused sub: Purser.

Yellow card: Grice (foul, 70). Red card: M. Geard (foul and abusive language, 55).

Referee: Dave Phillips (Chichester).

Man-of-the-match: Ellis Hooper (Horsham YMCA).

Attendance: 314.