Two-goal Warren Bagnall clinched the Senior Cup for Lewes and saved himself a fine from boss Jimmy Quinn.

Rooks were cursing their topscorer when he turned up late for the trip to Langney, muttering excuses about the Bank Holiday rail service.

But Quinn was beaming from ear to ear as Bagnall again arrived late, this time in the Bognor six yard box, to settle a lively final just two minutes from time.

Rocks, who had Jamie Howell sent-off seconds before the goal, had no time to respond and Lewes's amazing season had its perfect finale.

With due respect to the feats of Sidley and Langney, the success story of this Sussex non-League season has surely come out of the Dripping Pan.

Rooks ultimately deserved this latest triumph after being outplayed for 40 minutes and going behind to a predatory Matt Russell strike.

They took time to unravel a surprise Bognor formation in which Guy Rutherford, whose chip into the box led to the 15th minute opener, operated just behind lone frontman Russell.

Quinn admitted: "Bognor gave us a hard time for half an hour but I think we got to grips with it.

"The lads ground them down and wore them out. To score the winner when we did knocked the stuffing out of them."

Quinn, savouring his first Senior Cup final, added: "Warren got a rollicking for turning up late but I'll let him off.

"There will be no fine but I expect him to buy me a pint."

To add to Rooks' early headaches, they lost Paul Thomsett with a recurring knee problem, although it did not prove costly as Richard Hudson came on to produce 50 minutes of sparkle out on the wing.

The turning point came on 41 minutes when Bagnall chased a ball struck hopefully forward on the brisk downfield breeze.

Craig Stoner looked certain to get there first but Bagnall touched it away from the big goalkeeper's grasp and shot into an empty net.

Bognor never recovered from that body blow and boss Jack Pearce felt the goal should not have stood.

He said: "It was either very poor goalkeeping or very poor refereeing.

"I always thought if you had your foot up it was a little bit dangerous.

"It was difficult to lift the lads at half-time and Lewes were the better side in the second half, apart from one little moment."

That moment came on 49 minutes when Guy Rutherford's shot on the turn forced a super save from Florian Ludewig low to his right.

Michael Birmingham later whipped a free-kick just over but otherwise the second half belonged to an increasingly forceful Lewes side.

Bagnall had three chances, the best of which saw Stoner somehow deny him with an oustretched foot.

Then came the late drama. Howell's touch and tenacity in midfield had made him Rocks' best player but bookings he and Hudson received for an innocuous first half incident caught up with him when he clipped Chris Dicker and was dimissed.

The red card had no bearing on what followed. Lewes switched the free-kick to the right, Matt Beeston's angled cross flicked off a head and Bagnall time his arrival just right to stab home at the far post.

Lewes: Ludewig, Harris, Beeston, McCallum, Hack, Cable, Dicker, Stokes, Bagnall, Thomsett (sub Hudson 40), Francis. Unused subs: Pattenden, Hackett. Yellow card: Beeston, Stokes, Hudson.

Bognor: Stoner, M. Rutherford, Rowland, Wright, Pickering, Murphy, Russell, M. Birmingham, G. Rutherford (sub Miles 81), Howell, D. Birmingham (sub Wyatt 70). Unused sub: Scammell. Yellow card: Howell (2), G. Rutherford, Wright.

Referee: Matthew Knight (Hove).

Attendance: 1,031.

Men-of-the-match: Bagnall (Lewes), Howell (Bognor).

Final score: Bognor 1, Lewes 2