Andy Lodge’s lads retained the prestigious trophy with a 1-0 victory against fellow Peterborough & District League Premier Division side Langtoft United in a final staged at the ABAX Stadium – the home of Peterborough United – last Thursday night.

Midfielder Adam Piergianni made the only breakthrough after 20 minutes when heading in a Ricky Hailstone free kick, but Whittlesey had to hang on for victory after the goalscorer was dismissed in the closing stages for collecting a second caution.

And while Lodge was quick to admit his side didn’t produce the performance he desired against a team they had twice beaten heavily in league matches during the season, they certainly collected the right result to end their time in local football on a high.

A new adventure in the non-league game awaits next season for a team who will play in Division One of the United Counties League.

Lodge said: “It wasn’t the best game of football in all honesty, and it certainly wasn’t our best performance.

“But any manager is happy to see his side win 1-0 and I’ll definitely take it in such an important game.

“It was our last match at that level and we desperately wanted to go out on a high by winning it.

“It did get a bit tense after Adam had been sent off and it was a huge shame for that to happen after he had scored the winning goal.

“But it didn’t end up costing us and we can now we can look forward to playing non-league football next season.

“There is a massive buzz around the club and we are working hard behind the scenes to make sure we go into it in the best possible shape.

“We’ve made a lot of progress over the past three seasons to get to this point.

“I’m proud to have won trophies and promotion with my hometown club.

“Now we have to ensure we continue to grow.”

Lodge has already appointed Daniel French, a former team-mate at Boston United, as his new assistant manager and he also expects to sign ‘three-or-four’ new players to boost his squad.

Whittlesey are also on the lookout for a general manager to take up an off-field role.