SOUTH Reading were beaten 5-4 by Stokenchurch in the Reading Junior Cup final to complete a frustrating season for the club.

They also finished runners-up in Division Two of the Thames Valley League and were losing semi-finalists in the Berks & Bucks Junior Cup.

Then they were making good progress towards the Berkshire Trophy Centre Intermediate Cup final, only to be kicked out of the competition when it was discovered they had fielded an ineligible player earlier in the competition.

So it has not been the most fortunate of seasons for Darren James’ men and their luck didn’t change in the final at Rivermoor Stadium last week.

They conceded a penalty with just 70 seconds on the clock and Ash Hunt put the Hellenic League Division Two East side into an early lead.

But South did enjoy a piece of luck on 20 minutes when a good move down their right wing ended in a cross being turned into his own net by a Stokenchurch defender from near the edge of the area.

Six minutes later Ryan Kingsbeer put them ahead, only to see team-mate Craig Priest head the ball past his own keeper to make it 2-2 with half an hour gone.

With the rain lashing down, Daire Stack restored the Bucks side’s lead in the 34th minute, but three minutes later Liam Kane brought the scores back level.

The goal-fest continued with Mark Slatter netting a fourth for the men in green, and only an excellent save by Dan Springer denied them another just before half time.

But Stokenchurch extended their lead four minutes into the second half through Steve Park’s header.

Like the weather, the goals then dried up and it wasn’t until the 86th minute when Kingsbeer scored his second and South’s fourth.

The Reading side pushed hard for the equaliser with Craig Haylett’s low right-wing cross into the goalmouth just evading his team-mates before they forced two corners in stoppage time.

But once again they had to be content with second place.