Two-goal Leon Best fired Saints to the club's first trophy in 28 years at Bramall Lane last night.

Best scored one of the goals in Saints under 19s' 3-1 win against Sheffield United in the first leg of the FA Premier Academy League play off final at St Mary's last week.

And he followed that up with a match-winning brace in Yorkshire as Saints completed an emphatic 5-1 aggregate win against the Blades.

The 18-year-old's first goal was the pick of the two.

The home side had started strongly but Best silenced the vocal home fans when he fired low in off Thomas Lindley's far post from 25 yards after 28 minutes.

Best needed only one touch before scoring the goal that all but extinguished United's hopes of producing a comeback.

It really was all over when he charged down a kick from the Canadian Under-20 international midway through the second half.

The ball looped into the back of Lindley's net from the corner of the penalty area for Best's 18th goal of the season in all competitions, and his fifth in four games for the under 19s.

There was no way back for Sheffield United against a Saints side that has only lost one game all season, and that at home.

The task facing the home side was hard enough before kick off.

They needed to score three goals without reply against a team that has not conceded more than two in any match all season.

Best ensured that it was an insurmountable task for the home side for the last 20 minutes.

It might have been a different story if Chris Robertson had hit the target and not blazed the ball over the excellent Michael Poke's crossbar from ten yards after just five minutes.

United desperately needed an early goal but after a strong opening from the home side, Saints came into their own.

Dexter Blackstock, who flew to Sheffield yesterday morning with Poke after they had watched the first team's thriller against Newcastle from the bench, beat two defenders with a driving run only to see his strike beaten away at Lindley's near post.

And Best would have had a hat-trick if he had not delayed his shot at the beginning of the second half. He allowed

Robertson to make a timely challenge, following excellent approach play from Eddie Anaclet, but made up for that miss when he charged down Lindley for his second goal 20 minutes later.

Poke produced two outstanding saves to maintain Saints' second leg lead before Best completed the scoring.

After Colin Marrison had hit the Saints bar with a near post header from Ian Ross's corner, Poke palmed a skidding drive from the centre forward around his right hand upright.

And on the hour he produced an even better stop, denying a downward Billy Sharp header from point-blank range.

Half an hour later Simon Gillett was lifting the club's first trophy since the 1976 FA Cup triumph.

Saints: Poke, Anaclet, Mills, Cranie, Critchell, Roche, Anderson, Gillett, Surman (Wallis-Tayler 83), Best (Walcott 90), Blackstock.

Subs not used: McNeil, MacDonald, Richards.