WINCHESTER CITY rounded off a remarkable season on Tuesday night by capturing their third trophy in style in front of more than 1,500 fans at the St Mary's Stadium.

The success followed a 4-1 win over Andover New Street last Saturday in the final of the Trophyman League Cup and their earlier triumph in winning the Premier Division of the Hampshire League by a 17-point margin. Again, the strike pairing of Andy Forbes and Ian Mancey - City's own version of 'Little and Large' - took the eye, with the former grabbing a couple of goals to take his season's tally to 68 from 50 matches. Mancey's hat trick (his 7th of the season) took him to 48 goals in just 30 matches since joining City from Fleet Town last November. By dropping only five points in 38 league matches, it's thought that City have the best record anywhere in the country this season in non-league football at county level or above. In all, the team scored an incredible 281 goals and conceded only 43 in winning 60 and drawing one of its 65 competitive matches. Again, the scoring spree may prove to be among the highest ever at non-league level. Big spending policy pays off Impressive though all those statistics are, the club has been fiercely criticised for 'buying' success by bringing in former professionals like ex-Saints defender Mark Blake and former AFC Bournemouth utility player Danny Smith and paying them big money. But City's Director of Football, David Malone, makes no apologies for doing so. "We've been fortunate enough to be able to bring in and retain some very good players and of course it's cost us a lot of money," he says. "But this club has great ambitions and now we've started the ball rolling we want to progress up the football pyramid as far as the Nationwide Conference." They'll continue that journey next season in the Wessex League, but will no longer be eligible to take part in the two cup competitions they won this week. They will, however, be anxious to improve on this season's other achievement of reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Vase. Dismissal was the turning point At St Mary's, the game was virtually over as a contest after just eight minutes when Vospers' defender Dean Byrne was sent off by referee Chris Williams for elbowing City skipper Danny Smith in the face. The incident was an echo of Sol Campbell's recent dismissal against Manchester United, but the Southampton-based club held on until the 26th miute when Mancey forced home the opening goal after a surging run by Steve Beeks. Five minutes later, Forbes was on hand to head home Lloyd Webber's cross and, when Mancey added the third soon after with a firm, low drive, it looked as though the game might become a rout. Matt Bicknell's crisp shot was deflected against a post as City surged forward, but half time arrived with City 3-nil up and the game as good as won. The continued to dominate after the interval and, with a little more urgency, might have run up a cricket score. As it was, Forbes finally converted his second on 67 minutes and, after countless near misses, Mancey rounded off the season by scoring the fifth in time added on. It gave City the Senior Trophy for the fourth time in their 119 year history. Forbes was named man of the match by retiring Saints' secretary Brian Truscott, but it was, yet again, a fine team effort. All that was left were the trophy and medal presentations before City's very happy squad paraded their three trophies before more than 500 of their jubilant supporters. Manager Neil Hards, soaked in champagne, told me: "It doesn't get much better than this!" But with plans afoot to strengthen the squad still further, this observer thinks that next season maybe it will! Team: Crowfoot; Piper (Ahmet 73), Beeks (Waite 45), Blake, Lang, Bicknell; Webber, Green (Brewster 73), Smith; Mancey, Forbes. Comfortable win in Trophyman final Goals from Stuart Findlay (his fifth in just two games), Webber, Forbes and Mancey were enough for City to win the Trophyman League Cup for the second time. Fielding a much below strength side, they had far too much in the tank for an Andover New Street team which had home advantage. The club's end of season 'party' takes place at the clubhouse tomorrow night (10th). It should be quite an evening!