A LAST gasp goal from a free kick has handed Tamworth FC their second consecutive Premier League grand final victory.
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Taking on North Armidale at Scully Park, FC were made to play catch-up football after Jake Davies booted the first goal of the game, to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at half-time.
However, the reining premiers would not be denied, as they found an equaliser early in the second half to get the game back on track.
Minutes ticked away as both sides looked to land a winning blow.
Enter Troy Hearfield, who went back and converted a long-range goal from a controversial free kick to lead his side to victory in injury time.
FC coach Greg Bartlett said he "couldn't ask for too much more" from his players.
"It was a tough battle throughout the day, but to win like that is really special," Bartlett said.
"Being behind at half-time, we knew we would have to dig deep if we wanted to win it and I'm really proud of the way the boys went about it.
"They didn't give up and fought it out all the way until the final whistle, which is something they have really prided themselves on all season.
"Full credit to North Armidale, it's a pretty rotten way to lose but they have had a great season and deserve a lot of credit."
Norths coach John Edmunds said the deciding free kick left him feeling confused.
"In my opinion, that's not a free kick 99 times out of 100," Edmunds said.
"But the referee decided that today [Saturday] it was.
"I don't know why and I'm still waiting to hear an answer on that one."
Edmunds said the club's season was "very positive", despite the heartbreaking loss.
"I came back to the club hoping to bring back a bit more stability," he said.
"About halfway through the year, I realised we had the potential to go a bit better than that.
"To have both first and reserve grade into grand finals is really special and sign we are getting this club back to where it should be."
Saturday's victory marks the first time Tamworth FC has won back-to-back Premier League titles since 2012-2013.
"Winning one is great, winning two is twice as nice," Bartlett said.
"There's not much more you can ask of a group, to be honest.
"They started training for this back on January 7 and have put in a lot of hard work to get to this point.
"They have also copped a fair bit of flack along the way, so it is nice they get this kind of reward."
Bartlett said he was confident his side could overcome the half-time deficit.
"That's the third time this season we have had to come from behind to beat North Armidale," he said.
"Norths are a quality side, but we knew that if we stuck to our structures it would eventually work for us.
"Having experienced guys like Kurt Burrow, Troy Hearfield and our captain Ross Price leading the way is really invaluable."
Bartlett said Hearfield's winner "brought the house down".
"I can't think of a more exciting way for the match to finish, to be honest," he said.
"I got pretty excited on the bench, along with the crowd of our supporters.
"Troy is just so cool under pressure and that is a great reward for him.
"Honestly, this is a really special win for us and one I'm sure we will celebrate long and hard over the coming days."