IF silverware could be won with honest endeavour, bravery and determination, the Boro team would have been walking out of the County Ground at Leyland with the Cup on Tuesday night.

The reality is that, for all their willingness to stretch every tired sinew to the very limit in pursuit of glory, it was not quite enough as Michael Houghton broke Radcliffe hearts with two minutes of extra time remaining to give Skelmerdale United a deserved victory.

Yes, Tom Brooks, Steve Howson and Adam Roscoe all had chances to put Boro’s noses in front. But the Lancashire side could argue they spurned even better opportunities themselves to have put the final to bed, even before half-time.

Captain Michael White gave United a deserved lead on 27 minutes from Michael Crowder’s near post corner and his men could have gone 2-0 up if Dale Wright’s close range shot had not been blocked by goalkeeper Phil Priestley a minute later.

As it was, Boro squared matters against the run of play when the excellent Gary Sampson weaved his way into the Skelmersdale penalty area before squaring the ball to Howson, who drove in the equaliser on the half-hour mark.

Within seconds, United should have regained the advantage, but Lee Unsworth arrived just in time to clear Houghton’s goal-bound shot off the line after Priestley had raced out of his goal and failed to get the ball, leaving a gaping hole behind him.

The match continued to ebb and flow with chances going begging at both ends.

If United were the better side before half-time, Boro certainly had more of a say after the interval, with Adam Roscoe going close with a header from Sampson’s cross 13 minutes after the restart.

Skelmersdale thought they had scored on 67 minutes when Crowder swung in one of his many excellent corners to spark a goalmouth melee, but Priestley was there to make a last-ditch block.

Sampson showed more of his dribbling ability for Radcliffe with 16 minutes remaining to set up a shooting chance for Roscoe, but the striker’s effort was off-target.

The action was like two heavyweight boxers slugging it out in the later stages of a fight, Skelmersdale came back at Boro and Unsworth was there again to clear Kevin Towey’s goal-bound shot off the line in 75 minutes.

Once again the Skelmersdale side were ruing their ill-fortune with only a few minutes of normal time left when Towey crossed for Houghton, but his close-range header went just over the bar.

Even after that, Boro could had the last laugh when the lively Tom Brooks fed the ball out to substitute wing-back Tom Rutter, who raced down the right before crossing the ball in as the former Bolton Wanderers youngster arrived to glance the ball just past Ryan McMahon’s upright.

Brooks then had another golden opportunity to get Boro’s noses in front after nine minutes of extra time when he played in by Roscoe, but he shot wide.

Then in the 105th minute, Craig Dawson – playing his last game for Boro before playing full-time for Rochdale – had a trademark header cleared off the line by Adam Birchall.

Just as it looked to be drifting towards a penalty shootout, Houghton finished off a sustained spell of United pressure with a strike from 10 yards with only two minutes remaining.

But the men in blue can hold their heads high. They played their part in a magnificent cup final .