Sutton United boss Paul Doswell was the first to admit that Wednesday night’s Surrey Senior Cup final at Gander Green Lane was a dire affair – but he had a damning message for the Surrey FA.

Godalming Town, of the Evo Stik Division One Central, grabbed a last-minute goal to seal a 1-0 win and their second cup final victory in two years – both over United.

Despite crediting Godalming with a deserved win, Doswell could not overlook the decision to play the final at Gander Green Lane.

He said: “The game should not have been played at our place – it demeans the final. It should be played at a neutral ground.

“Every team from the conference down plays a weakened team and it is hard to take the competition too seriously. If Woking and AFC Wimbledon were putting out proper teams and there was a proper venue for the final things would be different.

Your Local Guardian: Sutton United

Downhearted: The Sutton United players pick up their losers medals after the 1-0 Surrey Senior Cup final defeat to Godalming Town

“Even at schoolboy level you would not expect to play the final at your own ground.

“It did not feel like a final and maybe the Surrey FA will want to review that.”

The final brought down the curtain on United’s season but, nine days after their last league game, it was a bridge too far, according to Doswell.

He said: “It was not a good spectacle. It was a game nine days after our season ended that finally caught up with us.

“I was a little worried about how the game would pan out but when the players have put in the shift over the past couple of months that they have, you can have no complaints.”

Doswell certainly was not complaining about goalkeeper Tom Lovelock's rush of blood to the head that led to the winning goal.

He said: "Tom apologised to me after the game, but he's a young keeper and he will make mistakes.

"What I will say is that for 97 per cent of the season, Tom has been fantastic for the club."