Referee Luke Bribe got things underway at 11.30 in the Xpert Arena, but whatever instructions the coaches started with were thrown into chaos in just the first minute.  KBM's Luke Labadie opened the scoring with a close-range header after defender Eneko Amorebieta had broken away down the right to cross the ball into his path.  KBM Midfielder Kelvin Oliveira then earned a booking for shirt pulling as  Caricatos began to dominate possession.  Amadeo Gargiulo  had the first opportunity for Caricatos, firing over with a long-range volley on 36 minutes.  KBM goalkeeper Jack Van Pelt appeared to injure himself while taking the resulting goal kick, but played on, albeit with slightly restricted movement. 

Caricatos came out fired up after the break.  Gargiulo struck the cross bar with a lob header on 54 minutes as they tried to rescue the game.  Zachary Lister then blazed a free kick well wide for KBM shortly after.  Caricatos made two changes on the hour mark, bringing on Vasco Elias and Nils-Gunnar Gröning to replace Stanley Heimdal and Sebastian Edvardsson.  However, the only immediate change to the match was a booking picked up by Dario Baquero for a brutal foul on KBM captain Kevin See.  See bravely played on, even though it became clear that like his goalkeeper, he was playing injured.  Perhaps KBM's Oliveira was still angry about that foul in the 82nd minute, when his brutal challenge on Baguero earned him a second booking and an early shower.  KBM now faced a desperate eight minutes plus whatever stoppage time Bribe might allow, with ten men plus a goalkeeper and a defender carrying injuries. 

Mark Ince was the first to test KBM's defence, firing over with a lob from outside the penalty area.  Nils-Gunnar Gröning then fired over in the 90th minute, after a free kick had been set up for him.  Two minutes later Caricatos striker Graham Alexander shot wide from a free kick as the full time whistle loomed large.  Referee Luke Bribe finally brought an end to the match, and KBM Shinz were able to celebrate.  The match was a particular triumph for KBM's veteran captain Kevin See, the veteran defender playing much of the match with an injury and winning man-of-the-match honours.  After the game, KBM manager Shinozu was becomingly modest, "We scored early and it is very tough to play with a goal down so early. Lucky win for me".

The result made it a tough week Caricatos, who also narrowly lost the Division One promotion playoff.  KBM Shinz, on the other hand finish a difficult season in style, and this will surely give their players confidence ahead of what could be a tough Division One campaign.  It's very rare for a team to win the Cup immediately after being relegated, and it takes a special manager to restore the confidence of the players in time for a Cup Final appearance after the disappointment of relegation.  We caught up with Shinozu days after the match, to gauge his thoughts on the season just past, and the future for his team. 

XD:  Firstly, congratulations on winning the Cup.  It was a difficult season for your team, does winning the Cup provide any compensation?

Shinozu:  If you are referring to my league, well.... I am expecting that. In the first place, I wasn't planning to get promoted but somehow got it. So, the cup win actually do not serve as compensation but more of a bonus to me.

XD:   A lot of people might have been surprised to see your team win the final, did you believe your team could go all the way?

Shinozu:  To be honest, I didn't really put big hope on winning it but I was expecting to reach somewhere near Round 8 or so. With all the big guns going out one by one while I overcame a few top teams along the way, things really fell into place and I surprised everyone including myself to win it.

XD:  In the match itself, your team had Oliveira sent off, then Van Pelt and Kevin See picked up injuries to really stretch your defence. Did you ever have any doubts that your team could hold onto their lead?

Shinozu:  When we scored on the very first minute on our first attack, I think this gave us some strength and something to hold onto. However, they had their chances and I really thought they would score at one point especially their final 2 chances. Oliveira sent off even made it harder for us but I was glad that we able to hold on until the end.

XD:  Does the Cup win give you more confidence for winning promotion from Division One at the first attempt next season?

Shinozu:  I am not sure if I want to get back up in the first place. My squad is still not considered strong. We will see. Developing my squad will be priority.

XD:  You've also qualified for the Xpert Champions League next season. How do you think your team will go?

Shinozu:  I've been there before. I haven't really checked on other teams there for quite some time. We will take it one step at a time but for sure, we will try to win as many group matches as possible with a low win bonus. I will only view XCL as bonus games for DV and econ but at the same time, I will be expecting to spend a lot of econ for the training. That's the painful side of it.

XD:  Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, and good luck in the upcoming season.