CATHERINE HALL, St James — Reno FC outscored Montego Bay United 4-3 to win the Flow Champions Cup Knockout title in a pulsating final last night at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Substitute Dwayne Blake scored the winner two minutes into time added on at the end of the game, to separate the two heavyweight teams in what was a slug fest in front of a large and appreciative crowd.

Craig Foster scored a hat-trick, including two in the first five minutes of the game, to lead Reno FC to the $1.5-million first prize and cancel out a hat-trick from Montego Bay United’s Dino Williams.

The game, which got off to a fast start like a thatched hut on fire in front of a stiff breeze, was a fitting finale to a good competition that saw both semi-finals being decided on sudden death penalties three weeks ago.

Foster and Williams, two of the best strikers in the local game, put on a scoring clinic as the two predatory strikers kept their teams in the hunt right down to the wire.

Foster, who watched the Reggae Boyz win the CFU Caribbean Cup from the bench as an unused substitute in all four games, scored in the third minute from the penalty spot, and then in the fifth and 75th minutes, while Williams responded in the 10th, 13th and 78th minutes.

Reno coach Patrick Graham was at a loss for words after winning his first major senior trophy as a coach, but described his players as “fighters”.

He said he was not surprised when they went up 2-0 after five minutes, claiming it was a situation they worked on during training.

The game got off to a blazing start with four goals in the first 13 minutes and two yellow cards, including one to Williams, who retaliated to a hard tackle.

Reno took an early lead after Foster scored from the penalty spot after he was dragged down inside the penalty area by Ladale Richie in the third minute.

It was 2-0 two minutes later when Foster raced from deep inside his own half after a MBU corner, outpaced the defenders to beat goalkeeper Jacomeno Barrett with a well-placed shot.

Williams started the comeback five minutes later, when the Reno FC goalkeeper Chad Blair played a spot kick straight to him midway the Reno half. The striker obliged by racing forward and powering the ball back past Blair.

It was all level three minutes later when Williams got on to a high pass into the Reno area and controlled on the run to beat Blair at his near left post.

Having dug themselves out of the hole and their tails up, Montego Bay United took over the game and pushed Reno back, but it was the Westmoreland team that came closest to scoring in the 18th minute when Barrett was forced to go to his right and parry a shot for a corner.

After the fireworks of the first half, the second half started at a more sedate pace until the 75th minute when Foster completed his hat-trick, sprinting away from the Montego Bay United defence and beating Barrett to his right.

The celebrations had barely died down when Williams matched Foster, glancing a cross past Blair again between the burly custodian and his near post in the 78th minute.

Montego Bay United should have gone ahead in the 80th minute when a low, hard cross from Allan Ottey flew across the face of the goal before anyone could get to it.

With the fans expecting extra time, Blake, who had replaced Xavion Anderson in the 85th minute, connected with a cross from the left, steering it into the Montego Bay United goal with Barrett stranded at the right post.