The 2003-04 FA Cup Final can be summed up in just two words . . .David Lawler!

Not once but twice, Lawler scored vital goals to inspire Dandy Town Hornets to the coveted league and cup double.

It was a performance in a cup final that will be forever etched in the memories of Town?s die-hard following.

Perhaps it was the luck of the Irish which helped Town overcome Devonshire Cougars in Tuesday night?s FA Cup Final replay at the National Sports Centre.

?I don?t know. . . it was like fate was shining down on me and the man above was looking after me,? recalled Lawler yesterday.

?But I thought it was pretty deliberate once I moved forward. At that stage we didn?t want to go into another replay. I was determined if someone else wasn?t going to score I was going to.?

After notching the decisive goal, Lawler bolted into the grandstand to share the moment with someone special ? proud wife Elaine.

?My wife hardly comes to football matches and on Sunday she came for the first time and I managed to score a goal. I told her that if I scored again I would run to her in the stands,? he said.

Lawler added: ?This will never be repeated again. . . to score with three minutes to go in a FA Cup Final is just incredible. It?s weird the way things happen. Often you find when a player hasn?t scored a lot of goals during the season, they score and then start scoring a few together. It?s a strange sort of phenomena but I had a feeling that I?d score another if I got the chance to go forward.?

Pumped up for the occasion, Lawler felt he had a point to prove.

?All season I have been anxious to prove that I was one of the better defenders in Bermuda. And the FA Cup Final was the ultimate showcase to achieve that,? he said. ?So that was part of my motivation as well. And to receive man of the match in both finals was pretty special.?

Lawler now joins an exclusive list of former Town ex-pat players who have attained cult status at the St.John?s Road clubhouse among the likes of Brendan O?Riordan and Mark Greatorex.

For his recent match-winning exploits, Lawler has duly earned the title ?White Chocolate?.

?It was unbelievable down the club last night (Tuesday) with about 200 people all chanting ?white chocolate? all night long,? he added. ?It (name) seems to have stuck with me and it?s kind of flattering.

?Everyone seems to have taken to me. Every time I go out to the shops ? even before we won any cups ? people took time out to stop and chat to me. . . and it?s great! I just can?t get over the hospitality and how football-mad people are here. I thought I was an absolute football fanatic until I came to Bermuda. But I think I have finally found my spiritual homeland. Everybody loves football as much as I do.?

Lawler received a ringing endorsement from Western Stars Sports Club president Cal Blankendal, himself a former player.

?He (Lawler) came here with a talent; he showed it and he got the respect and last night was his time to shine,? said Blankendal, who commended Cougars for playing their part in one of the most memorable cup final in recent times.

?To be honest I felt they were very close to having won the cup last night. They pushed us for the entire season and I would like to encourage them to be patient and their time will come. And if they can stick together like our team has, then they will reap their rewards,? he added.

Blankendal also praised Town coach Devarr Boyles, who has unselfishly sacrificed his playing career to concentrate solely on coaching.

?Devarr is a scholar and a gentleman. Devarr has actually sacrificed the remainder of his football career to save our football programme. There was no-one there at the time and he just took over the reigns,? he said.

?Devarr has definitely saved the team along with Wayne Baxter (technical director and Boyles? former youth coach) who has been there through the good and bad times with various coaches. It was good to see a smile on his (Baxter) face last night along with Dwayne Talbot (manager) and Ju Ju (team physician Milford Waldron). It?s good to see that everyone is on board and respects the decisions made by the coaching staff. But Devarr has done a lot for the club and as long as he wants to be there, the club will be there for him.?