AM PRINT & COPY FLOODLIT CUP FINAL
28TH APRIL 2011

Abingdon Town 0 v 3 Holyport (Winners View)

After clinching the League title two weeks ago Holyport's attention turned to their first of two cup finals in five days. After already beating Abingdon Town twice this season in other cup competitions Holyport knew that Abingdon would be looking to gain some revenge for these defeats.

The game started with both sides struggling to deal with the dry bumpy pitch. Holyport seemed understandably nervous as they failed to maintain procession in the early stages and let Abindgon come on to them. Abingdon constantly tried to play a diagonal ball between the full back and centre back but on the dry pitch Bradley in Ports goal dealt with these with ease.
Holyports first foray came through Jerrum as his skipped past his marker and raced to the byline, his cross was weak and cleared by the first defender. In the 16th minute it was Ports other winger Rapley who got to the byline and whipped in a great cross for Handscomb to head home and give Holyport the lead.

The game continued to be quite direct as neither side could play a succession of passes without being pressed into mistakes. Abingdon Town had a handball appeal for a penalty turned down in the 25th minute, then in the 31st minute the Abingdon number 9 only had Bradley to beat in Ports goal but he lopped over from 8 yards out.
Holyport responded through Rapley, he tuned his man on the edge of the box and his curling effort was well saved by the Abingdon keeper.

Half time 0 v 1

The second half was only three minutes old when Holyport doubled their lead through a Driver header. Rapley delivered the corner for his second assist and Driver peeled off his man to head home.

Holyport gained another corner four minutes later and Flint headed over from 8 yards out. Holyport had started the brighter and at two goals up were content at absorbing Abingdon's pressure and hitting them on the counter attack.

Abingdon continued to look for a break through but as a defensive unit Holyport stood firm and rejected all of Abingdon's efforts. Holyport's James Flint scored the goal of the game in the 72nd minute as he beat three man and cooly slotted home to make it three nil and wrap up a fine cup final win for Holyport.

The game was played in a good atmosphere among the players and Holyport continue the treble dream as they play Ardley United at Thames United's ground on Monday 2nd May – 3pm kick off in the Challenge Cup Final.
Bradley, Ovens, Rolfe, Heyward, Britnell, Jerrum, Flint, Jefferies, Rapley, Driver & Handscomb.
Subs Ackerman, Mason, Deverall, Camp-Overy & Jones

Abingdon Town 0 - 3 Holyport (non-aligned view)

This season's AM Print & Copy Floodlit Cup Final was played on a hard dry surface at Henley Town in front of a crowd of almost 200.

The pace of the match from the outset was very fast which made control of the ball difficult. Initially, Abingdon Town looked the more dangerous attacking mostly down the left, using the speed of Danny Thomas, but control of crosses was never easy. Holyport were well held by Abingdon's back four, but in the 16th minute Dan Rapley got behind the back line on the left and crossed for Jamie Handscomb to head home for the first goal. Play seemed to settle more after that and control was better for both teams. Half an hour in Abingdon created their first real chance when a ball over the top was seized on by Mark Janes but the high bounce proved too difficult and he volleyed over the crossbar. A few minutes later Dan Rapley worked in from the left flank and forced Abingdon's keeper Matty Hutton to go full length to push the ball round the post.

HT: 0 – 1

The second half opened well for Holyport as they looked more compact and in control. After only three minutes they scored their second goal with Lewis Driver rising to head home from a corner. Abingdon tried to come back but Holyport's tight marking negated any real response from the 'Abbot's. In the 72nd minute Holyport made certain of the Cup with a third goal. James Flint went on a run, similar to Barcelona's 'Messi' on Wednesday evening, before hammering the ball past the Abingdon goalkeeper for the third Holyport goal. The Abbot's only real chances came from set pieces, and despite a last concerted effort, Holyport held them at bay.

The Division One East Champions became the first non Premier Division side to lift the Floodlit Cup which was presented by competition sponsor Andrew Meaden at the end of the match. The Division One EAST championship Trophy was also presented at the end of the final by League Chairman Bob Dalling.

GFA Trophy Final
Tuffley Rovers 0 - 1 Shortwood United

John Evans was delighted with his side's performance after they won the GFA Trophy overcoming a resilient Glos County League Tuffley Rovers side that fought to the bitter end. "I thought we were the better side overall and deserved the win! I must pay credit to Tuffley who never gave up. It was difficult for both sides in hard conditions and we defended really well – Ash Thomas was like a rock"

It is fitting that Evans mentioned the conditions as the pitch was to say the least, extremely poor. The ground, which is part of the GFA Headquarters, was incredibly bumpy, rock hard and had very little grass. Every tackle created a dust storm and it was exceedingly difficult to play any ball along the ground. It was not fit to play such a major cup final match on. Full credit must be given to both sides for attempting to play football on such an unsuitable surface but the game was largely scrappy due to the conditions.

Tuffley defended resolutely and keeper Perks had a fine game. Mark Ford and Warren Mann were tricky all evening but the Shortwood defence were excellent and Ash Thomas was outstanding. Chris Mortlock ran all night and it was fitting that he should score the game's only goal.

Tuffley had the game's first chance as Ford made a good run and his shot was deflected for a corner and when that came over Peter Thomas headed wide. Jake Parrott hit a swirling shot against the top of the bar and Wood started to put pressure on the Tuffley defence. Generally they coped well but were fortunate when a Pugh low cross was just diverted for a corner with Mortlock ready to pounce. As the pressure mounted an Allard cross was just whipped off Mortlock's foot but the decisive goal came after 36 minutes. Pugh swung in a cross and Axton met it with the full force of his head. Although the ball hit a defender on the line Mortlock was on hand to hit home the rebound. Allard hit a strong shot just the wrong side of the post and right on half time an excellent Wood move culminated in a weak finish from Pugh.

HT: 0 - 1

The second half started brightly. Cant's low cross was just behind an unmarked Mortlock and a Pugh curling free kick was well saved by Perks. Pugh was denied by a superb last ditch tackle and Perks did well to hold on to a Coates shot. Slowly the game degenerated into an untidy affair as both sides struggled to keep control but when Tuffley did break at speed Joe Macklin raced to clear. Pearce reacted well to keep out a dangerous free kick. With Shortwood generally in the ascendency Casey had a shot blocked, Cant hit the bar and Axton blazed a close range shot over. Seconds later the final whistle blew and Shortwood's celebrations begun.

Match Referee Matthews had a fine game he let the play flow when possible, and showed understanding for the occasion and the conditions.

Hellenic Supplementary Cup Semi Final

Ascot United 3 - 4 Purton (home view)

In a thrilling seven goal cup semi final The Yellamen lost out to lower division Purton.

The visitors started the livelier of the two sides early on getting the ball forward quickly and putting the Ascot defence under pressure. But on 21 minutes Ascot took the lead when Andy Lunn won the ball and Jon Bennett beat the advancing keeper to lob his shot into the net. On 25 minutes it was 1-1 when a Purton free kick was not cleared and it was turned in from the 6 yard box. Two minutes later and Purton go 2-1 ahead when they burst through from midfield with players over and despite Chris Grace’s attempt to block the shot it spins into the net. Big talking point on 35 minutes as Bennett goes clear and tries to round the keeper, he is fouled but the referee, to the amazement of the Ascot crowd waves play on.

HT: 1-2

Stuart Scammell’s team talk at half time had an immediate effect as within three minutes of the restart Ascot were In the lead 3-2 when Bennett turned and hit an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box, and a minute later Sam McIntyre’s left wing run and cross found Bennett to sweep the ball in for his hat trick and 11th goal in 4 matches (phenomenal record). Unfortunately Purton did not crumble and from a 55th minutes deep free kick their forward got a flick on that went in off the post. Ascot came back all guns blazing and Purton headed one effort off the line and their keeper somehow held onto a McIntyre pile driver and blocked a couple of other chances. Another decent shout for a penalty happened when Lee Boon appeared to be shoved off the ball when poised to score on the goal line. Disaster on 78 minutes when what appeared to be a harmless Purton attack became a defensive panic and the ball found an unmarked Purton forward just inside the box to slot their 4th goal. The final 10 minutes saw Purton try to run out time into the corners and Ascot throw everything forward winning a number of corners and free kicks, with the Purton keeper managing to deny The Yellamen, but the visitors held on to win a place in the final.

After the match manager Stuart Scammell informed both players and club officials that he has decided to step down as 1st team manager.

Ascot United 3 - 4 Purton (away view)

Purton earned the right to meet another Premier League side, Kidlington, in the final of this cup competition going through 4-3 in a thrilling match at Ascot on Weds the 27th of April writes Alan Eastwood.

After losing their previous two league games this game saw Purton back at their best with a brilliant all round team performance that left Chris Pethick, his staff, the players and those supporters who followed the team beaming with delight. Ascot went ahead after 22 minutes when Bennett netted following a quick throw in. Three minutes later though from a free kick Ryan Child played a short ball to Jamie Richards and his great cross into the box was despatched into the net by Justin Miller. Just two minutes later Purton went 2-1 up when Ashley Gooch through to net.
HT:    1 – 2
Ascot came out more determined straight after the break and Bennett netted twice after 47 and 49 minutes to put the home side 3-2 ahead. Purton hit back and on 55 minutes a long free kick into the box saw Justin Miller head home a leveler and with both sides pressing to win the game Purton keeper Johnny Cowley made a string of fine saves to keep Purton in it and with 12 minutes remaining after a mis-kick by the home keeper Ashley Gooch gained control of the ball and lashed an 18 yard shot into the net to put Purton through.
Getting to the final in this Competition has been done the hard way as in every round including this semi-final Purton have had to play all their games away from home.  

Kidlington 3 Witney United 2 (aet)

Two goals from Big Jimmy Deabill, the second of which came in extra time saw Kidlington into their second Cup Final of the season. The pitch here at Yarnton Road was dry and bumpy and certainly not conducive to good football, however it was one of those matches, which could easily have ended 10 - 5 because there were so many chances created.

Kidlington were straight after the visitors from the first whistle. An early half chance fell to Anaclet Odhiambo, but in attempting an effort from just inside the box he got his angles all wrong and the ball drifted harmlessly wide. Not long after this Ryan Curtin had two glorious chances for the home side. On both occasions he was one on one with keeper Robbie Nicholson, but he failed to hit the target with both his attempts. Next up only a last ditch block from Tom Smith prevented what looked a certain goal from a shot from Jack Quainton.

Witney hadn't troubled Kiddy's defence to much in the opening quarter, but on 22 minutes they were nearly gifted a goal. From a right wing corner Keeper Tom McNamara dropped the ball, Joe Tustin was quick to react to the loose ball, but hooked his attempt wide.

Kidlington then had a real go at their opponents. In the space of seven minutes it was amazing how Kidlington didn't net a goal. Odhiambo had two fantastic chances where he was one on one with the visiting keeper, again just as Curtain had done earlier Anni failed to hit the target putting bothof his attempts wide. Next up a free Kick from 25 yards from Curtain looked to be creeping inside the far post, but a defender just managed to stick out a thigh and get a touch to the ball which sent it spinning just wide of the far post. Next up Mark Baker played a neat one two with Quainton, and as the goal opened up for him from 12 yards Bake's was unable to test Nicholson. Most amazing was the miss from Odhiambo on 35 minutes which summed up Kidlington's first half. Baker swung the ball in from the right. Odhiambo was on the far post, Baker's cross found him perfectly, somehow the little striker managed to head the ball down against the foot of the post instead of into the net and the chance was gone.

On 39 minutes with Kidlington fully pushed forward Witney very nearly hit them with a well worked breakaway goal. A fast build up saw a Witney player gallop away down the left flank, it was suddenly 3 against 2 and when the ball was crossed into the middle Sam Wright had a golden opportunity to score, unfortunately for the visitors he must have been watching what was happening up the other end and smashed the ball over the bar & the club house from only 6 yards out.

There was one last chance for the home side before the break and it fell to Odhiambo once again. Odhiambo received a pass from Curtin, he beat a couple of players before darting into the box. He then delayed his shot and by the time he eventually got the ball away his attempt was charged down before it could trouble Nicholson.

HT:    0 - 0 (but I can't believe how).

Witney started brightly in the second half and very nearly took the lead on 49 minutes. A brilliant run and shot from Witney center forward Sean McKeon brought the very best from Kiddy keeper McNamara. McNamara dived full length to palm McKeon's ferocious shot round the post. Kidlington's Management had seen enough and on 54 minutes Odhiambo was replaced by Jimmy Deabill. It took Deabill then only seconds to break the dead lock. A Kiddy attack again swept forward and when the ball was sent across the box Deabill saw his chance and drove it into the net for about 12 yards for 1 - 0. From the restart Kiddy quickly regained possession again and hoisted the ball forward, Deabill flicked it on into the patch of Curtin. Curtin jinked inside and hit a shot, which Nicholson had to push over the bar. Next up a swift break down Kidlington's left from Witney saw them awarded a penalty. The ball was driven into the box where it bounced awkwardly and hit Tommy Castle on the back of his arm, Referee Steve Dolton was close on hand and pointed to the spot. Sometimes you get the benefit of the doubt as to was it intentional or not, but in this case it was harsh, but I've seen them given before. Joe Tustin stepped up and lashed the spot kick home past a hapless McNamara for 1 - 1. This certainly buoyed the away side and within minutes McNamara was forced into making a smart save from McKeon again.

Kidlington came very close to restoring their lead on 73 minutes. Mark Flanagan raced forward beating several players before delivering a ferocious shot which grazed the top of the bar. Kiddy then re-took the lead in the 76th minute. Tom Woodbridge setting up Mark Baker at the far post, Baker set himself before firing home giving Nicholson no chance of saving his shot.

Kidlington were now poring forward looking to kill the game off. Christian Perkins who had stayed up after a set play found the ball presented to him about 10 yards from goal. The ball wasn't cleared by the Witney defence, and he saw a chance for glory, but blazed his attempt well over the bar. This was followed by Jack Quainton being plated in by Ben Willoughby, it looked a good chance, but Quainton pulled his shot and the ball went across the face of the goal and wide of the far post.

Witney then caught Kidlington with a real sucker punch goal. Mark Baker lost possession in mid-field. The ball was then played quickly up to Matt Blandford in an area where Kiddy were short of numbers, Blenford took it on well and fired low and hard past McNamara for 2 - 2.

In the final minutes of normal time Deabill saw a point blank header brilliantly saved by Nicholson whilst Flanagan could only watch as his curling attempt from the edge of the area beat the keeper but then go wide of the far post.

FT:    2 - 2 and all to play for.
Well as it turned out during extra time the pace slowed considerably and there were far fewer chances. Witney sat back and let the home side attack them, possibly hoping for penalties? However their luck ran out on 110 minutes. The visitors defence failed to clear an umpteenth corner from the home side and there was that man Big Jimmy Deabill to fire home from about 10 yards out through a crowded penalty area. The Kiddy lads celebrated joyfully, but ware reminded from the dug out that they had,t won it yet! After this Kiddy kept the pressure on the visitors without really threatening to bag a forth goal whilst Witney's young side looked out on their feet. It finished with only a couple of minutes of injury time added and Kiddy were in their second final of the season. Kidlington really should have put this game to bed before half time, but some amazing misses and a couple of really good saves prevented this. In the event Witney never gave up and in the end because of Kidlington's failure to 'bag the hat full they should have' they were always in with a chance. However in the end it was the Yarnton Road outfit who will travel to Abington Town's ground to take on Purton in the final on Saturday week.