Cup final quadruple-header rounds off season's action

The last few days of the season sees the climax of four more cup finals with the Division One Cup Final on Friday evening followed by the Division Three and West Essex Cup Finals on Sunday, then the Division Four Cup finale on Tuesday

DIVISION ONE CUP FINAL – CRITICS VS GANTS HILL
FRIDAY 26^TH MAY, 8PM KO, BARKING FC

The weekend’s action gets underway this Friday evening with the finale of the Division One Cup Final as Critics go for their maiden honours, up against fellow promotion contenders, Gants Hill.

For Critics, in their first final with the league following their formation last summer, this game marks the high-point of their short history and will be eager to get their hands on a piece of silverware to remember their season by. It’s been a very solid first season for Dennis Florence’s outfit who sit with promotion in their hands with games still to play. But it took a penalty shootout victory to get them through their quarter-final tie in this competition, beating Royal Lions A following a 3-3 draw at full-time, before a semi-final walkover against Barking Riverside to confirm their place at Mayesbrook Park.

Over in the other dugout, Khalid Pervaiz’s Gants Hill side are no strangers to a the big stage and have also had a strong season with a big promotion push in Division One which has gone right to the wire. Hill started their involvement in this competition back in the first round where they beat a strong Roose side 5-0 in Hainault before netting the game’s only goal in a tough contest at home to a tough Total Football side to send them into the semi-finals. It then took another closely fought performance away at Oceana to book their place in the final, benefitting from another 1-0 win to make it through.

This is a tough final to call given how close they are matched in the league this season, sitting second and third, while each has a narrow win under their belts against each other too. Critics have had a little more momentum in recent weeks given their need to catch up on fixtures so you wonder whether they may give the slightest of an edge.

DIVISION THREE CUP FINAL – VALENCE UNITED VS UNITED AMATEURS
SUNDAY 28^TH MAY, 10.30AM, AVELEY FC

This Sunday morning, the Division Three Cup takes centre-stage and it’s two teams featuring who we have all become familiar with as Valence United and United Amateurs take to the cup final stage once again this season.

Valence United’s are a side we can all associate with cup finals having reached a second successive county cup final this term, along with their Endeavour Cup Final appearance last year also. James Jacob’s team are certainly a side who like a good cup run. While their league form hasn’t matched the heights of last season, they saved their best for this competition, defeating Singh Sabha Barking in a 2-1 scoreline in the quarter-finals before sending an in-form Ainslie side out in the semi-final, winning 3-0 in Dagenham to book their place.

Sitting in the other dugout on Sunday will be Thomas Chawner’s United Amateurs side who will certainly look back fondly on another strong season in all competitions. Sitting a point off the top in the league with a game to play, already finalists in the Trophyland Cup, they take to the field on Sunday looking to net a first piece of silverware with the league. They started their involvement in this competition with a comprehensive 10-2 win away at Alpha in the quarter-finals before defeating rivals Colebrook Royals in the semi-finals in a 4-2 scoreline to net another cup final place.

The match-up between these sides is another intriguing one as, despite the gap between the sides in the league, they have each bagged a win apiece this season, both by close scorelines, demonstrating this is yet another game which is too close to call. Adding to that both sides will want to avenge earlier final defeats this season, this has the hallmarks of a classic game.

WEST ESSEX SUNDAY CHARITY CUP FINAL – BROOK ATHLETIC VS AC MILANO
SUNDAY 28^TH MAY, 2PM, AVELEY FC

On Sunday afternoon, the action turns to another mighty Brook Athletic vs AC Milano clash as the two sides renew acquaintances to battle it out for the West Essex Sunday Charity Cup, having faced each other in the London Cup just a couple of weeks ago.

For the new London Cup champions, Brook Athletic will certainly be keen to round off what has been a strong showing across all competitions with another piece of silverware having already lifted that county crown but having also been beaten in the Senior Division Cup Final too earlier in the month. Their involvement in this competition began at the quarter-final stage as they defeated last season’s Trophy winners, Loxford Lions, in a 4-0 scoreline before sending Critics to defeat in the semi-finals, winning 2-1.

It’s also been a season to remember for an AC Milano side who contain a strong blend of young and experience, their team still in with a strong shout of a double this season. They sit a point away from securing the league title, finalists in the London Cup, and their appearance in Sunday’s final too. They opened their run in the competition with a 2-0 win at home to division rivals, Barking & Dagenham Wanderers, before a walkover against Global in the quarters, followed by a shootout victory against JK Silvertown having finished level at 2-2.

The recent county final saw, despite a two-division deficit, AC take a lead and play a strong role in that contest before Brook eventually prevailed after extra-time. I wouldn’t expect anything other than another very tight and high-quality game from these two forward-thinking sides.

DIVISION FOUR CUP FINAL – BELFRY RESERVES VS BYRON RED STAR
TUESDAY 30^TH MAY, 8PM, BARKING FC

The last cup final action of the season takes place on Tuesday evening with the delayed Division Four Cup Final finally having it’s time under the spotlight with Belfry Reserves seeking a treble while Byron Red Star stand in the way.

For Barry Redington’s Belfry Reserves side, their last game of the season sees them go in search of the treble with the league title and the Trophyland Cup already in their possession, just the divisional cup to potentially add to their haul. Their run to the final this year saw them complete a 6-1 first round win at home against Eastern Avenue before receiving a walkover in the quarter-final against Chingford Athletic. In the semi-final, they defeated Horse & Well 4-0 to give them a shot at yet another cup final.

Standing in the way of a treble are a Byron Red Star side who will harbour hopes of repeating their feats of last year, defeating Belfry in the final in what proved to be an enthralling game. A fourth placed finish in the league represents another solid return for Bradwell John’s side following promotion. It was a dramatic run to the final as they saw off Ace Athletics in the first round, winning 3-2, before a walkover against Romford Athletic Dons in the quarter-finals. Then, despite a defeat on the day to City Site in the semi-final, the tie was awarded to Byron to set up their return to the big stage.

Belfry certainly go into the game as favourites, a tag they deserve following their accolades this term but you wouldn’t write off Byron having a strong say in the outcome of the game being the only side to take points off their opponents in the league following a 4-4 draw in February. Can they recreate their performance from last season’s final or will Belfry make it a treble?