Cup final triple-header ahead on penultimate weekend

This weekend sees a cup final triple-header, beginning on Friday night at Mayesbrook Park and concluding with the climax of our Corinthian and Trophyland Cups on Sunday at Parkside

DIVISION SIX CUP FINAL – RIDGEWAY ROVERS VS PING CITY PHOENIXES
FRIDAY 19^TH MAY, 7PM KO, BARKING FC

The weekend gets started early this Friday with the conclusion of this season’s Division Six Cup competition as Ridgeway Rovers and Ping City Phoenixes battle for the right to add their name to the trophy.

The occasion marks a first final in the league for both clubs, starting with Ian Marshall’s Ridgeway Rovers side who will be looking to cap a season of two halves having struggled to begin with but been buoyed onto a fourth place finish with a strong ending. Their run in the cup started with a 6-0 success against Warren United in the first round, before a quarter-final victory at home against London Legacy, winning 2-1. Their semi-final saw them take on the league champions, Young Royals, and what a game it proved to be as Rovers edged a thriller 3-2 to secure their place in the final this weekend.

In the other dugout on Friday evening will be Jack Flood’s Ping City Phoenixes side for whom this game marks the height of their success as a club as they sit ninety minutes from their first silverware potentially. Despite a tenth placed finish in the league, their cup form has given them something to remember the season by and their journey started in round one, defeating Epping Forest Falcons 3-1. Another higher placed side fell in the quarters as Havering Palace were defeated 2-1 but it has to be a semi-final victory against the leaders at that time, Epping Royals, that demonstrates how anything is possible in football, Ping winning 3-1 to make the final.

An in-form Ridgeway Rovers enter the contest with the tag of favourites, including two victories this season against their opponents in the league. But Ping have already demonstrated their cup credentials with three giant-killings of sorts. Can they add number and crown their season?

TROPHYLAND CUP FINAL – UNITED AMATEURS VS BELFRY RESERVES
SUNDAY 21^ST MAY, 10.30AM KO, AVELEY FC

Our largest competition, the Trophyland Cup, comprising all sides from Division Three to Six, comes to a conclusion on Sunday morning with Division Three’s leaders United Amateurs taking on the unbeaten Belfry Reserves from Division Four in what should be a terrific contest.

It’s been another very strong season for Thomas Chawner’s United Amateurs who followed up their successes from last year with a chance of success in three competitions this term, sitting top of Division Three, involved in Sunday’s final and another semi-final to come. Their run in this competition has taken in victories against Zone 4 Athletic (1-0, R1), Royal Lions C (7-2, R2), Valence United Reserves (3-1, R3), Upshire Forest (5-1, QF) before rounding off their campaign with a 5-2 victory in the semi-finals against Warren Senior, capping a fine run to the final.

Standing in the way of United will be the highly rated Belfry Reserves, managed by Barry Redington, who enter the game having secured the Division Four in stunning fashion, remaining unbeaten across the season, along with another cup final yet to come too in their own divisional competition. Their run in this cup has taken in wins against Romford Athletic Dons (4-2, R1), Ultimate Vision (W-L, R2), Ultimate Vision Reserves (6-0, R3), Colebrook Royals Vets (4-0, QF) and Manford Way Reserves (W-L, SF) to set up their place in the final, potentially part of a double or even treble.

This game presents two sides who have been in great form this season and it is really tough to pick a winner or even choose a favourite, despite a division gap between the sides. United Amateurs do remain the only side to defeat Belfry this season with that win coming in the county cup, if that is any gauge at all.

CORINTHIAN CUP FINAL – LONDON ALL STARS VS FLYHOUSE ATHLETIC
SUNDAY 21^ST MAY, 2PM KO, AVELEY FC

The league’s flagship cup competition, the Corinthian Cup, becomes the focus of attentions on Sunday afternoon with two of the league’s top sides, London All Stars and Flyhouse Athletic, meeting at Parkside to get their hands on the top silverware.

For London All Stars, in their debut season with the league albeit with a fair degree of success beforehand, this game marks the conclusion of a mixed season of fortunes for Shane Baptiste’s side with many highs and lows across the campaign. One of the early season front-runners, it’s their cup form which has really the eye with victories in this competition against East Way Athletic (2-1, R2), Newbury Forest (2-1, R3), Hatch Lane (3-1, QF) before ending the run with a terrific 4-2 win against a strong Theydon Green outfit.

The other half of the draw on Sunday is a side we’ve all become familiar with as the county and Senior Cup champions, Flyhouse Athletic, take the field once more looking to expand their already bulging trophy cabinet, with their league title ambitions still high too. Their run in this competition began in round two with an impressive victory against last year’s finalists, Baiteze Squad (7-3), a result which really set out their stall for this season. Further wins then followed against FIFE (4-0, R3), FLY (1-0, QF) and a strong 7-3 semi-final win against Debden Sports Reserves in Newbury Park to send them through to the final on Sunday.

It's tough to look past Flyhouse Athletic as favourites for this game but could the volume of recent football make a difference on the legs? The league fixtures between the sides have seen an 8-0 win for Flyhouse back in December, followed by a 1-1 draw in January’s return game, perhaps demonstrating that an inconsistent All Stars side are a side to be cautious of.