Colebrook and Valence face Friday night showdown for county glory

This Friday night, the Essex Sunday Junior Trophy will reach it’s climax with an all-Corinthian county final down at Heybridge Swifts FC’s Aspen Waite Arena, featuring last year’s finalists, Valence United, and rivals Colebrook Royals. 

For Valence United, this week’s county cup final represents another terrific feat for a club who reached the very same stage last season, though will have been disappointed by the outcome that night in front of a crowd in excess of 400. It’s remarkable therefore that they have mirrored that run with another this term having started the competition with a 2-0 first round victory against their own reserve side in October. They followed that up with a 7-0 success in round two against Ridgeway Rovers before overcoming White Roding Sports in the third round (5-2) and a strong Stanham Rangers side in the last sixteen (7-4). The quarter-finals brought them a narrow 1-0 home win against Danbury Athletic setting them up for a semi-final against Upshire Forest. In that pulsating semi-final, they overcame early pressure to race into a 3-0 lead against Upshire before a terrific fightback, either side of half time saw the visitors level at 3-3. But a terrific late winner eventually saw Valence go through, winning 4-3.

In the opposite dugout will be a Colebrook Royals side who have themselves had an astonishing competition which only began in February as they finally got the chance to take on Debden Sports A, winning that tie 8-0. To overcome the delay, consecutive ties saw them moving through the rounds week after week, a walkover win against Harlow Hurricanes in round two was followed by a hard-fought 3-2 win against Risden Wood A in the third round before a strong 5-1 win against Mayland Village in the last sixteen. Further Chelmsford Sunday League opponents then fell to the Royals with Ramsden Scotia defeated in the quarter-finals through a late goal (2-1) which led them to a very tough looking semi-final against the holders, Woodham Radars Reserves, under their new guise. Trailing to an early goal, Royals eventually levelled in the last quarter of the game before turning it around completely to get into the lead, then netting a third to win the tie 3-1.

This final represents some intrigue as these well matched sides have been very close for the best part of two years following their battle for the league title in 2021/22, eventually won by Valence United, with Colebrook Royals taking the honours in the cup competition. This season’s clashes have seen two victories for Royals who won in the league back in October, followed by a victory in the Trophyland Cup too. What you can bet your house on though is Valence looking to put last year’s county final to the back of their minds and get out of the traps far more quickly. Either way, it looks to be an epic final on the cards this Friday.