CUP FINAL PREVIEWS: Premier Division Cup and Division 2 Cup finals

This Sunday marks our fourth weekend of cup finals season with another busy schedule of matches taking place at Thurrock FC.

All of our showpiece cup finals will once again be taking place at Thurrock FC’s wonderful Ship Lane ground, just a stone’s throw from the M25/A13 & Lakeside. There will be bar and refreshment facilities available on the day which you are all welcome to make use of.

All of the clubs involved have been allocated tickets which they are required to sell so please contact your clubs for tickets in the first instance. We also have a supply of tickets on the turnstile on the day at a cost of £5 each.

We now look ahead to each of the games and provide some insight into who might be crowned cup winners on Sunday.

Premier Division Cup Final – 10.30am Kick-Off
Upshire vs Ainslie Wood

The morning final brings together two of the league’s Premier Division sides as seventh placed Ainslie Wood look to cause an upset against the champions-elect, Upshire.

Waltham Abbey based Upshire, in their first season with the Corinthian League, have taken the Premier Division by storm and are just a single point away from securing the league title. Clearly a side of much quality, cup glory remains high on the agenda also as they continue to challenge for the double whilst trying to bounce back from the disappointment of their Corinthian Cup final defeat earlier in the month. They have reached the Premier Division Cup final on the back of mixed performances with victories against Lactico in an opening round penalty shootout, Warren United (walkover) and finally a 9-1 victory over Repton Park in the semi-finals as six different players netted to secure their spot at Thurrock this Sunday. John Gregory is their top goal scorer this season with an eleven goal haul but with plenty of others in the squad nearing on double figures, the goals can arrive from anywhere in their ranks.

Taking on the league leaders are Roberto Molinari and Mick Sheehan’s Ainslie Wood side who have secured their first ever cup final in the Corinthian League this Sunday. It’s been a season of ups and downs but their spirit has remained high and the performances have arrived more latterly with a recent surge of positive results leaving them in mid-table and well clear of any relegation worries. Their own run to the final has seen some crackingly close encounters, starting with a 3-2 win in the first round against Flanders before beating Downs in an eight-goal thriller 5-3 in the quarter finals. The semi finals saw them host Valentines United where goals from the prolific Eric Kelly and Ryan Radley saw them book their place at Ship Lane in a 2-1 win. Looking through the statistics reveals the goal scoring feats of Eric Kelly who, with 31 goals in 21 matches, clearly can cause damage to any side in the division and will be the Wood man to watch.

This match up would suggest that we’ll see some goals with the only league fixture between these sides so far, back in November, falling in favour of Upshire in a 5-2 scoreline. Upshire’s dominance in the Premier Division suggests, at least on paper, that they would be favourites but we’ve already witnessed that anything is possible in this wonderful game of football.

Congratulations to our appointed match officials on this final, a reward for the continued hard work put in by our referees across the season. Mark Pond, is the man with the whistle and will be ably supported by Malcolm Pond and Simon Henry on the touchlines.

Division 2 Cup Final – 2.30pm Kick-Off
FC Mexico vs Park Tavern

The afternoon final on Sunday sees a local rivalry come together on the biggest stage as two of Division Two’s finest, FC Mexico and Park Tavern, meet at Ship Lane with both sides having eyes set on lifting the trophy at full time.

For FC Mexico, this final continues a remarkable run of cup final appearances with this being their fifth cup final appearance in two seasons in the Corinthian League having already been visitors to Thurrock in early March, sadly going down 1-0 to SL Menfica in a closely fought encounter. Some teams go through their entire existence without a single cup final appearance to their name so five in two seasons is quite incredible and supports their favourite hash-tag of #CupKings. A solid season in the league has translated into a fourth placed finish which suggests it has been a good year given the strength in the division. Their run to the final this year has taken in victories over league champions Docklands Albion in the quarter-finals (2-0) before securing a 3-0 win in the semi-final over Lonsdale a few weeks ago, courtesy of goals from skipper Tom Terry, Ian Tucker and Alex O’Halloran. With a midfield containing both guile and graft, this is a key area for them on the field while the goals of Sam Prince and Rhys Tyrrell will keep the opposition’s defence busy all afternoon.

Taking on the #CupKings are friends and rivals Park Tavern who make a return to Thurrock after two years away having tasted cup final success beating Leyton Green there two years ago. That was a match not to be forgotten (for both the right and wrong reasons!) with one of our largest crowds in cup final history having turned up to see Tavern win that day. This has been a real breakthrough year for Paul Tormey’s men who have been fighting on all fronts in league and cup, with this being their main reward for a good season. Having only just missed out on a top two finish in the league, they will be hopeful that this final will be another one to remember. Their run to this final has taken in a quarter final victory at home to Romford Galaxy (2-1) before needing extra time to get past a plucky E4 Rangers side, eventually winning 4-2 with goals from Danny Black, Nick Tormey, Kristopher Brown and hot-shot David Hornsby. The real difference in 2016/17 has been goals – and bucket loads of them. With 56 goals shared between Hornsby and Brown, they have invariably been able to keep defences on their toes all season long and this marks them out as the men to watch.

This is an incredibly tough match to call as two sides who are equally adept in the big match arena. The only league encounter between these sides so far this season saw a 4-2 win for FC Mexico back in the depths of a mud-stricken November. The key question is can Mexico hold the Tavern forwards at bay and hit their opponents on the counter attack as the game wears on. Undoubtedly, this is certainly a match to come and watch!

Congratulations to our appointed match officials on this final, a reward for the continued hard work put in by our referees across the season. Paul Stratton is the man with the whistle and will be ably supported by Mark Hankin and Elliott Justham on the touchlines.