Review of 2nd cup final weekend
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Last Sunday saw the second of our cup final weekends down at Thurrock FC with two fantastic cup finals played out as the Premier Division
Cup and Trophyland Cup reached their conclusions for the season.
Premier Division Cup
Final – Warren United 6-4 Repton Park
The morning final saw local rivals, Warren and Repton, meet
to decide the winner of this season’s Premier Division Cup. To say this was a
great final would be a total understatement but you wouldn’t have imagined
quite how this would turn out after half an hour of the game. Warren started
the game really well and were ahead almost straight away as Tom Metcalfe rose
highest to head home from a corner. The James Peagram show then took over as a
close range finish doubled the lead before an exquisite lobbed finish made it 3
and seemingly game over. Repton then grabbed a goal back with a good finish to
give them a lifeline but seconds later, Peagram netted the fourth and his
hat-trick confirmed to take the sides into the break at 4-1 to Warren.
What unfolded in the second half was simply unbelievable.
Warren United set the tone with a very early fifth goal, a fourth for Peagram
with another lobbed finish to make it 5-1 and at the time you thought this could
be double figures. Straight from kick-off, Repton responded with another goal
to make it 5-2 and begin a period of total domination. They struck the crossbar
moments later before the goal of the game was curled into the top corner from
long range to bring the scoreline to 5-3. Some incredible saves from Luke Dodd
in the Warren goal kept his side in the game as wave after wave of Repton
chances came his way. Repton hit the woodwork again before they got their
fourth goal to make it 5-4 with a finish from a tight angle. But it was James
Peagram who had the final say scoring Warren’s sixth goal with moments left,
taking his own tally to five on the day to help his side to the Premier
Division Cup crown!
Well done to both sides on producing one of the most entertaining
games of football ever seen. The quality of football on show was absolutely
brilliant and a wonderful match to grace a cup final.
Trophyland Cup Final
– London Fire Brigade 2-1 FC Mexico
As we rolled into the afternoon, two of this season’s cup specialists
met as London Fire Brigade took on FC Mexico. For the London Fire Brigade side,
they were looking to bounce back from defeat in last week’s Division 3 Cup
final while FC Mexico were looking to add this trophy to their collection after
winning last week’s Division 2 Cup.
FC Mexico could have been ahead very early on as Nick Allen
in the Fire Brigade goal was called upon to make an absolutely worldy of a save
to keep his side on level terms, tipping a goalbound effort onto the post with
fingertips. But it was London Fire Brigade who opened the scoring on the
quarter-hour from a set piece as a corner wasn’t dealt with and the Fire
Brigade bundled the ball home to make it 1-0. Just a minute later, the
scoreline was doubled as London Fire Brigade netted powerfully past the keeper
to make it 2-0. A quality first half saw both sides have spells where they
looked likely to score. A few minutes before half-time, FC Mexico got a goal
back. A free-kick was awarded on the edge of Fire Brigade’s box and a brilliant
free-kick was pinged over the wall and into the top corner beyond the
despairing dive of the keeper to make it 2-1. Cracking free kick!
After the break, FC Mexico came out the stronger and were
looking likely to grab themselves an equaliser as they tested out the Fire
Brigade backline. They were given a boost when the Fire Brigade skipper was
dismissed with about twenty minutes to go and they looked to make that man
advantage count. However, the Fire Brigade managed to hold out with some dogged
defending to lay their hands on the prized Trophyland Cup, their first
silverware with the league.