(Stanway Rovers lift their second piece of silverware this season after winning the Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy following a 5-1 success over Saffron Walden Town)
Sunday saw me over at Rosemary Lane, home of Halstead Town, as they hosted both the Essex Senior League Reserve Shield & The Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy Finals as the season was finally headed towards it's climax following what has seemed a very long season that's for sure.
First up at midday was the Reserve Shield Final between South Division winners Grays Athletic and North Division Runners up Woodford Town, let's see what happened in that contest:-
Essex Senior League Reserve Shield Final
Grays Athletic Vs Woodford Town
This was a match up between two decent sides, Grays had won the Reserve South Division by nine points having won thirteen of their sixteen league games, and they had seen off West Essex Development, Billericay Town and Romford to reach this final, Woodford, who had finished runners up to Hashtag United in the North Division, had overcome Barking U23s, Heybridge Swifts & Takeley.
Woodford were also competing in their second of three cup finals in five days, they had won the divisional cup on Friday night and were back in action just two days later at this one, before another final on Tuesday night, they had won Friday's one so were looking for a second piece of silverware in forty eight hours!!! Grays were of course going for a league and cup double, who would get what they wanted in this one?
Well, after twenty minutes of the contest disaster struck for Grays when they literally handed Woodford the lead as a routine pass back from Reiss Hatwell to keeper Kevin Manuel saw the latter allow the ball to go under his foot and roll into the net for a very unfortunate own goal, not a moment he will want to remember in a hurry!!!
However, the unfortunate Hatwell was to find the net at the other end of the pitch seven minutes before the break when a ball in was allowed to find him at the back post, and after the ball bounced into his path he looped a header over keeper Callum McEvoy and into the net and see the sides go in level at the break.
Woodford though regained their lead just past the hour mark as the brilliant Tom Cottle-Wood persistence paid off down the left, disposing the ball from Hatwell on more than one occasion before firing a ball into the near post where Phorell Brooke, on as a second half substitute, converted first time in at the near post.
Grays though managed to find another leveller in the 89th minute to take the final to extra time when skipper Stephan Richard-Kingson applied a lovely first time finish from inside the box from a corner swung over from the left, meaning two already exhausted sides would have to go again for another thirty minutes in the warm temperatures in North Essex.
Grays started extra time the stronger and they got their noses in front eight minutes into it when Dhillon Sandhu-Nelson fired an effort into the bottom corner, and you felt maybe Woodford's Friday night endeavours were catching up with them now, however, not a bit of it, as in the 107th minute they levelled the contest up once again when Jacob Richards, another second half substitute, fired home a loose ball inside the box, and it meant penalties would be needed to decide this one.
Woodford stopper McEvoy, the skipper, was to be the hero in the shootout, saving the first two penalties from Grays, and with his side netting their first two, they had a big advantage, McEvoy almost stopped the third one too, but could only palm it into the corner, and although Woodford missed their third, McEvoy saved his third penalty in four meaning they had the chance to win it, and they duly converted meaning a 3-1 shoot out win and a second cup success in two days!!!
Full time Grays Athletic 3 Woodford Town 3 (aet; Woodford Town won 3-1 on penalties)
Essex Senior League Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy Final
Saffron Walden Town Vs Stanway Rovers
This was ninth against seventh in the league table, so both had finished in the top ten of the ESL for 2023/24, both had finished the season in pretty fine fettle too, and had a cup final to finish their seasons, for Stanway this was a second cup final of the month after they had thrashed now FA Vase winners Romford in the Errington Challenge Cup Final over at Heybridge Swifts earlier in May.
They were going for a cup double then, but they had a very physical and tough Walden to contend with, and also in front of a fine crowd of over 300 at Rosemary Lane in beautiful warm sunny conditions, who would come out on top in this one, it was a hard one to call although predictions amongst us slightly leaned towards a Stanway win as their form in the second half of the season had been tremendous.
Walden;s path to the final saw wins over Frenford, Athletic Newham, an away walkover win against FA Vase runners up Great Wakering Rovers and then a Semi Final win over Barking, whereas Stanway had seen off Little Oakley, Sporting Bengal United & Woodford Town, the same side they had seen off in the semi finals of the Errington Challenge Cup on route to winning that, a good omen perhaps?
The opening twenty five minutes saw the sides feeling each other out, but once Rovers went in front after twenty seven minutes, they never looked back, a long range effort from Tom Maycock was beaten away by Walden keeper Jarvis Monk, but into the path of Nat Mardell who applied the killer finish, and then ten minutes before the break Rovers doubled their lead.
Mardell, who was causing all kinds of issues for the Walden back line, ran onto a ball over the top of the defence to apply a finish across Monk and into the far corner, and three minutes before half time the contest was all but over when Mardell turned provider, teeing up Harry Thomas who fired home from inside the box, Rovers were now cruising.
They did give Walden a sniff of hope though deep into first half stoppage time when Stan Leech was bundled over inside the box for a penalty, which Olly Miles converted, and it meant Walden went into the break still two goals behind but with some hope of a comeback perhaps.
The opening exchanges of the second half were crucial then, although Walden's cause was not helped in the 55th minute when striker Leech was sin binned for ten minutes for something he said, and although his ten minute period off the pitch didn't cost them too much, they conceded again with twelve minutes remaining when a free kick swung in by Maycock found the head of centre half Joe Debell who found the net, and that really wad game set and match.
And Rovers really rubbed salt into the wounds of Walden by adding a fifth in the 85th minute after Freddie Cooper, who had literally just come on to replace skipper Reece Conway, was played in by the superb George Okoye to rifle home and put the icing on the cake for Rovers.
It was a very bad day at the office for Walden which was compounded in stoppage time when Jamie Riley was given a second yellow for committing a foul, it just about summed up their afternoon/evening in Halstead, and they were out out of their misery soon after when the whistle sounded.
Rovers were superb once again and had added the Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy to their Errington Challenge Cup success, two pieces of silverware in one season, not bad eh!!!
Full time Saffron Walden Town 1 Stanway Rovers 5
A superb day then, twelve goals, superb hospitality and plenty of laughs and fun throughout the day, and well done to Woodford Town Reserves and Stanway Rovers on your success today!!!
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