Essex Senior League Errington Challenge Cup Final, Wednesday 8th May
Wednesday saw me at a fifth game in six days (and due to that I am now exhausted!!!) and it was the turn of the final of the Essex Senior League Errington Challenge Cup Final which was taking place at the home of Heybridge Swifts, Scraley Road, a ground I remember fondly for attending on many occasions with my late father.
This was the first time I had been since they had laid the 3G pitch, and the venue is rather decent with plenty of seating and places to stand around the pitch, all with a decent view of the action, and the clubhouse and tea bar is also very decent, plenty of room to enjoy post and pre match fare, and also a lovely outside area to relax in before and after the game, and with the weather cool but decent, it was well populated.
Romford were becoming rather familiar to me in the last few days, this was the third time I had seen them since Friday but they made a few changes to the starting line up from those two play off games, as with a rather important date with Great Wakering Rovers at Wembley upcoming this was rather predicted by myself if truth be told, no point trying to risk injury or fatigue ahead of that, and also to put the big squad to the test too, after all what's the point of having one if your not going to call on it on occasions like this.
They were up against a Stanway Rovers side though who had been in fine form in the second half of the season, a run that if it had began earlier than they could easily have snuck into the play off places themselves, and many predict that if they can hold onto much of their current squad next season, they will be right up their for not only winning promotion but winning the division outright, so they had certainly made an impression on many.
This was the first of two big matches upcoming for Rovers in the next few days, they had this final and then a semi final to contend on Friday night too, against Woodford Town in the Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy, ironically Woodford are the team Rovers defeated 4-1 in the semi final of the Errington Challenge Cup too to set up this final against Romford, for my blog on the semi finals, please click on this link https://pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com/2024/04/stanway-rovers-4-woodford-town-1-brace.html
Anyway with Romford having an FA Vase final at the weekend, and with many changes to the starting eleven, many, including myself, had Stanway down as comfortable winners in this one, I had stuck my neck out and predicted a 3-0 win or the North Essex side, although the side Romford put out was still full of quality, don't get me wrong, but with such a big life changing game to come, I just did not think they would be 'at it' if you get me.
And after twenty three minutes of the contest, Stanway had already matched my prediction, as they stormed into a three goal lead, opening the scoring after just five minutes when George Okoye was played in to slot into the bottom corner, and then some lovely football carved open Boro and ended with skipper Reece Conway powering home a header from close range in the 22nd minute.
And then just a minute later it was three for Rovers when Tom Maycock fired a lovely left footed effort into the far corner, and the game you felt could already be over, and Boro were in danger of being blown away and potentially embarrassed in a big final.
Boro did have chances don't get me wrong, Charlie Morris was heavily involved in most of the attacks that they created, he did strike the woodwork on one occasion, as did defender Jacob Wiggins, who saw his free kick tipped onto the bar, but apart from these moments, Rovers looked fairly comfortable at the back led by Tyler Corlett, who went on to grab the MOTM honours, which was well deserved, and nice to see a defender take some plaudits in this attacking dominated sport on most occasions.
Romford did bring on some big guns at half time to at least try and show they wanted to get back into the contest, they did for a time put Rovers under some pressure, but Corlett and Co, as said, kept them at bay and as the match wore on Romford's hopes and dreams of a comeback faded, and in fact, and rather annoyingly for me and my prediction, with the clock hitting the ninety minute mark, Rovers added a fourth.
It came from full back Ricky Tabard, who side footed a lovely finish into the bottom corner after the ball had broken to him, yes I was just four, yes four minutes away from a correct score prediction, but you can't win them all can you!!!
So, as predicted, a rather comfortable win in the end for the magnificent Rovers, who will finish the season with at least one Trophy to show for their efforts, they now turn their attention to Friday's Peter Butcher semi final against Woodford Town, whereas Romford will now end their season at the weekend at Wembley, not bad that, although they will surely be much better in that final then tonight's, and with a full strength eleven to chose from in that one, I very much expect them to be 'on it' on Saturday.
Full time Romford 0 Stanway Rovers 4
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