Saturday 30th April 2016 @ Veseyans RFC
BPSFA Cup Semi-final Stage
Team: Rob, Cian, Sam, Pharrelle, Taylor, Diago, Kane, Tion, Ilani, Rio and Cameron P
Goals: Kane x 3, Cameron P x 2, Pharrelle x 2 and Rio
Man of the Match:
With 28 seconds on the clock and the fans still finding their seats, The Ton took the lead against Harborne. In anyone’s books that is a pretty good start! During the next ten minutes the boys continued to tighten their grip on the fixture, adding a further two goals to take a 3-0 half-time lead.
The second half was very similar in the sense that The Ton had all of the ball and continued to press the boys in blue. A fourth goal came from the boot of Cameron, whilst the defence was being lead expertly by Sam, who formed a great understanding with under 11s débutante Cian.
Causing havoc down the wings, both Pharrelle and Rio had started the morning like they meant business. Happy? I most certainly was!
The game ended 4-0. Job done. Great start. Stall set out.
Next up was Aston. As you’re aware, I work in Aston and they have a big place in my heart. In fact some of those Aston boys were in Year 1 when I taught at Welford. A great district and great kids!
Putting all of that to one side, the boys took the lead via a stunning turn and long distance shot from Kane. It was that good, even the ref let out a whoop of appreciation! However the Aston boys battled their hearts out and refused to accept defeat without a fight. After being fouled, Renayo jumped up to smash a free kick beyond the reach of Robbo. After regaining composure, the lads took the lead for a second time, once again courtesy of Kane. Unlike his first screamer, this goal was a little scrappier, although what it lacked in finesse, it made up for in determination. Refusing to give up on a long ball, he won a one-on-one battle with the Aston keeper before slotting in from close range.
Two down. One to go.
In our final match we squared up against Sutton Coldield, knowing a win would give us a 100% record. Our opening goal was a great finish from Parrelle, after he caught a shot on the half-volley and smashed it past the Sutton keeper Jacob. A truly brilliant finish to add to the tidy header that he scored in the opening game.
Just like against Aston, the boys were pegged back when the Sutton striker Red managed to break the offside trap to stealthy pop up in the box and poke the ball home to level the scores.
With five minutes remaining on the clock, Cameron won the ball back in midfield only to see his speculative shot bounce over Jacob and into the Sutton net. As fortunate as it was, it was the least that Cameron deserved after a great morning at the office! His tireless running down the left, as well as in the centre of the park, meant he caused our opponents countless problems.
Three wins out of three. Brilliant.
At times it was scintilating. At other times it was a little scrappy. At all times it was committed, brave and built upon a foundation of hard work. Well done boys! You did us all proud!
Now it’s on to Bodymoor on Friday for the BPSFA Cup final. After losing to South Birmingham in 2014 and Kings Norton in 2015, the boys will be fully focused on making it third time lucky. If they arrive to that game with the team spirit and application that they showed today, they’ll give themselves a great chance of doing just that.
See you on Friday Aston!
Up The Ton!
Erdington and Saltley Primary Schools' FA 