Saturday 31st March 2018 @ Heartlands Academy, Nechells
Daniel Sturridge Cup Final
Team: Padraig, Toby, Aidan, Resharne, Reece, Daniel, Callam, Cian L, Louie, Mason, Rhys, Ethan, Enoch, Tavani and Alfie
A Team Results
Won 1 -0 vs. Sutton Coldfield (Aidan)
Drew 1-1 vs. South B (Cian L)
Won 1-0 vs. South A (Cian L)
Won 1-0 vs. Sutton Coldfield (Callam)
Won 2-1 vs. South B (Cian L and Daniel)
Won 3-1 vs. South A (Resharne x 2 and Cian L)
B Team Results
Won 1-0 vs. South A (Alfie)
Lost 1-0 vs. Sutton Coldfield
Drew 0-0 vs. South B
Drew 0-0 vs. South A
Lost 1-0 vs. Sutton Coldfield
Lost 2-0 vs. South B
Donated by former Aston PSFA district footballer Daniel Sturridge, the eponymous competition is one of the stand out competitions on the BPSFA district calendar. Since first being played for in 2015, it has been won by Erdington and Saltley, Sutton Coldfield and South Birmingham, in that order.
Yesterday morning saw The Ton become the first district to claim the prestigious title for a second time, with the A team finishing the morning unbeaten. Yet the B Team also deserve great credit for their morning’s work, despite results not going their way on the day. A pair of great results against pre-tournament favourites South Birmingham A the highlight of the morning for the lads.
Both teams started the day by making a statement. First the A team outclassed a quality Sutton Coldfield team, restricting them to very few chances and creating a number of their own, before running out 1-0 winners. However it was the B Team who made the biggest opening statement, picking up a 1-0 win against the quality-laden South A team. With the score 0-0 entering the closing minute, Alfie muscled his way through the South defence before finishing brilliantly to snatch all 3 points.
While results did not quite go their way after that, the B Team certainly played well all morning, only to be thwarted by the woodwork and inspired goalkeeping in their quest for further points. Despite the obvious frustration of failing to find the goals that would have fired them to glory, the B Team boys stayed positive throughout and played some excellent free-flowing football, working superbly as a united team.
Solid in defence, the A Team didn’t suffer from the same problem as the B team, scoring a tournament high nine goals as they beat all before them to lift the cup. With Cian, Daniel and Resharne linking up brilliantly throughout the tournament, the boys were a joy to watch.
With a defender being crowned a player of the tournament (Kayden from Sutton Coldfield) it was fitting that our defensive units also had a great tournament. From Louie and Mason in the B Team to Toby and Aidan in the A team, we defended resolutely to protect Padraig between the sticks, the latter of whom once again filled in for both sides.
Overall this victory is undoubtedly one of the highlights of our season and an example of why we should all be so proud of our district and community.
Well done boys!
Up The Ton!
Erdington and Saltley Primary Schools' FA 