Saturday 22nd June 2019 @ Vale Stadium, Castle Vale
West Midlands County Schools’ FA Cup Final
Erdington and Saltley 3-1 Solihull
Team: Danny, Jeval, Romaeo, Rhys, Elijah, Kian, Callam, Markie, Kyran, Toby and Daniel
Goals: Markie, Romaeo and Kyran
Man of the Match: Romaeo – a source of attacks during the first period when he patrolled the right wing and then a defensive rock in the second half after dropping into the back line.
A thunderous Markie strike set the lads on their way and helped the district lift the WMCSFA Cup for the fourth time in five seasons.
In scorching June heat, the lads continued their fine form from the previous week’s trip to Liverpool, with an excellent performance against a very talented Solihull side.
Three minutes into the game and Markie popped up to unleash an unstoppable strike from way outside the area. Despite being at full stretch, the keeper had no chance as Markie’s shot crashed against the underside of the bar and into the net to give the lads an early lead.
Callam then weaved his way through the Solihull defence and skipped past several challenges before having the ball poked from his foot as he looked to pull the trigger. Moments before that, a sublime Romaeo right wing cross evaded the outstretched foot of Callam and with the score remaining 1-0, Solihull knew they were very much in the game.
Half-term saw the scoreline evenly poised and it was Solihull who started the second period on the front foot. Nevertheless, just when it looked like Solihull might level the game, an excellent long distance strike from man of the match Romaeo after a Toby effort had bounced off the bar, saw the boys put a bit of breathing space between them and the boys in blue.
With nine minutes left on the clock, Solihull capitalised after we failed to clear our lines and reduced the deficit to a single goal.
Some excellent last ditch defending from Kian and Romaeo, added to a general feeling amongst the boys that they were prepared to throw their bodies on the line for the cause, saw the team steady the ship and weather the storm.
Bursting down the left, Callam aimed a cross to the back post for the hard-working Kyran to slot home and restore our two goal lead.
From back to front, the boys were brilliant today and played with their heart on their sleeve. Not afraid to dive into 50/50 challenges, the whole team backed each other up and there was a genuine sense of team spirit on show.
It was a great way to bring the curtain down on a season that has seen the team collect five trophies, win our first ever BPSFA league and reach two national finals, not to mention another three runners-up finishes and a third place in the national 9-a-side.
Historic. Simply superb.
Thank you boys! We will never forget the past twelve months.
Up The Ton!
Erdington and Saltley Primary Schools' FA 