|
MIDWEEK YOUTH CUP FINAL Sutton Coldfield Town lifted the Midweek Youth Cup despite resistance from a plucky Halesowen Town Colts at Birmingham FA Headquarters. Sutton struggled during the opening period, Ryan Dams volleying a shot from 25 yards after turning on a ball from Andre Whyte. Dams again missed putting his side up again in the 19th minute; his low shot fired the wrong side of the upright. The opening goal came against the run of play, when Ben Porter slotted home a low strike in the 27th minute. The remainder of the half saw disaster strike for both teams; Rob Bolas substituted by Terrance Carpenter after a nasty head injury then Halesowen's Roscoe Hale forced to leave the field following a collision with Porter. With no replacement 'keeper available, Richard Oakley braved the goalkeeper's gloves, Danny Williams coming on to replace him in midfield. Oakley's first important save came one minute after the restart, tipping the ball far enough away from Porter's feet to prevent him from increasing the lead. The second goal needed its fair share of luck too – Matthew Gardner's shot hit one upright, then the other before crossing the line in the 51st minute. Sutton continued to turn up the heat, Lee Wilkinson with a vital deflection keeping Adam Robinson's shot out, then Carpenter hitting the bar after attempting to lob Oakley. Carpenter got another chance in the 67th minute and this time made no mistake; his shot so powerful that despite getting his hands on the ball, Oakley could only watch as it trickled into his net. Halesowen's deserved consolation goal was scored on the 77th minute mark by Danny Williams – a bending left footed shot left Dave Rimmer stranded. SENIOR CHALLENGE CUP FINAL Two goals in a four-minute burst gave Blues the silverware in a hard-fought battle against the plucky Moors. Darren Carter lashed in a fierce volley from 20 yards eight minutes into the extra period. And Tony Capaldi let fly from the edge of the penalty area to seal victory after Peter Till laid the ball off to him. It was tough on the Moors, who gave as good as they got at Solihull Borough's Damson Park ground. Jai Stanley's thumping drive brought out a spectacular stop from Andy Marriott near the end. And just before Carter opened the scoring, Danny Scheppell couldn't quite force a downward header in from close range and Dean Peer then lifted the loose ball over the Blues crossbar. Blues controlled most of the first-half before Moors put on a spirited show after the interval. Jae Martin almost nodded a near post corner past Marriott, who came out to challenge strongly. Nathan Lamey was then agonisingly close to touching home a low free-kick from Stanley. Blues roused and Carter looked as if he might win the cup in the 82nd minute when he juggled the ball before sending it dipping to the bottom corner only for Adam Rachel to spring to his left and touch it round brilliantly. Moor Green: Rachel, Faulds, Petty, Gillard, Sanders, Scheppell (Walker 104),Stanley, Lamey, Myers, Martin (Woodley 73), Peer. Subs:Eustace, Hughes, Chinedu. Birmingham FA Saturday Vase Final Folly Lane had Michael Woan to thank for their victory in the Birmingham FA Saturday Vase; making numerous match-winning saves throughout a highly competitive game. A Scarr cross in the 11th minute was palmed away by Russell Bannister, but Higgins made a terrific follow-up run into the box to open the scoring. The Poles almost hit back straight away, Paul Gozzard's spectacular overhead kick almost finding the net, but tipped round the upright by Woan. A clash of heads saw Polesworth lose their top-scorer, Gareth Rooke. Almost in a show of determination, they levelled the score in the 42nd minute as Rooke left the ground to go to hospital; Clint Hoverd cutting inside and beating Woan at the far post. The winning goal came in the 56th minute when Higgins curled a left foot shot over Bannister. However, the Coventry Alliance outfit had to work hard to hold onto their lead as Polesworth once again attempted to level. Gozzard had the best chance of the second half but before he had time to dig the ball out from under his feet, the ever impressive Michael Woan had stolen the ball from him and gathered at his second attempt. Rooke managed to return with a glued head wound in time to collect his medal – with his teammates all deserving of a reward for the part they played in a hard fought game. However, it was Folly Lane who lifted the trophy after their shot-stopper made all the difference. The next County Final is the prestigious Senior Cup. Birmingham City and Moor Green go head to head at Solihull Borough's Damson Park ground on Monday night. Kick off is at 7.30pm with admission £5 for adults and £2 for juniors Midweek Floodlit Cup Final: RESULT One man's joy was another man's heartache as Tipton Town lifted the inaugural Birmingham FA Midweek Floodlit Cup, beating Rugby Town 4-1 at the Tipton Sports Academy. Rugby's Ian Brooks had the kind of game goalkeepers dread, picking the ball out of the back of his net within seconds of kick off. A long ball from Peter Woodbine was met by Ravi Sangha who lobbed Brooks for his first of three strikes on the night. A nervy first half ensued, with Rugby struggling to play catch up from then on. Phil Poole linked up well with Martin Thompson along the left wing 15 minutes into the game, their attack clumsily extinguished by Tipton's Gary Rhodes who received a booking for his challenge on Thompson. The resulting free kick gave Rugby their best chance of the half; Thompson again in the thick of the action, seeing his close range shot deflected over the bar. The tempo of the game remained high, with over-zealous tackles seeing Tipton's Stuart Mole and Rugby's Phil Poole booked in the first period. Paul Gibbons rose highest at a corner in the 27th minute, but Gary Price punched clear. The ball was put back into the mix by Casey Waldock but Steve Rule could only head wide. Tipton struck early again after the restart; Ashley Langford breaking down the right, crossing into the box for Sangha to head home. His hattrick was completed in the 65th minute when a looping Ricardo Marshall cross from wide on the left was bundled over the line after Brooks struggled to gain control. The Rugby 'keeper probably thought things could not get any worse, but they did in the 72nd minute when he collected the ball in his area and kicked it straight into one of his own players. The rebound fell to Marshall who found himself with an open net and Tipton's 4th goal. Credit should go to Rugby for continuing to push forward. Pete Poole launched a hopeful free kick with 20 minutes to go, but saw his shot collected by Price. Their consolation goal came from a 78th minute penalty, awarded for shirt pulling on substitute Mark Rolph. Lee Lavery made sure from the spot. A jubilant Jon Worsey lifted the Midweek Floodlit Cup in front of a 350-strong crowd, completing the first year of the competition with an emphatic win. Final Appearance for County FA As the Birmingham FA Representative Squad prepare to take on European opposition in Frankfurt's Internationale A-Jugend-Osterturnier later this month, they can also look forward to a Final appearance closer to home. Birmingham U18s sealed top spot in Group B of the Midlands Youth Championships this weekend thanks to their nearest rivals Northamptonshire drawing 1-1 with Shropshire FA. The result gives Birmingham their place in the Championship decider against Lincolnshire FA - the winners of Group A - later this season. Team Spokesman, Steve Poole said the team are keen to take the competition title in this, its inaugural season: "The format of the Midland Youth Championships has really tested us this year, going down to the last game in the group! We were winners of the former league competition three years in a row so it has been refreshing to have a new challenge. "The standard of the competing teams seems to have risen – which is great news for the future of County Representative football and for the players who benefit from being involved in the squads. "All the players and coaching staff wanted to end the season on a high," he added. "What could be better than a tournament in Germany and a Championship Final!" County FA are Football Ambassadors for Birmingham An 18-strong squad of talented young footballers are travelling to Germany this Easter weekend to represent the City of Birmingham at the 41st Internationale A-Jugend-Osterturnier. The Under-18 Birmingham County FA team will be joining teams from all over Europe to take part in the Tournament which is held annually in Birmingham's partner City, Frankfurt, in honour of goalkeeper Theo Panzer. The trip is jointly funded by Birmingham City Council, Birmingham County FA and the Fußballclub Germania 06 eV. Schwanheim, but all the foreign players will be staying at the homes of members of local football teams. The tournament will provide the players a great opportunity to compete in an international arena and the chance to meet young people from around Europe with a shared love of football in a spirit of friendship. Birmingham will be joined by defending champions Budapest (Hungary), Bern (Switzerland), Karlsbad (Czech Republic), and four teams from Germany. The squad have been preparing for the tournament at Aston Villa's Bodymoor Heath Training Ground, where according to Team Spokesman, Steve Poole; the excitement has started to set in: "Everyone is really looking forward to going - it's a great chance for us to be ambassadors for the city of Birmingham," he said. "Part of that means trying our very best to end up as winners! "The aim of the County Representative side is to give youngsters the chance to play with and against others of similar ability, with the hope of furthering their football career, so I am sure the players will really benefit from the experience." Birmingham FA compete on a regional and national level against other County FA's, and have reached the final of the prestigious FA County Youth Cup three times in the last four year, winning the trophy on two occasions. The team are also defending champions in the Midlands Youth Championships, having won the title for the past three seasons! There are several success stories over the years for players who have been part of the squad, this season's first choice goalkeeper Aaron O'Malley has spent time with Bradford FC, whilst three of last season's regulars have made it into the first team at Kidderminster FC. BCFA MINOR CUP FINAL: Result Mount Nod Highway maintained their grip on the Minor Cup for a second season by overcoming Coldlands Colts at Birmingham FA Headquarters. A nervy start to the game saw few chances until Colts' Steven Bell saw his powerful header from a Scott Masters corner skim just over the bar in the 22nd minute. Mount Nod were the first to find the back of the net 9 minutes later, after a low shot from Dean Walker on the edge of the box gave the Coventry Sunday Minor League team the advantage. Chris Jay had a brave performance in the Coldlands goal, and kept his side in the game with a terrific save from Luke Suddens' dipping header in the 37th minute. His efforts were rewarded when Phillip Chesters' determination led to Colts' equaliser 4 minutes after the restart, via a deflection from John Garry. The effort to break down Mount Nod's defence took its toll on the Central Warwickshire Youth Football League outfit, with goals from David Blenkinsopp in the 64th and 83rd minutes. The first showed terrific control from the youngster who at 15 has already made it into the Birmingham FA U18 Representative side. His second strike was even better, cutting inside the box and shooting low under a stranded Jay. Danny O'Rourke put an end to any hope of a comeback from Coldlands – his best stop coming with 3 minutes to go when Simon Hudson found the ball at his feet in the 6 yard box. O'Rourke smothered Hudson's shot and held on well to maintain his side's 2 goal advantage. The next Birmingham FA Final is the Midweek Floodlit Cup between Tipton Town and Rugby Town on Friday 25th April at Tipton Sports Academy. Kick off is at 7.45pm. Sunday Youth Cup Final: RESULT Arden Forest proved a tough team to crack in the Birmingham FA Sunday Youth Cup Final, but found extra time just too much against a talented Romulus side. Chances were few and far between early on, with Romulus' Matthew Gardner hitting the back of the net in the 22nd minute, only for him to be adjudged offside. Arden took the lead in the 38th minute with an unstoppable shot from Sam Morris, running into the box at a terrific pace and latching onto Andrew Brooke's neat pass. The scores were level at halftime, thanks to a close range volley from Danny Hemmings. The two 'keepers kept their sides in the game throughout the second half, making brave challenges and impressive saves; Alaistar Lewis managed to string together three stops in a row to keep Romulus at bay, whilst James Ward's performance was equally dazzling, tipping the ball round his post at full stretch on two occasions. Indeed, the pair were only beaten once more in normal time. With a quarter of an hour to play, Lewis was unable to reach a low shot from Carpenter; despite diving to his left. Four minutes later Andrew Brooke got a second chance to take the ball round Ward and slot home Arden's equaliser. After such a closely fought 90 minutes, it seemed a shame that the scoreline ended as it did. Goals in the first period of extra time from Gardner and Porter secured the title for the Sutton Coldfield-based outfit, with Balley rounding off a great performance with Romulus' fifth goal with five minutes to go. The next fixture at County HQ is the Minor Cup Final between Mount Nod Highway and Coldlands Colts. Kick off for the game which takes place on Sunday 13th April been moved to 11am. |