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Photos: Jack Western
Halifax 1sts booked their place in a third consecutive College Cup final this afternoon, with a 3-1 win over their own second team. Two first half goals created by Hamish Denham long throws, and a beautiful strike from Alex Tringham with ten minutes remaining sealed the victory, and ended Halifax 2nds excellent run in the competition this year.
Halifax 2nds were severely depleted, by the call up of four key players to the 1st team, as well as the absence of Hamid Arezoo and Sean Kearney, yet still battled wilfully as they restricted the opportunities of their talented opposition.
The 1sts though were worthy winners, and showed early intent as Tom Day came close when he nodded a Keiran Gennoy cross over the bar at the back post. The pressure continued, as Tringham and Connor McCoy both fizzed efforts narrowly wide, and in the eight minute the 1sts deservingly opened the scoring.
The goal was almost a replica of the winner from the quarter final against Vanbrugh 2nds, as Hamish Denham launched a bullet long throw in from the right, to which Matt Mawdesley rose and nodded in from three yards to grab his sixth goal of the tournament.
Gradually the 2nds grew into the game though, and Ed Henry produced a perfectly weighted through ball, but Ryan Doherty’s first touch was heavy and the ball rolled through to the grateful Jonny Sim. Unfazed by their opponents and cheered on by a large crowd, the 2nds played some pleasing football, but they nearly fell two behind when Dan Jones diverted an Ash Daly freekick narrowly wide of the far post.
In the 21st minute, Tringham displayed his offensive talents, as he burst forward to latch onto a Daly pass, and launch an unstoppable 25 yard drive which crashed onto the bar and away to safety. The 1sts though did double their advantage moments later, as 2nds ‘keeper Mitch Barwick misjudged a Hamish Denham long throw, and pushed the ball up onto the underside of his bar and into the goal.
At 2-0 the game seemed to be all but over as a contest, but the 2nds demonstrated great resilience and on the stroke of half time almost pulled a goal back, as Henry Collins’s shot beat Jonny Sim but rattled the bar.
Two minutes after the interval though they got their reward for their hard work, as the 1sts conceded their first goal of the campaign, bringing the contest right back to life. Elliot Ragan picked out the run of Doherty, who was played on side by substitute Guy Bowden, and the striker slotted home into the bottom corner past the outrushing Sim.
The 1sts though regrouped after the goal, enjoying a stint of pressure as they passed the ball around neatly, with Day and McCoy displaying some particularly neat touches. Indeed McCoy was linking well down the left flank with captain Matt Darling, posing a constant threat for the 2nds. And the crossover player, who has been in excellent goalscoring form for the 2nds, twice fired narrowly wide as the 1sts looked for a third goal to kill off the contest.
In the 47th minute they bagged the crucial third goal, as Tringham curled a beautiful freekick past Barwick from 22 yards, after a foul on Day, to book the 1sts place in the final where they will face either Derwent 1sts or James 3rds.
After the game Halifax 1sts captain Matt Darling told Vision: “Happy with that, it was only going to be a potential banana skin, and they were missing a few players and had the crowd cheering them on. Pleased to win 3-1, and make three finals in the three years I’ve been here, so great result. I think we’ve got a great chance (in the final), and we’ve got as good a team as anyone in the tournament and if our big players perform on the day we’ll beat them.”
Halifax 2nds captain Jonny McGuiness was pleased with his side’s efforts and remarked: “We did really well as a 2s team to make the semis and against a 1st team we weren’t expected to win. We were missing so many players, but everyone played really well, so I’m happy.”
Vision MOTM: Alex Tringham