Step aside Bradford City. Yorkshire has some new teams of cup giant-killing heroes who excel in penalty shoot-outs.
James 3rds completed arguably the biggest upset in College Cup history with their 6-5 penalty shoot-out victory over James 1sts on Tuesday, after their game had been deadlocked at 0-0 at the end of sixty minutes. The 1sts had brushed aside all comers so far in the competition, but against their own college 3rds side they became unstuck.
Below par performances from the attacking talent which had seen the 1sts go goal-crazy in the group stages leaves them out of the Cup at the quarter-final stage. They had a few chances to score, but could not convert them.
The 3rds, meanwhile, played the perfect game. Disciplined in their set-up, they restricted Tom Clarke to shots from range and even threatened going forwards themselves, having a goal disallowed in the second half.
The match was far from a classic for the football purists. In reality, James 3rds had to try and frustrate their loftier opponents, something they achieved with aplomb. It wasn’t conducive to the most entertaining football, but that will be easily forgotten. What will not be forgotten is the result.
One of the greatest parts of the match, though, was that the 3rds were clearly never going to roll over for their 1sts. The 1sts were the Cup favourites after the group stages; there could have been an argument for making this quarter-final into an exhibition match, which the 1sts would ultimately be allowed to win.
That was not the case. It may have reduced James College’s chances of taking home the Cup – despite their heroics, the 3rds face a colossal battle if they are to complete the most fairy-tale of runs – but it has shown what is great about the College Cup.
That was not the sum total of the penalty drama this week though, as Halifax 2nds overcame defending champions Vanbrugh 1sts to qualify for the Cup semi-finals. Meanwhile, Vanbrugh 3rds overcame James 2nds and Halifax 3rds defeated Alcuin 1sts in the Plate in matches also decided on penalties.
Elsewhere, I was in action later that afternoon for Alcuin 3rds against Derwent 5ths in the College Vase. We were confident of a victory, having picked up a point against Derwent 2nds earlier in the competition. We did expect Derwent to be a tough prospect, but one that we were capable of beating.
And that we did. They did score the opener, a perfectly flicked header which looped over me and into the net after a quick throw-in. But we hit back to level before half-time thanks to our skipper Ben Bugeja’s free kick, and then ran out winners thanks to two goals in the second half from our international-capped striker George Brough.
In truth, the win was deserved. Derwent were worthy opponents, but on a more ruthless day in front of goal we could have scored a few more. People probably doubted whether we had the quality to win comfortably, but we dominated for the majority of the match, winning the midfield battle hands-down.
Meanwhile I didn’t make a single significant save in the match; their only shots on target were the goal, and another header which floated straight into my grasp. I didn’t have the ball in my hands once in the first half – all I did was take three goal kicks, and pick the ball out of the net.
And so we move on to the semi-finals, where we will take on Langwith 2nds, who beat James 4ths 2-1. It should be a competitive match, and we can’t wait!
Game of the week
There were only four goals this week in the four College Cup matches, which tended to be cagey affairs. While there were some great and tense penalty shoot-outs, but not of this week’s matches stands out as an instant classic
The Vase and Plate, however, saw some more lively matches. And while the James 1sts vs James 3rds match showed how two sides who know eachother well can have a tight match, the Wentworth1sts vs Wentworth 2nds game was the exact opposite, with the 1sts running out 7-2 winners. There was even a goal for college football favourite Dan Howdon, the Wentworth manager and College Cup organiser.
Performance of the week
Well there’s only one winner here, and of course it is James 3rds. They proved themselves difficult to beat in the group stages – only Halifax 1sts, who have yet to concede a single goal, managed to defeat them. Once again they could not be broken down, holding out for a 0-0 draw.
Then came the penalties. Josh O’Donoghue stepped up first for the 1sts and had his attempt brilliantly saved down low by Andy Lake. The next eight penalties were all scored, until Sam Blumson’s effort which would have won the match for the 3rds was saved by Luke Bradley.
It came down to sudden death but, after the first two penalties were scored, Matt Bainbridge could only skim the top of the bar with his shot. The stage was set for Andreas Boedt to complete the historic triumph and he made no mistake, leading to jubilant celebrations from the 3rds, euphoria amongst the crowd, and dismay for the 1sts.
In another week, Vanbrugh 3rds, Halifax 3rds and Halifax 2nds would all have staked a claim to this prize. But considering the gulf between the two James sides on paper, and the huge importance of the match, it was a clear winner.
Player of the week
A shared award this week. Sam Woodall is one of the winners – he scored four goals for Langwith 1sts against Vanbrugh 4ths to ensure their progression into the semi-finals. In reality, he could have scored even more, and stood out clearly as the best player on the pitch.
But it would be unfair to overlook the players in the Cup. Matt Mawdesley pulled the strings from the centre of midfield for Halifax 1sts on Monday. It was far from a vintage performance from the team, but Mawdesley was at the centre of their best play. His goal may have been a tap in after Hamish Denham’s superb long throw-in, but for all round contribution, no player stood out more.
Stats of the week
All four penalty shoot-outs this week were won by the lower ranked team involved.
Of the five 3rds teams who reached the knockouts, only one lost this week, with three winning against higher ranked opposition.
Of the eight 1sts teams who reached the knockouts, four were defeated, despite there being only one match between two 1sts teams.
There are the same number of 1sts, 2nds and 3rds teams left in the knockouts (four of each).
Team of the week
Andy Lake;
Matt Darling, Michael Olsen, Dave Belshaw, Jordan Steel;
Kris Siva, Dan Bawdon, Matt Mawdesley, Joe Mann;
Sam Woodall, George Brough.
Semi-final fixtures
CUP: Halifax 1sts vs. Halifax 2nds (Monday, 2pm), James 3rds vs. Derwent 1sts (Tuesday 2pm).
PLATE: Wentworth 1sts vs. Vanbrugh 3rds (Monday, 3pm), Derwent 2nds vs. Halifax 3rds (Tuesday 3pm).
VASE: Langwith 1sts vs. Goodricke 2nds (Monday, 4pm), Alcuin 3rds vs. Langwith 2nds (Tuesday, 4pm).
Coming up this week
Monday sees a mouth-watering all-Halifax affair for the right to reach the College Cup final. After this week’s giant-killing, anything is possible. The split of crossover players could prove crucial. On Tuesday, Derwent 1sts will look to overcome James 3rds, who face another David and Goliath encounter.
In the Plate, the dangerous Vanbrugh 3rds play Wentworth 1sts, while Halifax 3rds take on Derwent 2nds in what is likely to be a close match. The Vase sees Langwith 1sts face Goodricke 2nds, before Alcuin 3rds take on Langwith 2nds, in two encounters which promise to be competitive.