Match Action
Photographs courtesy of Alan McAteer
Bristol Manor Farm 2 - 1 Willand Rovers (AET)
Les Phillips Cup Final - 6th May 2012It was the second cup final in a matter of days and the celebrations of Thursday night were left behind as the job of overcoming Willand Rovers now took centre stage. As the match got underway, The Farm looked nothing like the team that played in the GFA final. The first half was all Willand and after 20 minutes they took the lead with a well taken shot by James Ansell. Willand continued to press but keeper Lee Ballard and the defence kept the score to just the single goal by half time.
Manor Farm began the second half much livelier and could have levelled the game seveal times. Luke Clarke's free kick on the hour finally gave The Farm a goal. Dipping over the wall and into the right hand side of the net, Willand's keeper could only look on. With just minutes of normal time remaining, Clarke had the chance to seal the game but his shot went wide.
And so the match went into extra time. After a goalless first half it was starting to look like a penalty shoot-out. The winning goal came just minutes into the second period of extra time when Steve Fitzpatrick's shot rebounded off the post. Sub Ben Crewe didn't need a second invitation and knocked it home. Celebrations ensued, but there was still plenty of time for Willand to hit back. But The Farm held on for a fantastic second cup victory in four days
It was a remarkable effort by the team to play and win two cup finals in such a short space of time. Drained after the exertions of Thursday night, the lads picked themselves up after the first half of this game. With guts and determination they once again came up with the silverware!
