Combined Counties League Esoteric Records Division One Cup Final.
On a gloriously sunny day I made the trip over to the 1878 Stadium in Burnham for a cup final whose name just rolls off the tongue, the Combined Counties League Esoteric Records Division One Cup. Sadly, this was match would be the last hurrah for Hillingdon Borough as they had already signalled this season would be their last in the league. There was a decent crowd in the stadium swelled by plenty of groundhoppers no doubt coming to see the end of an era.
Holmer Green went into this game as the favourites having finished nineteen points ahead of their opponents in the league and only just missing out on the play-offs by four points. Results between the two sides in the league had seen a 1-1 draw at Hillingdon and Holmer Green coming out on top 4-2 winners in their home game.
Entry for the final was £10 for adults, £5 for concessions and £1 for an excellent printed programme.
The game kicked off slightly before 3pm with the ball going from end to end in the opening stages of the game, and after the first five minutes, Holmer Green started to get on top. Three early Ollie Saunders corners were pumped into the box with keeper Mateo Dos Reis claiming a couple well and the defence managing to hold firm to clear the other.
Next, a nice interchange from Harrison Holbrook and James Mangan opened up space for Saunders and he hit a great first time strike from 25 yards out that beat Dos Reis only for it to crash against the post and rebound away to safety.
Borough hit back and a nice one two between Sam Wood and Toj Lapido allowed the latter to find space on the right corner of the box but his attempt to curl the ball into the opposite top corner sailed over the bar. They also came close after Keiran White found Lapido in the box and his shot from a tight angle was saved well by the legs of George Morley in the Green’s goal.
Holmer then won another corner that caused angst inside the Borough defence before being cleared. On a quick break a fantastic run from his own half by Lapido, who shrugged off a challenge from the defender before shooting low but Morley had his angles sorted out well and made a comfortable save.
Holmer then won yet another corner and this time played it short, Saunders received the ball back and floated a cross towards the far post where it was met by Liam Butters with his header going just over the bar.
After 36 minutes Holmer Green took the lead. They won a free kick on the left ten yards inside their own half which was launched into the Borough six yard box. Oskar Espland-Evans went up with the keeper who couldn’t hang on to it and the loose ball was picked up and dispatched into the net by Joshua Peck. 1-0
Hillingdon tried to bounce straight back when Ladipo made a quick break down the right before squaring to the penalty spot. Three converged on the ball, the keeper Morley, Zak Webster from Holmer and David Bamidele for Borough all sliding in at the same time. The ball bobbled free but Morley was able to gather.
On 43 minutes captain James Mangan launched a long throw into the six yard box which again caused all sorts of problems for the Borough defence, they couldn’t clear and Peck was again on hand the poke the loose ball into the net to double Holmer’s lead. 2-0
Peck could have secured his hat-trick moments later when a long ball from defence was headed on by Espland-Evans but Peck’s snapshot went narrowly wide of the post.
In the fifth minute of added time Holmer Green did make it three. Another Saunders corner to the far post was met by Liam Butters. His header went across the goal with Peck appearing to get the final touch but the goal has since been given to Butters by Holmer Green’s socials so who am I to argue! 3-0
H-T: Holmer Green 3 Hillingdon Borough 0
Hillingdon Borough came out for the start of the second half as if they’d received the hairdryer treatment during the break. On a quick break down the right flank full back Jamie Pitt put a good cross into the box, White managed to beat the keeper to the ball only to see his header loop over the bar.
Pitt was again involved moments later, another searching cross into the box led to a misunderstanding between Butters and Morley with the former stooping to head the ball out only for it to hit the base of the near post and bounce away for a corner.
The corner from Pitt was headed goalwards at the far post by Alfie Campbell and somehow the defenders on the line couldn’t get a touch to clear and it rolled into the back of the net. 3-1
On 61 minutes Holmer Green restored their three goal advantage. A nice one two on the right side of the box between Saunders and Mangan led to the ball being swept across the face of goal and Peck was running in at the far post to tap the ball in for his hat-trick. 4-1
A good run from Green’s Neilon Pascall from his own half, taking it past three players, opened up another chance for Peck but this time his shot went too close to Dos Reis and he saved well low to his right.
Borough still weren’t done and in the 72nd minute, a great turn and run down the right flank from White gave him the chance to cut the ball back to the edge of the area from the byline. It wasn’t cleared and found its way to Jevan El-Kaffash twenty yards out and his first time strike looked to take a little deflection to take it away from Morley and into the back of the net. 4-2
Just a minute later Peck was at it again. He latched onto a ball through the middle to calmly slide the ball past Dos Reis and claim his fourth of the game. 5-2
Two minutes later it was six. Another ball inside the Borough defence found the run of Peck and he stroked the ball under the onrushing Dos Reis for his fifth of the game. 6-2
A free kick from 30 yards out was lifted over the bar by Butters before Peck wrapped up the scoring in the second minute of added time. Again, he made an intelligent run through the defence, picked up the pass and got an early shot away which was parried by Dos Reis. The loose ball found it’s way to substitute Elias Lubbat whose shot bounced and looking to go wide until Peck appeared at the far post to touch in his sixth of the game and Holmer Green’s seventh. 7-2
F-T: Holmer Green 7 Hillingdon Borough 2
A cracking game of football to end the season and congratulations to Holmer Green on picking up the silverware. Not surprisingly Joshua Peck picked up the player of the match award for his six goal haul, that must have been a difficult one for the adjudicator!
Peck looks a level or two above step six, pacy, powerful off and on the ball and certainly has an eye for goal. He’s the sort of player that defences hate playing against, always in their face and making intelligent runs behind.
Sadly that is the last we’ll see of Hillingdon Borough and they made a good fist of it, just couldn’t cope with the pace and set pieces from Holmer Green. Wishing the very best to all their players, coaches and officials for the future and hope to see them back in the game soon.
A word for the officials who I thought were excellent. Referee Levi Gray and her two assistants Simon Cook and Mark Branwhite. There was a suspicion of hand ball in the run up to one of the Holmer Green goals but the referee was closer to the action that I so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt on that one!
That’s the second time I’ve seen Levi Gray referee in big games over the last couple of months and she has impressed both times. One ready to climb the levels I suspect.
A great day out in the sunshine, thanks to all at Burnham for their hospitality, the Combined Counties League for organising an excellent final, and to both teams for such an entertaining game!