ABBEY JOY IN SEASON FINALE!

Abbey emerged victorious on Wednesday evening in the Year 4/5 6-a-side tournament as the curtain came down on another magnificent season of ESPSFA football.

Due to strikes, staffing issues and transport problems, a number of schools were unable attend but the show went on with seven schools competing in bright sunshine at Yardley 5’s for the trophy won last year by Short Heath.

All seven attendees were placed in one group meaning each playing each other and each getting at least six games of football and it was no surprise to see big hitters SSPP and Short Heath locked at the top of the group on 15 points and to complicate matters further, both ended up with a +8 goal difference. However, SSPP scored one more goal than Heath so that gave them a semi-final against fourth-placed Abbey – they themselves narrowly pipped Paget to that spot courtesy of also scoring just one more goal than the P’s.

Group runners-up, Short Heath’s semi-final would be against St Bernadette’s whose ten points from their six group games saw them through.

In the group game between then two Erdington rivals, SSPP emerged 3-1 winners, but Abbey upset the apple-cart in the last four clash and with their ‘keeper in inspired form, they kept P & P at bay whilst netting twice at the other end.

Meanwhile Short Heath and St Bernadette’s were involved in a thunderous encounter and it was a pity that one team had to lose out but it was the defending champions who nicked it with a fine strike sealing a 1-0 win.

The final also didn’t disappoint with both Short Heath and Abbey providing six minutes of high-class entertainment. With just 18 seconds on the clock, a Short Heath defender conceded a penalty which Abbey took full advantage of. From that early moment on, the pace of the game was unrelenting with chances created at both ends but both goalkeepers stood firm. With two minutes remaining, however, Heath deservedly equalised when a well struck low finish zipped inside the Abbey ‘keepers near post. Neither side could find another way to goal though, so it was down to the dreaded penalty shoot-out to find a winner; and it was to be Abbey’s night, taking the honours, 3-1.

So there it is, another season over but one which for many will live long in the memory. Ten trophies have been fought and battled for over the course of the past nine months with hundreds of boys and girls given the opportunity and honour of representing their schools with pride and passion; and we look forward to doing it all over again in September!