DOMINANT ABBEY COMPLETE TREBLE!

Abbey secured a first ESPSFA League, Trophy and Cup treble with a 4-0 victory against Timberley in the ESPSFA cup final at GOALS, Star City on Tuesday afternoon. It caps a remarkable season for the Erdington side whose domination seems to know no bounds.

Eighteen teams turned out in the annual 6-a-side cup competition and lined up in two groups of five and two of four – the top two in each group progressing to the quarter finals stage. And as ever, the action was quick and frantic with shots raining in from all angles but the goalkeepers on every pitch were outstanding and kept the scores respectable throughout.

In Group A, Yardley were the dominant side of five teams and conceded only once as they progressed as winners. Thornton also impressed and with only one defeat (to Yardley) they too went through to the knock-out stages.

Group B was the other with five teams involved. Rosary topped the group with ten points, they were denied a 100% record by Paget who held the Rosarians, 1-1. The final place went down to the final game with Paget and Blakenhale vying for the runners-up spot. Hale needed to beat Firs ‘B’ to qualify and did so winning a bizarre game, 8-4.

Both Abbey and Timberley had little problem in securing their second phase places despite valiant efforts from their Group C compatriots, Alston and St Bernadette’s.

The final two last–eight entries came from Group D where free-scoring Short Heath finished first beating Lea Forest to the summit courtesy of a better goal difference; the two had shared a 1-1 draw in their opening game.

There were contrasting quarter finals as two went to penalties and two won more comfortably. Yardley and Timberley drew 1-1 after the regulation 8 minutes and had to be separated by penalties – the Timbers held their nerve and the Youths, last season’s Year 5 champions, were out. Penalties also applied to the Abbey, Thornton clash. Thornton took an early lead but the league champions struck back and looked to be heading through when a late Thorns equaliser took the game to spot-kicks. Only one out of the six was missed – that by Thornton – and so Abbey found themselves in another semi-final.

There were calmer routes through for Short Heath and Lea Forest. The Heathens were on fire against Blakenhale and their 3-0 win was a fair reflection of the game. It was a similar story in the final round of eight ties as Lea Forest’s dumped Rosary out, 4-1.

Short Heath’s reward for their quarter final win was a clash with old adversaries, Abbey. Having already been on the end of a final defeat to the amber and blacks in the Trophy back in November, revenge was in the air but try as they did the Heathens couldn't get over the line and sank to a 2-0 defeat. Joining Abbey in the final, were Timberley who had a right-old ding-dong with Lea Forest. In a brilliant game which ebbed and flowed, the Timbers finally chopped the Forest down, 3-2.

Having reached the final and surviving that quarter-final scare against Thornton, Abbey were not going to underestimate Timberley despite their team consisting of Year 5 boys (bar for two from Year 6). And the Amber and Blacks were quick about their business racing into a 2-0 lead. Timberley never recovered and Abbey added two more to put the gloss on a first ESPSFA Cup title.

Timberley’s Year 5s will look to go one better next week when the curtain comes on another ESPSFA at the Year 5, 6-a-side tournament once again, at GOALS. Abbey's year 5s will be looking to help their school complete a clean-sweep of the 6-a-side competitions. However, thirteen other schools and academies will be joining them and all with the expressed intention of stopping that Abbey juggernaut.