HEATHENS FINALLY FIND GLORY!

Having suffered back-to-back semi-final defeats in both the ESPSFA Cup and Year 3/4 tournaments over the last couple of weeks, Short Heath finally got over the line and landed their first trophy since joining the ESPSFA three years ago. After a tight and tense final ended goalless, a 2-1 penalty shoot-out win over The Oval on Tuesday evening at GOALS, Star City, was enough for Short Heath to capture the Year 5 6-a-side trophy.

A late spate of withdrawals meant we were left with ten schools to compete for the season’s final prize. The ten were divided into two groups, guaranteeing each side at least four games.

As ever in these tournaments, the action came thick and fast with every child giving everything they had got to their respective causes. There were great goals, great saves, glaring misses and incredibly defending as ten schools were reduced to eight for the quarter finals.

Group A winners, The Oval (above) took on Group B’s fourth placed side, SSPP and the Kitts Green outfit secured their semi-final with a comfortable 3-1 win. Rosary were Group B’s winners and the boys in orange were rewarded with a last eight tie with Abbey. Chances came and went at both ends but as neither side could break the deadlock, penalties were required; Rosary however, prevailed and won through, 4-3. Timberley had shown good form in the group and made light work of their quarter final clash with Blakenhale, The Timbers cruising through, 4-1. Short Heath and Heathlands made up the final last eight pairing and it was the Heathens who came through, 2-0.

The quirkiness of the draw paired both groups top two against each other. Goals were few and far between in both ties with only the one goal netted between them all. That goal went to Short Heath in time added on for an injury stoppage, and though it broke Rosary hearts, it put Heath into the final. The Streetly Road side would have to wait to find out their opponents though as neither The Oval or Timberley could find a goal in their last four encounter. Penalties would once again be needed to decide a winner and though both Timberley and The Oval missed kicks in their initial allotted three, Timberley missed their first in sudden death and The Oval were in the final.

It was not to be The Oval’s day though and Short Heath lifted the trophy, putting to bed the memories of those lost semi-finals and a penalty shoot-out loss in the final of the ESPSFA Trophy back in November – victory never tasted sweeter for the Heathens as the curtain came down on an another wonderful ESPSFA season.

Here’s to September and the chance to dream of glory all over again…