ECL CUP FINALS

4:49pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

Macclesfield & District FA Saturday Cup Final at Moss Rose Club AZ 2 Congleton Athletic 1

CHESHIRE Division Two side and pre-tournament favourites Club AZ collected the Macclesfield FA Saturday Cup at Moss Rose after a narrow victory against a battling Congleton Athletic side at Moss Rose.

With Club AZ sweeping all before them on their way to the final, scoring 20 goals in the process, fans could have been excused for thinking this game was going to be one way traffic but Ian Slinger's team from the Crewe and District League had other ideas.

Congleton Athletic competed in every department and kept their more illustrious opponents in check for large parts of the match. Jack Higginbottom looked lively upfront and Rob Negus, their semi-final hero, battled in midfield. With 13 minutes gone he had the opportunity to give Athletic the lead with the first real chance of the match and was unlucky to see his powerful header well saved at the near post by Matt Towns.

Despite having more possession, Club AZ had few efforts on target that troubled goalkeeper Rick Fleury but on the half-hour mark they took the lead. Omar Lamptey's persistence on the right wing earned a corner and Harry Wheetman's inviting delivery was met by Craig Scott and his header somehow squirmed through a crowd of players and into the net. It was a soft goal to concede but it was just what Club AZ needed and they began to dominate, forcing a string of corners. Neil O'Brian saw his effort sail over the bar, and on 39 minutes Harry Wheetman let fly from 20 yards and his thunderous shot crashed off the underside of the bar and fell invitingly to Omar Lampety who made it 2-0.

Congleton began the second half with more purpose and brought the game to life on 52 minutes when captain Matt Tonks headed home to make it 2-1 but, despite an effort from substitute Jimmy Hewitt, they never really looked like breaking down an experienced AZ back four, well marshalled by captain Andy Quigley. Despite creating several opportunities, most notably from Craig Scott and Harry Wheetman, AZ failed to add to their lead but the cup, ultimately, had already been won.

Macclesfield & District FA Sunday Cup Final at Moss Rose Packhorse 1 Higher Poynton 2

STOCKPORT Premier League side Higher Poynton turned the form book on its head as they inflicted the first defeat of the season on the Packhorse and prevented them gathering a clean sweep of Sunday league trophies.

Two goals, one at the beginning of each half, did the damage as the Packhorse failed to cope with the high tempo start set by Poynton from the first whistle. Man of the Match Curtis Tompson unsettled the Pack defence and as early as the fourth minute Poynton took the lead, Dan Toomey hoisting a huge throw into a packed penalty area where he found brother Mark, who looped a header beyond Matt Towns into the top corner. Minutes later Sam Davidson had a great chance to make it 2-0 when he latched onto a misdirected header from Nick Ward but he scuffed his effort and the danger was cleared.

Packhorse always looked dangerous. Lee McIntyre hit the bar on 15 minutes and Jono Campbell and Lee Malkin forced saves from Chris Brown. However, their main threat came from centre half Andy Atkinson, whose delivery from deep inside his own half seemed to cause Poynton real problems. With half-an-hour gone referee Ray Rigby awarded a free kick just inside the Poynton half and up stepped Atkinson from fully 40 yards to blast the ball high over a stunned Chris Brown into the net.

With the sides going in level at half time and little between them, it was going to take something extraordinary to break the deadlock. Barely 40 seconds into the second half and with fans still returning to their seats, Higher Poynton stunned the Pack by taking the lead, Curtis Tompson's cross-cum-shot somehow finding its way into the net in slow motion over keeper Matt Towns.

It seemed to ignite the game and on 53 minutes Poynton put themselves in difficulty when they were reduced to ten men as centre half Nathan Singleton saw red following words with referee Rigby. Packhorse, still chasing the equaliser, threw Andy Atkinson up front to try and take advantage of their spare man. If anything it had the opposite effect. Sam Davidson, Poynton's striker who'd been kept quiet by Atkinson came back into the game, and began to create space for Steve Rhodes and Alan Hay.

On 83 minutes Packhorse thought they'd equalised when Lee Malkin smashed home but they hadn't seen referee's assistant Nigel Poole flagging for offside.

Packhorse manager Brian Ault brought on Simon Band as they fought to get back in the game but Bands' enthusiasm boiled over as he clashed late on with Simon McMahon and he too saw red. It was the last throw of the dice for the Packhorse as Higher Poynton hung on to take the trophy and spark celebrations from their travelling support.

Trade Mark Collections East Cheshire Football League League Cup Final at Woodley Sport FC Boarhound 3 Puss In Boots 7

Nick Edge's Puss In Boots team finished the season on a high, picking up their third trophy and confirming their status as the strongest team in the ECL for the second year in a row.

The game itself, against arch rivals Boarhound, was over as a contest by half time as the Puss powered into a five-goal lead by the break but, remarkably, within the space of nine second-half minutes, Boarhound had pulled three goals back and had spectators wondering whether they were about to pull off the most amazing comeback in ECL history!

The Puss dominated from the first whistle. Emlyn Hughes, given far to much space on the left, tormented the Boarhound defence, creating early chances for Simon Band and Simon Ainsworth. On 11 minutes Puss took the lead, but it owed more to good fortune than good judgement, Simon Band's shot squirming under the body of the unfortunate Andy Kellar. Lee McIntyre made it 2-0 three minutes later, delicately chipping the ball over the goalkeeper. Boarhound did create chances though with Andy Foote, Ian Potts and Jamie Collins all forcing smart saves from Andy Atkinson.

The turning point came midway through the half as the Puss scored two goals in two minutes to give themselves a four-goal advantage. Simon Ainsworth made it 3-0, latching onto a quickly-taken free kick from Ryan Stewart to sprint clear. Barely a minute later Lee McIntyre dispossesed a Boarhound defender and stroked the ball into the net. Five minutes before the break Emlyn Hughes was adjudged to have been fouled in the penalty area and referee David Friedlander pointed to the spot. Lee McIntyre took over the penalty-taking duties and smashed the ball home to complete his hat-trick.

Maurice Sutton made changes at half time to try and stem the tide, Ryan Fitter and Craig Hulme coming on to give Boarhound a much-needed lift and replace some tired legs. It seemed to work and despite Simon Band scoring a sixth goal Boarhound amazingly began to stifle the Puss and create chances themselves. Just after the hour mark Boarhound scored three times without reply and a shell-shocked Puss team only had themselves to blame. Ian Potts chipped in to make it 6-1 and then Andy Foote and a rare headed goal from Wayne Shuflebotham made it 6-3. It gave them a glimmer of hope but still a mountain to climb and when Simon Ainsworth tapped home to make 7-3, it really was game over.

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