Our Year 10 boys did us proud at the County Cup Final, played at the Sheepmount in Carlisle on Tuesday 23rd April.
Here is a report of the exciting match from the their coach, Mr Davies:
The team got off to a great start when Jamie Parkin crossed from a corner kick and Olly Martindale scored from a header at the back post to make it 1-0 inside the first few minutes. The game became tighter from that point with both teams having chances to score. Midway through the first half, Trinity equalised. 1-1.
William Howard gained confidence in the second half and had a lot of the ball with chances to score from Will Rafferty, Ben Williamson, Ben Morton and Tom Bolger. Shaun Petry (Captain) made 2 vital saves in the second half and this ensured the game finished 1-1 and with extra time to play. Both team had chances but the extra 10 minutes ended goalless and the game went to penalties.
Trinity opted to take first and both teams missed 1 penalty in the first 5. Sudden death. Trinity stepped up and a really good penalty hit the underside of the crossbar and luckily for us bounced down on the right side of the line and rolled back towards the taker. When you need composure, enter Will Rafferty (who had selflessly sacrificed one of the first 5 penalties so a teammate could take) who stepped up and slotted the ball bottom left corner to win 5-4 on penalties.
It was a tough game but the result sees the boys County Cup Winners for 3 years in a row – an outstanding achievement.
Captain and goalkeeper, Shaun Petry said, “I’m really proud of the team’s achievement. We’ve been playing together since Year 7 so are a very tight knit group. This is the third time we’ve won the County Cup, winning in Years 8 and 9 too.”
About the match, Shaun added, “It was a tough match. We just had to stick to the task and listen to the coach. It’s a shame it went to penalties, it meant there was a lot of pressure on those taking the penalties as well as me as goalkeeper.”
Coach, Reece Davies proudly commented, “The team have had an excellent season. They reached the final 16 in the national competition out of around 300 teams. In recent years, they have dominated their year group.”
He continued, “The boys are all high-end performers and a really close group. They respond well to any information given, but if they feel they’re not playing up to standard, they’re very good at correcting themselves and improving their game. Hopefully, they’ll continue their success.”
The squad face Caldew this afternoon in the semi-finals of the City Cup and are hoping to make it through to the final at Brunton Park on Monday. The WHS U12 team are already through to the final and the U13s play RR Moreton Academy tomorrow for their place.
