President’s Cup Final

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Premier Division Runners Up Walsden C&FC were back at Mayfield Sports Centre on Saturday 23 May for their second cup final of the season as Daniel Howley’s side looked to add the President’s Cup to the Chairman’s Cup won in such fine style eight days previously.

A warm sunny afternoon greeted the finalists Walsden and Rochdale Asia, who were appearing in their second cup final in two years.

Walsden made their intentions clear from the first whistle as they moved the ball around the large playing area with speed and accuracy. With barely five minutes on the clock Paul Marrow switched the ball out wide to Gary Brierley who went past his marker and crossed low into the box for the Premier Division’s top scorer Danny Brown to open the scoring from six yards out.

With Rochdale Asia struggling to keep hold of the ball Walsden poured forward at every opportunity and Jonathan Sutcliffe was denied by Asia keeper Mohammed Usman Rauf; Brierley fired over when well-placed and Rauf was on hand to deny Sutcliffe again moments later.

Asia were being constantly caught on the ball, and outnumbered in the middle of the park, and they were made to pay as Walsden increased their lead on fourteen minutes as skipper Matthew Town’s deep cross was headed home by Brierley at the back post.

It had taken all of twenty minutes but finally Sheraz Hussein’s team began to make an impression on the game in an attacking sense as Michael Rushton fired a spectacular volley just over from Zaheer Hussain’s cross, and Omar Malik began to create space with several powerful runs well dealt with by Harry Whitehead and Danny Welsh in the heart of the Walsden defence.

The games first substitution was a “coupon buster” as assistant referee Tony Andrews had to be replaced by fourth official Andrew Perrin and the change heralded Walsden’s third goal on twenty eight minutes as Asia gave away possession in their own half again and Brown was on hand to head home Josh Gale’s cross for his second of the game.

The lead certainly did not flatter Walsden as they played the ball short and long, but always to feet, and their movement and sense of purpose was just too much for the opposition to deal with; however, Rochdale Asia are a spirited outfit with talented individuals and as the half drew to a close they enjoyed their best spell of the game, forcing a series of free kicks and corners. Unfortunately for them Glynn Claxton was proving himself a more than able deputy for the unavailable Jamie Shackleton and Walsden took their three goal advantage into the break.

In terms of a contest the fourth goal had to be Rochdale Asia’s and they certainly came out looking for it as only two superb last minute interventions from James Peavoy preserved Walsden’s lead. Omar Malik created space but saw his powerful shot blocked at close range and Rushton was again denied by Claxton’s clean and confident handling.

Clearly Asia had to speculate, and inevitably this meant taking risks at the back; a gamble against a side of Walsden’s counter attacking quality, with the clever Brown and speedy Sutcliffe living off the shoulder of the last defender, and it was 4-0 on 58 minutes as Brown’s slide rule cross to Marrow saw Rauf make a great close range save only for the ball to fall kindly for Brierley to net his second of the game.

Four became five within two minutes and it really was game over as Brown yet again confounded Asia’s square back line with a well timed run to round Rauf and roll the ball into the net for his hat trick.

Omar Malik was again foiled by Claxton, and Brown by the post, as the game entered its final phase; a phase disrupted by a spate of cautions as Asia began to lose a little of their self discipline, and negatively impacted upon by the rolling substitutes law.

Omar Malik netted a well-deserved goal for both himself and his team on seventy two minutes as Claxton was finally beaten, and Mohammed Imran headed just over from Osama Alwarfarli’s right wing corner. A rare error from Whitehead gave substitute Lee O’Neill the chance to further reduce the deficit but he lifted the opportunity wide of the far post, and the game’s final opportunity fell to Marrow but he too missed the target when well placed.

The final whistle sparked scenes of jubilation as the West Yorkshire outfit celebrated a memorable and well deserved cup double, with League President John Culshaw presenting the President’s Cup to Matthew Town and the Man of the Match Award to the outstanding James Peavoy. Danny Brown also received the Premier Division Leading Goalscorer Award to cap a season to remember for Team Manager Daniel Howley’s impressive side.

Rochdale Asia acquitted themselves well on the day, and readily conceded that their opponent’s had too much fire power for them, but their Management Team of Sheraz Hussein and Mickey Saeed can reflect on many positives from their first season back in the top flight, and hopefully keep this group of players together and ready to go again come September.