Cup joy for Slimbridge (From Gazette Series)

Cup joy for Slimbridge

Hellenic Norman Matthews Floodlit Cup Final - Second Leg Fairford Town 0, Slimbridge 3 (Slimbridge win 4-0 on aggregate)

A STRONG second half performance secured the Norman Matthews Floodlit Cup for Slimbridge at Cinder Lane on Wednesday evening (March 17). Craig Cole bagged a brace and Matt Green got the third goal.

Slimbridge were boosted before the game with skipper Andy Pritchett, Steve Badham and Gary Marshall all being pronounced fit to play after missing recent action, while Ryan Lovegrove made it for Fairford.

Fairford survived a couple of early scares when firstly Cole's well struck cross eluded everyone in a packed area, and then Fred Ward set up Green to fire straight at James Price who took the ball well.

Fairford netted on 13 minutes but skipper Lee Clark's far post header was well offside as the raised flag intimated.

Some outstanding midfield play by both sides could not prise an opening until on 29 minutes Clark again got a sniff at goal but mis-hit his shot, safely taken by Ryan Chandler in the visitors' goal.

Just before the interval, Ross Casey, playing particularly well, got to the Fairford byeline down the right and managed to pull the ball back for Green to hit past Price, but take a deflection away.

Both defences were standing firm as the second half got under way, but Slimbridge appeared to be stretching Fairford more with Steve Badham and Ward getting through a lot of work on the flanks.

On the hour, Lee Stoddart was introduced by the home side to boost attacking options, but before he'd had a touch, the first goal of the night arrived on 61 minutes.

Gary Marshall broke up a Town attack and threaded a ball to the hardworking Julian Freeman breaking swiftly down the right. A well-timed low ball found Cole in the midst of a back-tracking defence, to turn it past Price.

Fairford responded well with the fleet-footed Stoddart becoming their main hope of inspiration. Twice he went close after Pritchett and Jon Embling had done their best to distract him from taking more measured shots at Chandler.

It then became highly noticeable how much work that Casey, Green and Moore in particular were getting through, that was starting to totally disrupt the Fairford midfield.

On 73 minutes it was 2-0 on the night when Freeman surged into the home area and was sent flying. Cole confidently put the spot-kick away, low into the corner of the net.

Five minutes from time Cole worked an opening and Green finished well by lifting the ball over the advancing Price for goal number three.

There was still time for Green to net again but this time ruled offside, as the game finished, not surprisingly in the circumstances, with Slimbridge stroking the ball around a deflated looking Fairford side.

A deserved triumph for Slimbridge on the evidence of two legs and natural disappointment for Fairford, but both teams can be proud to have participated in a final of high quality football.

Slimbridge: R Chandler, G Marshall (Mike Green 76), J Embling, A Pritchett, Matt Green, R Moore, E Ward, R Casey, J Freeman (N Rieger 86), C Cole, S Badham (W Hill 84).