Sharks seize the cup after dramatic final showdown (From Gazette Series)

Sharks seize the cup after dramatic final showdown

Reg Davis Memorial Cup final Sharpness 2 Lydney Town 1

SHARPNESS emerged triumphant from this major cup final clash, putting a strong Lydney outfit to the sword with a towering performance that made them worthy winners of the silverware.

This Wednesday night match began in the best possible way for the Sharks, with Lydney conceding a penalty after just five minutes.

Tim Thomas had played a lovely exchange with Matt Frankham before being brought down in the box. Dave Nash made no mistake from the spot to give Sharpness an early lead.

They did well to hold on to their advantage, with goalkeeper Pete Waite pulling off a point blank save to keep his side in the game.

Then, on 40 minutes, a calamitous defensive blunder by the Lydney backline saw the Sharks claim a second. From a long through ball, a defender headed the ball over the top of his own keeper , who had been advancing in vain, with Frankham prodding the ball over the line for the simplest of strikes.

Lydney did pull a goal back on 85 minutes from a deflected shot to make it a tense finish, but Sharpness held on for a memorable victory thanks to some sound defensive work, with player-manager Terry Gibbs marshalling his troops superbly.