25/04/2025 – REPORT – Richard Degville Cup Final

CHELMSFORD CITY RACECOURSE

ESSEX & SUFFOLK BORDER FOOTBALL LEAGUE

RICHARD DEGVILLE CUP

WEST BERGHOLT FC. 0.

HATFIELD PEVEREL FC RESERVES. 2.

Date: Friday 25^thApril 2025. Venue: Little Oakley FC.

This season the ESBFL decided to rename the COVID Cup after former long serving League Secretary and Vice-Chairman, Richard Degville who was recently awarded his fifty-year service medal by ECFA. This season’s finalists have both had good seasons in Division Three, Hatfield Peverel FC Reserves have won the divisional title, but West Bergholt FC sit second with two matches remaining. In the semi-finals West Bergholt FC beat Tendring Borough FC whist Hatfield Peverel FC Reserves beat Wormingford Wanderers FC, on spot kicks, so given their respective league positions a close game is expected this evening.

On a chilly evening, not helped by smoke drifting across the pitch throughout, the appointed match officials were Referee, Adrian Arnot, Assistant Referees, Daniel Axente and Chris Warren with Alex Hodder acting as Fourth Official, in a closely fought match, preceded by the “Respect” handshake there was plenty of effort and just three cautions administered to players and the match was played in a good spirit.

Hatfield Peverel, who had already beaten West Bergholt twice in the league, kicked off, Hayden found Arnold who forced a corner off Cruickshank, Currie took the corner, finding the head of tall defender, Carey, the ball got cleared, but only back to Currie, whose cross again found Carey whose fine header was tipped over the crossbar by keeper, Thorpe. Currie took the next corner, this time THOMAS CAREY had a simple header and scored from close range, and we were just a few seconds past the one-minute mark! Hatfield Peverel looked to build on this confident start, but West Bergholt, through Croney, looked useful and used his pace to round Pretty, but the cross was held by keeper, Bates who cleared up field where Shurvington climbed on the back of Arnold who had latched onto a flick-on by Dingli. Shurvington, hit the ball long towards Croney, but Pretty came away with the ball this time, then when a similar pass wide found Croney, he handled the ball to stop it going out of play. Hayden found space down the right side, but as he approached the penalty area, defender Johnson cleared the ball into touch, then when Croney pushed the ball past Pretty, defender Carey put the ball over the hedge into the overflow car park, no messing there then! From the throw in West Bergholt gained a corner, taken by Schofield, Hayden headed clear, and Hatfield Peverel Reserves broke quickly up field, Dingli held the ball up for Pretty whose cross was comfortably retrieved by keeper, Thorpe. During these first ten minutes, Hatfield Peverel Reserves had been quicker in the challenge and to any loose ball but were perhaps guilty of over playing the ball in their passing movements. Croney, was clearly the wide player that West Bergholt liked to use, a lack of control saw possession lost then leading scorer Clarke thought he had been fouled by Hayden, but the referee waved play on, which caused a few voices to be raised on the spectator side of the pitch!

Once again, Croney was the outlet for West Bergholt down the left side, his cross almost caught Carey out but Hayden swept up and sent the ball wide to Arnold who broke down the left side, to gain a throw in, taken, long by Carey into the crowded penalty area, keeper, Thorpe was flat-footed but managed to get a hand on the ball to divert it away from danger. West Bergholt pushed forward through the middle, a defensive mix-up by Kinsella, whose back-pass put keeper, Bates in trouble but the keeper recovered to launch the ball into touch. A free kick taken by Kinsella found Carey, whose knock down to Dingli was cleared after a bit of “ping-pong” head tennis for a goal-kick. West Bergholt were trying to play the ball out from the back, Shurvington then decided to launch the ball long for Croney, but keeper Bates was well placed to collect on the edge of his penalty area. An injury to Schofield saw play stopped, from the restart, Croney was caught offside from the free kick taken by Shurvington, then a free kick taken by Pretty, fell to Dingli, who controlled the ball before swivelling to hit the ball into the side netting from close range. Kinsella found Arnold in space, but Shurvington covered the danger but lost the ball to Hayden who set Arnold away to gain a corner off Cruickshank. Currie took the corner, Cruickshank headed clear from the near post area, a throw in followed, Carey sent the ball long towards Currie whose firm header was expertly tipped over the cross bar by keeper, Thorpe. From the resulting corner, taken by Currie, Hayden headed wide, Clark fouled Hayden, who was the driving force through midfield for Hatfield Peverel Reserves as his team dominated proceedings.

Croney was gaining little out of Pretty, who defended well and having won the ball in a tackle send it long to Dingli, whose pressure on keeper, Thorpe forced the custodian to kick the ball out of play. On thirty minutes, Clark and Croney both went for the same ball and lost out as Rogers gained possession and found Walton, but he was offside, Hayden fouled Angell, keeper, Thorpe took the free kick, but a goal kick followed, Hayden sprayed the ball wide towards Arnold but he was caught offside, then Carey stuck a long ball wide to Hayden who failed to control the ball. On thirty-seven minutes, Carey chested down a high ball, the ball rolled forward, but Carey lunged in to commit a fouled on Shurvington, once again Hatfield Peverel defended the free kick well, Hayden sent Pretty away, he found Dingli, but he was running into an offside position, as play resumed, Croney fouled Hayden on the half-way line. With five minutes of the first half remaining, Croney had a run towards goal but keeper, Bates thwarted that attempt, quickly running off his goal-line, Cruickshank defended well and came out with the ball to the half-way line, after tackling Arnold, thereafter Shurvington hit a long ball which Pretty and Carey guided back to keeper, Bates. Hayden was pulled up for a high boot, Allen committed one of the most obvious fouls, this was on Pretty, another long throw in from Carey caused a bit of trouble but when Johnson cleared up field, Croney latched on to the ball only to see keeper, Bates stop him not once but twice, he really should have chipped the advancing keeper, rather than try to go round him, good goal-keeping though, from the corner, taken by Schofield, keeper Bates held the ball before falling on it to waste a bit more time.

HALF-TIME: 0 – 1.

Before the restart, West Bergholt replaced Allen with Morgan and when Clark received the ball, there was defender Carey stopping any further progress, Hayden fouled Smith, but the free kick taken by Schofield flew straight to keeper, Bates. Leeder was pole-axed by a robust challenge from Clark, from the free kick, taken by Pretty, Schofield cleared the ball off the goal-line from a glancing header from Arnold. Angell had played well in mid-field for West Bergholt, a threaded pass found Croney but Pretty stood firm, when Clark fouled Hayden, once again in the thick of the action, the free kick from Pretty found the head of Carey but keeper, Thorpe saved with Johnson completing the clearance.

The first fifteen minutes had seen a lot of midfield effort but few chances of note, Hatfield Peverel Reserves replaced Rogers with Blakey-Sewell, a poor back pass from Johnson put his keeper, Thorpe in trouble, once again the keeper recovered to clear out for a throw in as Arnold threatened. West Bergholt had tried to raise their game this half but often left themselves exposed at the back when pushing forward, Arnold being allowed to run free from the half-way line with Johnson the last defender doing well to challenge outside the penalty area. On sixty-five minutes West Bergholt replaced Smith with Balding, Croney evaded two challenges to send in a cross to Clark whose left-footed effort narrowly missed the target. Currie was taken off with Kenny entering play on sixty-seven minutes, Arnold, again in space down the left side was stopped in his tracks by Leech and the pace of the game began to take its toll, Croney going down with cramp which led to another substitution on seventy-one minutes with Croney being replaced by Saunders, and Walton became the first player cautioned, this for a foul on Leech, where that player required treatment.

There was now just fifteen minutes remaining, the injured Leech mis-timed a tackle on Blakey-Sewell, was cautioned and immediately substituted with Murphy taking his place. A free kick taken by Leeder from the right side was totally missed inside the six-yard box, by keeper, Thorpe, not sure if he was un-sighted and with defenders flat-footed HARRY ARNOLD headed home over the top of numerous players inside that six-yard box, that goal should seal this final. Before the restart, on eighty-three minutes, the leagues, leading goal-scorer, Dingli was replaced by Harvey, a free kick taken by Cruickshank was headed wide by Clark, another chance goes begging. Arnold had seen a lot of the ball down the left side for Hatfield Peverel Reserves and after a mazy dribble his run was stopped by Shurvington, there were now six minutes of added time to play. Walton was replaced by Webb and both teams were pressing forward, keeper, Bates saved well from an effort by Angell, too little too late perhaps but the effort was there! In the dying minutes Blakey-Sewell picked up a yellow card for fouling Angell and Hatfield Peverel Reserves made their final player change with the industrious Hayden being replaced by Potter.

FULL TIME: 0 – 2.

As expected a close fought final, these teams had met twice before in the league season, Hatfield Peverel Reserves made it three from three but West Bergholt, with a young team, in a Club that is gradually rebuilding can take credit from their performance, on the night, the team that scored the more goals won, so congratulations to Hatfield Peverel FC Reserves who achieved a League and Cup double.

Turning to my choice of Star Players, usually in a cup final I nominate one player from each team, for West Bergholt, captain, Johnson and Shurvington kept their defence together, often showing a calmness when under pressure, and they were. Angell and Schofield were industrious but often over-run in midfield, whilst Clark got little change from Carey and Kinsella whilst Croney saw plenty of the ball but was well shackled by Pretty, whose missing, well despite a couple of errors, one leading to a goal, keeper Thorpe made some fine saves and encouraged his team throughout, not always politically correct wording but it showed his passion for his team to do well! For Hatfield Peverel FC Reserves, this was another team effort, the defensive pairing of Kinsella and particularly Carey caused problems at free-kicks and corners from where the goals came, Pretty and Leeder kept the respective flanks intact with displays from experienced players. Up front, Dingli rarely had sight of goal, whereas Currie and Arnold did, but it was in midfield that they had a strong engine, Rogers before his substitution and Hayden stormed into every challenge and took, as they say, no prisoners, Hayden was, for me, outstanding throughout.

Teams:

WEST BERGHOLT FC

Colours: Turquoise Fluor & Dark Navy Shirts, Dark Navy Shorts and Turquoise Fluor Socks.

Team:

Declan Thorpe., Reece Cruickshank., Callum Leech., Joel Shurvington., Henry Johnson (C)., Brett Angell., Reuben Croney., Harrison Clarke., Joel Smith., Michael Schofield., Samuel Allen.,

Manager: Liam Meadows.

Assistants / Coaches: Mark Harkness & Del Coleman.

Used Substitutes: Oliver Murphy., Bobby Saunders., Ryan Morgan., Alfie Balding.

Unused Substitutes: Adam Ketley.

HATFIELD PEVEREL FC RESERVES.

Colours: Red & White Shirts, Blue Shorts and Blue Socks.

Team:

Jamie Bates., George Pretty., Thomas Carey., Connor Kinmsella., John Leeder., Thomas Hayden., Liam Rogers., Conor Watson., Charlie Currie., Harry Arnold., Oliver Dingli.

Manager: Owen Dawson & Paul Rolfe.

Used Substitutes: James Kenny., Simon Potter., Luke Harvey., Joe Webb., Nathanial Blakey-Sewell.

Referee: Adrian Arnot.

Assistant Referees: Daniel Axente

&: Chris Warren

Fourth Official: Alex Hodder.

STAR PLAYERS: Declan THORPE (WEST BERGHOLT FC)

Thomas HAYDEN (HATFIELD PEVEREL FC RESERVES)