The first bank holiday in May, and pretty much the only local match on was the NCEL League Cup final at Staveley. It was a hot sunny day, and I’d not been to one of these finals before, so it was worth a punt. On the short drive to Stavely from Sheffield, I worked out that I’d been there 4 times before . Two were in previous seasons – one for an initial visit in 2009, and another for an entertaining battle royale between Staveley and Retford in 2011-12. In 2012-13 thus far, I’d been to a July friendly in hot sunshine (not long after the Olympics began) and a freezing match just before Christmas 2012. It was nice to see the sun out again at the end of a long season blighted by snow and ice! The ground at Inkersall Road has improved significantly since my first visit there in March 2009. There is a modern stand with a few seats, a small covering over terraces at either end, and a refurbished club house complete with the almost obligatory Sky TV. You get the feeling that while they are hovering round mid-table of the NCEL Premier, this is a club on the up, and like Handsworth, with big ambitions for the future.
The two clubs lining up for today’s final were Thackley (near Shipley in Bradford) and Louth (central Lincolnshire). Thackley had finished in mid-table in the NCEL Premier, while Louth (having reformed a couple of years ago) were in the NCEL Division 1. I was somewhat perplexed by the programme which explained that Thackley were aiming to be the first team to win consecutive league cups – when the listing of past winners showed Scarborough Athletic had won it in the previous year (confusingly stated as 2012-13)! I decided to forget worrying about past history and focus on the match today, when Thackley would surely be favourites to pick up some silverware.
As usual, the match defied expectations, and Louth came out firing on all cylinders looking for the win. They were tough to break down in midfield, and direct in the attack, and opened the scoring on 8 minutes with a header after a flick on from a throw-in. Thackley responded with a shot from the right on 14 minutes which was parried away by the Louth keeper. Louth had a chance to extend their lead when no 11 skewed a shot wide from the left on 18 minutes. Already this was shaping up as some match. Gradually, Thackley began to dominate the ball, forcing the keeper to save with his legs on 35 minutes, and having a free-kick saved just on the stroke of half-time.
The second half ended as the first began, with Thackley (in bright orange) forging chance after chance. A free kick from no 11 was deflected over by the wall, before equalising round about the hour mark with a header from a long throw. Both goals scored were almost mirror images of each other! Thackley took the lead shortly after, with a low cross from the left tapped in comfortably by a grateful striker. It looked like my hopes of a shock were looking rather forlorn today. This was confirmed with Thackley’s no 16 surging forward from the left into the box, and scoring superbly into the corner of net. Louth did have further chances, with no 12 flashing a header just wide of the keeper’s post, but it was too late. Final score 3-1, and Thackley had wrapped up the cup. Even with the presentation of the trophy and medals, it felt like an anticlimax to a long NCEL season. It would be like purgatory through May, June and July when I’d be sorely missing the action of this fantastic local league.
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