Photos from the final

This is a photo of the Cowshed end at Prenton Park, taken during the warm up

More warming up in the Wirral sunshine, with the Johnny King stand in the background

Oyster Martyrs warm up in front of the impressive Kop stand, which proved to be a lucky omen for them, as they scored the game's only goal at that end of the ground

The FA dignitaries are introduced to both teams, staring with Paddock

Paddock defend an Oyster free kick on the edge of the 18 yard box. Oyster danger man Leighton McGivern is closely marked (he is the only blue shirted player in the D)

Paddock now on the attack with a free kick of their own in front of the Cowshed end

Paddock keep possession despite the close attention of the Oyster defence and midfield

Quarter Final Photos

The following ground and action photos were taken on the 20th of February at the 5th round game between Mariners and Duke of Yorkwhich was played at the Liverpool County FA ground at Walton Hall Park

As you can see, the LFA ground boasts an impressive stand and floodlights. They very kindly offered to stage the game for free, as a reward for three of their sides reaching the quarter finals. The LFA drew lots to decide which side would play there and Mariners name was drawn first - however, thats where their luck ended, as they lost 2-1 to Duke of York

There are two identical grounds at Walton Hall. The near side is used more frequently than the ground furthest away, which is used for Liverpool Schools FA games. Photos of the various Liverpool School sides adorn the club house and I managed to pick out a young Steven Gerrard and Steve McManaman amongst the many successful teams

Mariners of the Ormskirk and District league (wearing the Barcelona FC replica kit) depend a Duke of York corner.

This time it's Duke of York from the Northamptonshire Combination's turn to defend a Mariners corner, at the opposite end of the ground

This photo perfectly illustrates the flat, wide playing surface of this ground. The pitch is in very good condition, bearing in mind the awful winter weather we had that caused so many postponements.

FA Sunday Cup photos

I bought a digital camera at Christmas and decided to take some ground and action photos from the Sunday Cup games that I've been to this year.

Being somewhat of a technophobe and possessing only the most basic of photography 'skills', it's taken me until now to get around to uploading them from the camera, deciding which photos to use and updating the blog with the results!

Having found it to be a refreshingly easy and straightforward process, I will endeavour to take more photos next season and include some in the match report for that game.

The following photos are from the 3rd round game between Huddersfield Irish Centre and Oyster Martyrs, which was played on the 9th of January. Oyster won 5-3 and gained revenge over the Irish who beat them at the same stage in the previous season.

I'll add some more photos from other games (including the final) shortly.

This photo is of the main stand at Newton FC, on the Wirral, which is where the fixture was played, following two postponements in West Yorkshire.

Oyster dangerman Leighton McGivern (Green and White Hopes, No 10) ran the Irish backline ragged in the first half. In an extremely impressive display, he was simply unplayable and his performance is as good as any player I have seen in over 25 years of watching this competition.

Leighton McGivern (standing furthest on the left) lines up the direct free kick which will give Oyster the lead after just ten minutes of play. McGivern had recently signed for local Conference North outfit Vauxhall Motors and has scored 10 goals for The Motormen since January.

Taken a few seconds later, following McGivern's wonder strike which flew past Graham McLachlan in the Irish goal.

Oyster manager, Richie Rooney (stood on the touchline), is an interested specator, as Oyster soak up some late Irish pressure.

The Final Verdict

Oyster Martyrs deservedly won the Sunday Cup at Prenton Park with a close fought victory over their local rivals Paddock.

After a largely uninspired first half, where chances were restricted to long range free kicks, the game belatedly sprang to life in the 75th minute, when a throw in from the left was headed on at the near post and found prolific marksman Leighton McGivern, whose low shot nestled in to the bottom left hand corner of the goal. You have to feel sorry for Paddock keeper Robert O’Connor, whose view of McGivern’s shot was obscured by his own defenders, thus giving him no chance of making a save.

Oyster came close to doubling their lead two minutes later, when a vicious shot from Graham Rooney was turned over by O’Connor. A header from Oyster Captain Tony Rendell, from the resulting corner, was headed off the line, as Oyster went for the kill.

Paddock’s best effort came with only 5 minutes remaining, when after a short spell of pressure, a shot from the edge of the penalty box sailed just wide of the Oyster goal.

A crude attempt to win a penalty from Paddock’s semi final hero Jamie Henders in the dying minutes was deserving of a yellow card. However, referee Russell Booth resisted booking the big target man for his blatant dive!

For years now, I’ve wanted to travel to Merseyside to watch two Liverpool teams lock horns in this wonderful competition. Sadly, neither side was able to recapture the form that has between them, seen off the likes of Hetton Lyons, Huddersfield Irish Centre and Duke of York.

This was the first time I have watched Paddock and I feel they gave a poor showing of themselves today. I’m sure they are capable of better. As for Oyster, I have seen them 5 times over the past few years and I know they can play a lot better than I saw them yesterday.

Perhaps I’m being harsh on both sides, after all, the chance to play in such a final only falls to a small number of players and the occasion is bound to effect even the most experienced and skilful of players.

Man of the Match: Leighton McGivern

Attendance: 1,105

Oyster beat Paddock to lift Sunday Cup

A goal from Leighton McGivern late in the second half was enough to hand the FA Sunday Cup to Oyster Martyrs in a crowd of 1,105 at Tranmere Rovers this afternoon - full report to come later...