Sunday 18th January

Postponements
Hetton Lyons v Chapeltown Fforde Green
Black Bull v Allerton
Queens Park v Home & Bargain

Results
Campfield 4 v Pineapple 2
Priory Sports 0 NLO 3
AC Sportsman 2 v OJM 5
Crawley Green 4 v The Windmill 1
New Salamis 2 v Barnes Albion 1

Third Round Review

Humbledon Plains Farm 1 v Home & Bargain 3
After their impressive win at Oyster Martyrs in round two, I was tipping champions Humbledon Plains Farm as favorites to go all the way to this season’s final. However, retaining the Sunday Cup is an incredibly difficult feat – it’s only been done twice in fifty years – and the wait for it to be done again continues, following Home & Bargain’s fantastic victory in the North East.

Playing the cup holders away is about as bad a draw as it’s possible to receive, especially when you consider that a number of the Humbledon team play their Saturday football for Washington in the Northern league and this game was played on Washington’s ground.

Home & Bargain, who ply their trade in the Liverpool Business Houses league, took the lead through prolific scorer Chris McGann in the first half. Champions Humbledon levelled early in the second half. McGann was on hand to restore the scousers lead and Phil Bowman clinched a famous win, when he added a third with just ten minutes remaining.

Barnes Albion 1 v Haunchwood Sports 0

2013 finalists Barnes Albion of the West Middlesex league made it through to the last 16 but were pushed all the way by debutants Haunchwood Sports from Nuneaton, who narrowly lost in extra time.

Haunchwood started brightly as they took the game to Barnes Albion. They had a goal disallowed for offside and a penalty appeal waved away. Barnes best chance came just before half time, but their failure to convert a clear opportunity, meant the first half ended goal less.

Barnes put Haunchwood under a lot of pressure in the second half but could still not break the deadlock. Haunchwood nearly won it with just three minutes remaining, when Matt Brown went through on goal. Barnes were indebted to their keeper, who pulled off a fantastic save, to keep them in the game and to send the tie in to extra time.

The only goal of the game came in the 115^th minute. Barnes took a short corner and an Adam Willis shot deflected off the boot of Kyle Baxter and past the despairing Carl O'Neil in the Haunchwood goal.

Alder 1 v Chapeltown Fforde Grene 3

I made the 140 mile round trip to watch this match, in what was my 15^th Sunday Cup game in the Liverpool area. I’d not been to the Alder Sports & Social ground before and I was surprised to see what a good condition the pitch was in, given the atrocious weather of the previous week. It was a bit heavy in one goal mouth but the rest was perfectly playable.

Alder, of the Liverpool Business Houses league, enjoyed the majority of possession in the first half, without really creating too many chances. It was still goalless by the half hour mark but just six minutes later, the home side found themselves 2-0 down!

Eder Ruiz slid the ball under the advancing Alder keeper, with what was Fforde Grene’s first shot on goal on 30 minutes! A back header from Daniel Sheriffe saw the Leeds side double their lead on 36 minutes.

Alder pulled a deserved goal back just five minutes after the restart but despite being the best team in the second half, they could not draw level and a quick Fforde Grene counter attack in the 91st minute put the result beyond doubt, when Shaquille Clarke-Adams completed the scoring and earned his side a trip to Hetton Lyons in round 4.   

Lambeth All Stars 1 v OJM 2

Lambeth of the Morden & District league opened the scoring in the 28th minute when teenager Kadeem Ajeon split the OJM back line with a through ball to captain Daniel Jones, who buried the ball in the corner of Daniel Roberts’ goal. Roberts was part of the Norton United team, who made it through to the first round proper of this season’s FA Cup.

OJM, from the West Midlands based Warley & District league, fought back and equalised in the 65th minute through Rico Taylor. OJM sealed the win in the last minute of stoppage time, after a tactical change saw the introduction of Stourbridge’s strike pairing of Luke Benbow and Kayleden Brown and it was the latter who fired home the winner from a corner.

St Josephs (Luton) 1 v The Windmill 5

The five hour journey from Devon to Bedfordshire clearly did not affect The Windmill, as they recorded a comprehensive victory over four time finalists, St Josephs.

They raced into a 3-0 lead by the interval and all though St Joseph’s pulled one back in the second half, it proved to be nothing more than a mere consolation. Adam Carter struck a hat-trick for the Plymouth side and he also set up Ryan Richards to score. Jordan Walton completed the scoring.

Windmill joint manager Mike Walton said it was the best display he had seen from a Plymouth side at this level, as his players were firing on all cylinders from the first whistle.

The Windmill will be hoping to repeat this success in the fourth round, as they face a similar journey to meet Crawley Green, who like St Josephs, are members of the North Home Counties league.

Kennelwood 2 v Queens Park 3

Queens Park of the Birkenhead league have a good Sunday Cup pedigree and have competed in the competition for over 20 years. They reached the last 16 for the fifth time, as they managed to squeeze past their debutant hosts from the Liverpool Business Houses league. Dale Wright and Ste Groves were on target for Kennelwood.

New Salamis 5 v Thurmaston PWMC 1

New Salamis of the London based Kopa league marched in to the fourth round, with a comfortable win over Thurmaston, their visitors from the Leicester Alliance.

A goal from Chris Xiouris in the third minute gave them a dream start. Xiouris was the right man in the right place, when he converted a cross from the right hand side. It was 2-0 nine minutes later, when Stuart Zannori tapped home, following a scramble in the Thurmaston defence.

The prolific Deniz Mehmet extended the lead, when he took on three players before slotting the ball home and giving the Salamis a commanding 3-0 half time lead.

Steve Velandia added a fourth goal straight from a corner and Deniz Mehmet scored the goal of the game, when he surpassed his earlier effort, by dribbling past five players and smashing the ball into the roof of the net.

Crawley Green 2 v Black Horse 1

Brendan Hicks gave debutants Black Horse of the Redditch & South Warwickshire league the lead in the 12^th minute, in their tie at Crawley Green.

The Bedfordshire side were back on terms, when they equalized in first half stoppage time. The second half was equally close, with plenty of end to end play, but it was the home side who took the lead on 80 minutes and they managed to hold on, despite some late pressure from the visitors.

Sunday 21st December

Black Bull 1 v West Bowling 0
NLO 6 v Hammer 3

Campfield v Attenborough Cavaliers - final result to be confirmed. Attenborough were 2-0 up in the first half. I'll update the blog later when the final result is known.

Fourth Round Draw

Ties to be played on 18th January - 1.00pm kick off
Campfield or Attenborough Cavaliers v Pineapple
Hetton Lyons v Chapeltown Fforde Grene
Queens Park v Home & Bargain
Black Bull or West Bowling v Allerton
Priory Sports v NLO or Hammer
New Salamis v Barnes Albion
AC Sportsman or Lebeqs Tavern Courage v OJM
Crawley Green v The Windmill

The AC Sportsman v Lebeqs Tavern Courage game was abandoned in the 87th minute, with AC leading 3-1. I'm not sure if the result will stand or not.

Third Round Results

Humbledon Plains Farm 1 Home & Bargain 3
Sportsman 0 v Hetton Lyons 5
Alder 1 v Chapeltown Fforde Grene 3
Pineapple 5 v Newton Aycliffe 1
Kennelwood 2 v Queens Park 3
AC Sportsman 3 v Lebeqs Tavern Courage 1
Crawley Green 2 v Black Horse (Redditch) 1
New Salamis 5 v Thurmaston PWMC 1
Belstone 0 v Priory Sports 1
Barnes Abion 1 v Haunchwood Sports 0
Lambeth All Stars 1 v OJM 2
St Josephs (Luton) 1 v The Windmill 5

Postponed
Black Bull v West Bowling
Campfield v Attenborough Cavaliers
NLO V Hammer

Sunday 14th December

Following a recent bout of illness, I haven't been able to write a preview of today's third round games.

I'm off to watch Black Bull v West Bowling, which has been switched from Tetley's in Warrington to Play Football in Crosby.

I'll update the blog later today with the other results.

Sunday 30th November

Four of the five outstanding second round games were played today. Those results are as follows:

Belstone 3 v Comets Sports & Social 2
Priory Sports 4 v Falcons 3
Barnes Albion 5 v Ajax LA 0
The Windmill 2 v Wrightchoice CSA 0

Perhaps the weather was better down south, as the only game not played today was due to take place in the North East. LIV Supplies v Burradon & New Fordley will try again next Sunday. It will be Burradon's second attempt, after LIV twice failed to stage the game.

Second Round Review

Oyster Martyrs 2 v Humbledon Plains Farm 4
Holders Humbledon Plains Farm followed up last season’s Sunday Cup triumph with another impressive win over Oyster Martyrs. Whereas last season’s final was played at neutral Ewood Park, this time around, it was Oyster who had the home advantage and with a score to settle, I thought they would start as slight favourites.

However, Humbledon chalked up some great wins on the road last season and the thought of travelling down to Merseyside clearly held no fears for them.

Oyster struggled to contain Mark Davison last season, as the rangy striker bagged a hat-trick in the final. He was a thorn in their side in this game too, as Humbledon’s four goals were shared equally between Davison and Nath O’Neil.

With Oyster gone, all eyes are now on the North East pair of Humbledon and Davison’s former side, Hetton Lyons, as the two sides to avoid in this season’s competition.

Cleator Moor 1 v Hetton Lyons 3

Connor Winter and Robbie Bird were in the goals again, as four time champs Hetton Lyons made it 11 goals in two games. Between them, Winter and Bird have scored eight of those goals. Gavin Barton was also on target, as Hetton extended their unbeaten start to the season to 15 games.

The Sheaf 1 v New Salamis 5

Whilst it’s fairly clear who the best teams in the Northern half of the draw are, the Southern half appears to be a bit more open. One team staking a claim as a serious contender are New Salamis, from the London based Kopa league, who hit five goals away from home for the second game running.

The Salamis opened the scoring in the 20th minute through Dean Fenton. They also hit the bar twice before debutants The Sheaf from the Waltham league drew level on the half hour mark.

 The game changed ten minutes in to the second half, when The Sheaf’s keeper was sent off for pulling down Salamis Deniz Mehmet. Kyri Portou restored their lead from the penalty spot. It was déjà vu just ten minutes later, when the Salamis were awarded another penalty, which Kyri Portou again took and scored and The Sheaf were further reduced in numbers, when their substitute goal keeper was given his marching orders, leaving the home side with just nine men!

Dean Fenton made the most of the numerical advantage, as he scored two more goals to complete his hat-trick.
 
Lebeqs Tavern Courage 5 v Patricks 1
Two of the fancied sides in the Southern draw met at Bristol Manor Farm, where Sunday Cup perennials, Lebeqs Tavern entertained Patricks from the Bournemouth league, who reached last season’s quarter-final, under their previous name of Branksome Railway.

The name change didn’t bring Patricks much luck, however, as they were swept aside in the first half, when Brandon Barnes scored a hat-trick and Korahn Gale put the home team out of sight at 4-0 in front at the interval.

Gary Booth extended Lebeqs lead in the second half. Tom Williams’ goal was mere consolation for the visitors.

Hartlepool Lion Hillcarter 4 v Sportsmans 6

Former champs Hartlepool Lion and Sportsmans of the North Yorkshire based Hambleton Combination league, served up a ten goal feast in their game. Hartlepool led twice in the first half but Scott McNichol and James Coatsworth hauled Sportsmans back in to the game.

Aaron Ramsbottom then put the Northallerton side ahead for the first time but two quick goals from the Lions restored their lead at 4-3 and with time running out, they appeared to have done enough to seal the win.

Another goal from Ramsbottom, with just five minutes remaining, forced extra time where late goals from James Coatsworth and Danny McLachlan finally clinched victory for Sportsmans.

Birstall Stamford 2 v West Bowling 2 AET (West Bowling won 4-3 on penalties)

Bradford Sunday Alliance side West Bowling had a longer than normal journey for their first outing in the Sunday Cup. Things didn’t get off to a good start, as their coach was delayed by one hour and they found themselves 1—0 down after only two minutes!

Birstall definitely had the better of the early exchanges and fully deserved their lead. A cracking strike from Damian Melvyn brought the Yorkshire men back in to the game. A well-taken goal put United 2-1 ahead with twenty minutes remaining but when Melvyn was brought down in the area, Andy Bailey stepped up to send the home keeper the wrong way from the spot, to restore parity for the second time.

With no further goals, the tie went to a penalty shoot-out and it was West Bowling goalkeeper Ian Carradice who was the hero, as a brilliant save from him, inspired his colleagues to score their next two penalties and clinch a dramatic win.

Nuthall 1 v Haunchwood Sports 1 AET (Haunchwood won 4-1 on penalties)

After a fairly even first half, Nuthall from the Nottinghamshire league took their lead against debutants Haunchwood from Nuneaton. A mix up between Haunchwood’s goalkeeper and centre half allowed a Nuthall forward to nip in and score a poachers goal.

The lead only lasted seven minutes, before Luke Shorthouse rifled home from inside the box and he has now scored in both rounds. Nuthall then squandered the chance to secure their passage in to the next round, when a penalty from Tyrone Burton was saved by Carl O’Neil in the Haunchwood goal.

Both sides had good chances to score in extra time but neither could take them. Nuthall’s keeper, Stuart Lewis, who was in inspired form and made two top class saves to keep the score level.

With no further goals, this tie was also settled from the penalty spot and Haunchwood are indebted to Reardon, Piggon, Shorthouse and Gaunt, who all successfully scored.

Northallerton Police 2 v Home and Bargain 4

Goals from Brodie Kearns and Carl Peers gave Home & Bargain of the Liverpool Business Houses league a 2-0 lead in their game against Hambleton Combination’s Northallerton Police.

The Police arrested the slide, with strikes from Sam Vernalls and Ben Darville. Vernalls 25 goals last season was enough to crown him as the league’s leading scorer.

A brace from super sub Ryan Whitcombe was enough to send the Liverpudlians through to the next round.

Thornton United 1 v Alder 2

A cracking goal from Alder's left back, who dribbled past three Thornton United defenders, gave them the lead in Bradford. Scousers Alder found it difficult to cope with the sustained pressure of the home side and the prolific Deroy White was on hand to finish a move which started in Thornton’s own half.

Tempers became frayed late in the game, with five players booked and a close game was eventually settled with just four minutes remaining, in favour of Alder, who just did enough to squeeze through.

Mayfair 1 v Chapeltown Fforde Grene 5

A thunderbolt from 38 year old ex pro, Lee Trundle, gave Mayfair an early lead against Fforde Grene from Leeds, who reached last season’s quarter-final.

Fforde Grene soon recovered and thanks to braces from Dominic Blair and Dempsey Smith, they went in to the interval with a 4-1 lead.

Only one goal was scored in the second half and it was from Eder Ruiz, who sealed an emphatic 5-1 win, which maintained Fforde Grene’s impressive record of victories on Merseyside. They will need to do it all again, as they travel to Alder in Round 3.

Lee Trundle wasn’t the only name on show in this game, as one of Steven Gerrard’s cousins was playing for Alder and the match referee was none other than the brother Everton and England’s Leighton Baines.

Sunday 23 November

Only one of the scheduled six games was played today. Congratulations to Allerton, who beat The Old Bank 2-0. Allerton will now play the winners of LIV Supplies v Burradon & New Fordley, who will try again next week. As LIV have failed to host the game for the last two weeks, they should forfeit home advantage and travel up to the North East for the third attempt to play the game. The same applies to the remaining four teams who are in the same boat.

Today was The Old Bank's second Sunday Cup defeat of this season. They lost 3-2 in the first round against Fantail but were given a reprieve when Fantail were subsequently removed from the competition.

Third Round Draw

Ties to be played on 14th December - 1.00pm kick off

Humbledon Plains Farm v Home & Bargain
Sportsmans v Hetton Lyons
Alder v Chapeltown Fforde Grene
Allerton or The Old Bank v LIV Supplies or Burradon & New Fordley
Black Bull v West Bowling
Campfield v Attenborough Cavaliers
Kennelwood v Queens Park
Pineapple v Newton Aycliffe WMC
Lambeth All Stars v OJM
AC Sportsman v Lebeq Tavern Courage
Crawley Green v Black Horse (Redditch)
St Josephs (Luton) v Wrightchoice CSA or The Windmill
Ajax LA or Barnes Albion v Haunchwood Sports
New Salamis v Thurmaston PWMC
Comets Sports Club or Belstone v Falcons or Priory Sports
NLO v Hammer