Monday 3rd May 2010. NCEL League Cup Finalat Inkersall Road, Staveley MW
Armthorpe Welfare (0) 2 (Joe Lumsden 76, James Walker 82)
Dinnington Town (0) 5 (Michael Blythen 48, 73, Grant Allott 52, 87, Matt Arnault 83)
Admission £4. Programme £1. Attendance 295.
A very cagey first half, saw Dinnington create the more clear cut chances but fail to capitalise on any of them.Armthorpe, for their part, appeared out of sorts and nothing like the confident and attacking team they have been when I've seen them previously this season.
In Henry Sibenge, you would have thought that the Welfare would have had the ideal player to rise to an occasion such as this and be the potential match winner. But Dinnington had done their homework on the Armthorpe winger and kept him quiet this afternoon.
So, with the game locked at 0-0 as the teams went in for the break, it didn't look as though there would be many goals in this game and the result would be a close run thing.
Grant Allott plays on and nets Dinnington's second.
But Dinnington were having none of that ... and seven minutes into the second half they were two goals ahead.
Armthorpe finished third in the league and were there or thereabouts with the frontrunners all season, Dinnington had finished in mid table, but Steve Toyne's side cast the form book and Armthorpe's pre match 'favourites' ranking aside and tore them apart in spells.
On 47 minutes Michael Blythen put Dinno ahead with a bog standard tap in from six yards out. Blythen always scores when I see him play. I work with his dad, who's happiness was clear for all to see as the ball bulged the back of the net.
On 52 minutes, with a few of his team mates calling for a free kick on the edge of the box, Grant Allott picked up the loose ball and kept going anyway to bury the second beyond Jamie Green in the Armthorpe goal.
Armthorpe finished third in the league and were there or thereabouts with the frontrunners all season, Dinnington had finished in mid table, but Steve Toyne's side cast the form book and Armthorpe's pre match 'favourites' ranking aside and tore them apart in spells.
On 47 minutes Michael Blythen put Dinno ahead with a bog standard tap in from six yards out. Blythen always scores when I see him play. I work with his dad, who's happiness was clear for all to see as the ball bulged the back of the net.
On 52 minutes, with a few of his team mates calling for a free kick on the edge of the box, Grant Allott picked up the loose ball and kept going anyway to bury the second beyond Jamie Green in the Armthorpe goal.
Armthorpe were shell-shocked by Dinnington's second half smash and grab raid and went on the back foot for a while, while Town knocked the ball around with an (almost) elegant and assured arrogant swagger, under lining their dominance at this point.The game looked up for the Welfare side when Blythen put Dinno three goals in front on 73 minutes.
Walker makes it 3-2 from "A goalmouth scramble following a left wing corner"Following a left wing corner, Joe Lumden, scored on 76 minutes.
Then Liam Hardy came close to netting a second for Armthorpe.
And within five minutes James Walker scored to peg the score back to 3-2, after a goalmouth scramble following another left wing corner.
Was there a late comeback and complete turnaround on the cards?
Err ... no.
Straight from the restart, Matt Arnault, Dinnington's powerhouse substitute, ran through the Armthorpe defence and though Jamie Green in Armthorpe's goal, managed to force him to go wide, Arnault shrugged off the keepers attentions and fired home from an angle.
Just to make sure Grant Allott added his second and Dinnington's fifth with three minutes remaining.
Congratulations Dinnington Town, worthy winners of the NCEL League Cup 2010.Armthorpe will be hoping that the promise they've shown that almost brought them success on a couple of fronts this season can be maintained for a little while longer next term.
