Penistone Church 3 v Shaw Lane AFC 4 AET - Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup Final

Tuesday 22nd May 2018

Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Challenge Cup

at Bramall Lane (home of Sheffield United)

Penistone Church (2) 3 ET HT 3 AET 3

Tom Brennan 17
Nathan Keightley 43
Andy Ring 56
Shaw Lane AFC (1) 3 ET HT 4 AET 4
Spencer Harris 33
Kieran Lugsden 53, 70
Brett Lovell 95 OG
Admission £8. Programme free
Attendance 671

It was actually quite difficult to know where to even start relating the events that occurred at Bramall Lane tonight; or where to summon up a rich enough superlative laden vocabulary to adequately do such an enthralling contest justice. But needs must.
This was my one hundred and fifty seventh game of the current season (so far) and though one or two of those games were just about on a par with this one, for a variety of different reasons; as regards the 'all out attack' elements of this cup final, and the end to end flowing entertainment, I can safely say that none of my previous games this season, bettered this one in either of those regards.

Woo hoo!
I've been on the pitch at 'beautiful downtown Bramall Lane' tonight.

And if you think that I am exaggerating, even slightly, at this juncture, then please feel free to consult any of the other six hundred and seventy spectators who were fortunate enough to be here tonight... a figure that probably contained the entire population of Penistone... and I'm sure that they'll gladly confirm what I'm saying is the truth, the whole truth and 'nowt but the truth. So help me God.
I posted the following towards the back end of my blog summary of Shaw Lane's convincing semi final win over Frickley Athletic earlier this month, and as a consequence, I feel compelled to thank both sides for their efforts tonight, that have helped to create a convincing illusion that I actually know what I'm talking about... well, at least sometimes.

Penistone Church overcame one of local football's success stories of the season in their semifinal, namely: Maltby Main, who have surprised many people outside the Muglet Lane club, by holding a consistently high league position throughout the campaign.

Shaw Lane had only missed the Evostik Premier League play offs by a single point at the end of this season, while two divisions beneath them, Prenistone Church secured a top seven place in a very competitive NCEL Premier Division, winning admirers everywhere they went, for the manner in which Ian Richards has got them playing.

The opening exchanges were a good indication of how the game was going to go, with play moving at a frantic pace from one end to the other.

Church created the first opening of the game, when Elliott Firth delivered a free kick from out on the left flank towards Brett Lovell, who helped the ball on to Tom Brennan, who managed to get his shot away in spite of a crowd of bodies around him, but cleared the bar with his rushed effort.

The NCEL club had laid their marker down and announced their attacking intentions already, but they well and truly slammed the gauntlet down, when James Young opted to aim a corner kick towards the near post, where Brennan met the ball head on and crashed it just inside the near post to give the underdogs a seventeenth minute lead.

Both teams took part in a minutes silence to respect the lost lives.
on what is the first anniversary of the Manchester Arena terror attacks.

Meanwhile, in front of the Shoreham Road Kop, the Penistone keeper, Chris Snaith struggled to deal with a back-pass from Lovell, with Kieran Lugsden bearing down on him and miss-kicked the ball towards Alex Byrne who, ever the opportunist, took aim and let fly with a pile-driver... but Snaith had quickly regained his bearings and redeemed himself by pulling off a great save, diverting the ball round the post at full stretch.

Snaith was involved again moments later, when he got down to his right to hold onto Alex Byrne's shot, after the Ducks number six had broke into the Penistone area on the left and cut inside.

Byrne broke forward on the left again and having spotted Spencer Harris sprinting forward on his right, squared the ball to him and Harris buried it, low and hard past Snaith and into the bottom corner of the net.

Evidently Byrne was Shaw Lane's weapon of preference, for unlocking the Penistone defence and it looked as though they were going to snatch the lead when his free kick set up a free header for Jake Skelton, who somehow managed to divert the ball wide of the post.

You could be mistaken for thinking that having survived an initial setback, the Northern Premier League side would now step things up a gear and bully their opponents out of the game, while maintaining their grip on the cup they won last season by beating Frickley Athletic 1-0 in the final at Bramall Lane.

But Church obviously hadn't read that script, and were worried very little, if at all, by their opponents reputation and treated tonight's game very much as a one-off, level playing field, nothing to lose opportunity, to finish the season off visiting a hardware store, for some silver polish of their own.

Andy Ring directed a dipping header over Ed Wilczynski, the Ducks goalkeeper, from Young's well measured cross, but the ball bounced off the crossbar.

And just before half time, Penistone made another 'we're not just here to make the efiing numbers up' declaration, when Nathan Keightley charged forward and evaded a challenge, before keeping his calm inside the Shaw Lane area and planting the ball past Wilczynski, to secure an interval lead for Ian Richards side.

HT: Church 2 v Ducks 1

The unpredictable, 'who dares wins' approach to this compelling game, carried over into the second half, as Ryan Serrant tore forward straight from the off, but the Church defence closed ranks to deal with his cross and switched play towards the opposite end of the field very quickly, where Keightly exchanged passes with Kieran Ryan, before skimming the ball diagonally across the Ducks goal, who will have been relieved to see it creep past the far post.

Kieran Lugsden levelled the score in the fifty third minute, from twelve yards out, smashing the ball past Snaith and into the bottom right hand corner, after connecting with Ben Gordon's pinpoint delivery. And once more you could have been forgiven for thinking that Shaw Lane would now overpower Church and finish the job off.

But yet again, Penistone weren't having any of that caper and within three minutes of Lugsden scoring, they were back in front, when another flick on by Lovell from a Young set piece, saw the ball drop perfectly for Ring who cracked a delightful volley past the exasperated Wilczynski.

Lovell thought he'd bagged a goal for himself, but he was a fraction offside and  his effort was chalked off.

Snaith thwarted Byrne, who was put through on goal by Jake Picton, but there was little that the Church keeper to do to prevent Lugsden from netting the Ducks third equaliser of the evening, when he controlled Byrne's low drive across the six yard box before thumping it home emphatically... just to make sure.

With extra time beckoning, Penistone finished the scheduled ninety minutes in the ascendancy, but couldn't quite force the issue as Wilczynski got his hands to Keightley stinging effort and turned the ball wide, Picton cleared Ring's close range effort at the expense of a corner, and Gavin Rotherby made a last ditch goal line clearance from Lovell, whose downward back post header from Ryan Johnson's corner, had the entire crowd out of their seats in anticipation on a grandstand  finish.

90 Minutes: Penistone Church 3 v Shaw Lane 3

Football can be a cruel game, because having almost scored a last minute goal to claim the cup for Penistone, five minutes into extra time, in an attempt to block a right wing cross from Chib Chilaka, Lovell put it into his own net, to give Shaw Lane the lead for the first time tonight.

It was backs to the wall time for Penistone now, but they clearly had no intention of giving up without battling like their lives depended on it until the very end.

Church had a bit of luck (which was the very least that they deserved) when Chilaka provided the final touch to a cross from Gordon, but was adjudged to have been offside.

ET HT: Church 3 v Ducks 4

Snaith kept the tie alive, when he made a decent stop to prevent Gordon increasing the Ducks lead.

Wilczynski made two vital stops in quick succession from Scott Whiitington and then Ryan, before Danny Howes unleashed a shot that came back off of the right hand upright.

The action was still unrelenting as Snaith made an unorthodox but timely save to deny Byrne and from the resulting corner Skelton powered a header against the bar.

Lovell, who so far had seen a goal disallowed, had a last minute potential winner cleared off the line and suffered the ignominy of netting a own goal, must've run over a black cat that belonged to a vengeful Gypsy on his way to Bramall Lane, because in stoppage time, the ball hit him from from Byrne's shot... and the referee blew up for handball and pointed to the spot. It never rains, eh!?

But Snaith spared his all action central defensive mainstay any further anguish by saving Harris' spot kick. 

But there was no time for any more drama now and Shaw Lane kept their hands on the trophy, but they had been made to battle like hell to keep a hold on it

FT: Penistone Church 3 v Shaw Lane AFC 4 (AET)

Some teams gloat after winning games, but in the aftermath of the final whistle, Shaw Lane showed a touch of class when they tweeted, sympathising with Penistone Church on their bad luck tonight. Credit where it is due, for giving credit where it's due methinks.

I broke my rule about not bloggering about after 11PM, because football is only a game and it can always wait until another time, particularly when I am going to be up and about at 5.30AM in the morning; but this was an especially gripping contest, so I've made an exception.

Congratulations to Shaw Lane... and well played both teams, this was a real rough and tumble, end to end proper game of football.