cronies winners

Firewatch Senior Cup Final Match Report

20/04/2017 - Roselands 0 - 3 Cronies - Coach Road, Newton Abbot

It was anticipated that these two teams, Roselands with one defeat from 16 matches in the WBW Solicitors South Devon League and Cronies with one defeat from 20 matches in the Macron Devon and Exeter League, would provide an excellent contest and so it proved.

Roselands lined up in 4-5-1 formation with Phil Corvisieri as the lone striker against the conventional 4-4-2 of Cronies and it was the latter that prevailed. Corvisieri covered just about every blade of grass leading the line but to no avail with Cronies strikers Michael Benyon and Jamie Fanson up front getting terrific support from the wide men, Matt Webb on the left and the pacy Marcus Fanson on the right.

Cronies had two chances in the first five minutes as tried to impose themselves from the start. First Jamie Fanson found himself clean through on the left and brought a good save out of Josh Stride in the Roselands goal. A minute later Marcus Fanson raced through the left side of the Roselands defence only to fire into the side netting from 12 yards out.

Roselands passing game was being disrupted but nevertheless, in the 12th minute, the Cronies custodian Jacob O’Callaghan had to be at his best to keep out a cross shot from Marc Hagland cutting in from the left wing.

A battle for midfield supremacy then followed and it became clear that Marcus Fanson was going to be the key man for Cronies. Despite coming in for some harsh treatment he broke through the Roselands defence on numerous occasions to either create chances for his team or have a shot on goal himself. Good link up play between himself and Jamie Fanson in the 26th minute should have brought the first goal but for a fine save from Stride diving to keep out Jamie Fanson’s strike from close in.

Two minutes late Roselands had a great chance to take the lead when the Cronies defence opened up in front of Hagland, who chose to shoot from range instead of driving into the box, and missed the target. That shook Cronies who, despite the number of stoppages were managing to keep the pace of the game high.

Two chances went begging in a three-minute period from the 28th to the 31st minute when first Marcus Fanson broke through and fired over the bar from 15 yards. That was followed by Michael Benyon heading a cross from Billy Rouse straight at Stride when he really should have scored.

Roselands then went on the attack but little was finding its way to Corvisieri who was finding it difficult to lose his markers in the centre of the Cronies defence. In the last minute of the half Cronies pressed forward and Jamie Fanson almost put them ahead but failed to get enough power into his shot and so an exciting first half which, despite there being no goals, was packed with attacking football came to an end.

The second half started with both teams getting the ball down and trying to pass their way through their respective defences until, in the 52nd minute, from a free kick needlessly given away just outside the penalty box, Jamie Fanson fired home the first of his brace with an unstoppable right foot shot into the far bottom corner of Stride’s goal to give Cronies the lead.

That seemed to knock the fight out of Roselands and five minutes later Cronies found them two up when Jamie Fanson got on the end of a cross from Marcus Fanson an incisive pass through the left side of Roselands defence by Connor Hannaford.

On the hour mark Cronies got one hand on the cup with a third goal when Ben Lawrence raced into box unmarked to fire home from an out-swinging corner from the left to make the game safe.

Roselands manager, Simon Walker, tried to freshen things up with a double substitution but to no avail. Cronies should have scored a fourth in the 70th minute when a three-man passing move involving Marcus Fanson, Jamie Fanson and Connor Hannaford ended with Hannaford bring a good save from Stride.

Roselands were still putting up a fight as the game went into its closing stages. With two minutes left they were denied by O’Callaghan, saving well from Corvisieri who had been put into space by a well-placed free kick from their captain Tom Dunlop but it was just not Roselands night and Cronies ran out worthy winners of what had been an enthralling game.

Star player Marcus Fanson (Cronies)

As ever with courtesy to Miracle PR & Events Photography you can find all of Roselands v Cronies pictures by clicking here.

The next final is the Premier, Championship, League and Women’s Disability Cup at Coach Road on Sunday 23th April kicking off at 11.00am.