Sportslighting Devon U15 Boys Cup Final

Bideford Blues & Appledore Juniors 1 - 5 South Dartmoor Community College

15/05/2018

On Tuesday 15th May, Coach Road in Newton Abbot hosted the Sportslighting Devon U15 Boys County Cup Final between Bideford Blues & Appledore Juniors and South Dartmoor Community College.

Two teams from different areas of the County were vying to be crowned winners of this superb cup – one team from the north and one team from the south.

It was a dry and sunny evening at Devon FA HQ, a good crowd of 120, family, friends and supporters travelled to Newton Abbot to support their team.

Referee Lee Johnson got the match underway with South Dartmoor kicking off.

It was clear both teams were extremely comfortable on the ball, the fresh cut grass was allowing both opposition to play through the thirds.

From kick off it was Bideford who started the better, by winning the ball and going on the first foray on goal, only to be thwarted by the South Dartmoor defence.

In the tenth minute Bideford broke down the right, a quick shot is well saved by the South Dartmoor keeper Callum Wood. 

Moments later, the ball was in the net, however ruled offside for Bideford as Kai Crosby was just on the wrong side of the South Dartmoor defence. 

However, South Dartmoor scored the opening goal in the twenty-third minute with a break down the left and a neat little pass to Hugo Griffiths who calmly taps the ball home. 1-0.

Dartmoor doubled their lead when yet another counter attack down the left was followed by a cracking cross from Hugo Griffiths, allowing Will Bateman to fire home in the twenty-fifth minute. 2-0.

In the thirtieth minute, Crosby from Bideford broke free down the middle, on the edge of the box Dartmoor’s Alfie Tucker flew in from the side, missing the ball, and took the feet away from Crosby, Referee Johnson produced a red sending Tucker off. 

Four minutes of added time was played but the first half finished with Dartmoor leading 2-0. 

In the second half Bideford looked to use the numerical advantage to their favour and switched to playing two up front. Yet South Dartmoor looked confident playing with ten men.

South Dartmoor had been caught offside several times in the first ten minutes, signs that their attacking threat was still very clear. 

It had been a fairly cagey start from both teams in the second half, with only a couple of half chances, but that changed in the fifty-eighth minute, with a ball played down the middle fell to South Dartmoor’s Tre Hansford who goes in on the keeper who tried half heartily to get the ball, but Hansford was just quicker taking the ball past the keeper and making it 3-0 by tapping it into an empty net.

Samuel Stapleton of South Dartmoor then scored an absolute screamer from just outside the penalty area giving Flack no chance and flying into the bottom left hand corner, making it 4-0.

Bideford’s heads had not dropped and were still giving it a go but Dartmoor looked very impressive at the back, especially with both centre halves dominating at the back.

The ball was then played down the left of South Dartmoor’s left wing to Freddie Andrews, going in close to goal he then switches the ball to his right foot and shoots, squeezing the ball home from a very narrow angle making it 5-0 to Dartmoor in the sixty-eighth minute.

Bideford got the goal the deserved in the seventy-eighth minute, Sami Griffiths collected the ball about forty yards out went down the line and was tackled about ten yards out but the ball came back and defected into the net to make it 5-1.

Fourth official showed there would be four minutes of added time, there were no more goals and referee Johnson blew for full time seeing South Dartmoor CC Football Academy winning the Sportslighting Devon U15 Boys Cup.  

Man of the Match: Finley Pearce.

The next match at Coach Road in Newton Abbot will be the Graddon Vending Devon U14 Boys Cup Final between Stoke Gabriel Youth and Alphington Youth - KO is at 7:15pm with gates opening at 6pm.

To view a full match gallery of images from the game please click the link below:

south dartmoor cc 5 - 1 bideford blues - match gallery

All photos are courtesy of miracle pr & photography