GOALS FROM SHEP AND KIERAN SEND US THROUGH TO FINAL

Cup fever is circulating around the Michael Anthony Stadium after the lads put on a superb performance, particularly in the second half, to reach the Final of the Herts Charity Shield for the 7th time. We had to beat a talented London Lions team who are third in the premier Division table and who came into the game after winning 7 games on the trot.

In the Final we will play either Oxhey Jets or Wormley Rovers, who are due to meet on 7 January 2025, and a win would see us lift the Trophy for the 5th time as well as retain it after we beat Oxhey Jets 4-0 last year.

Lions are one of the best footballing sides in the South Midlands and we didn’t help ourselves when some sloppy play lead to a penalty which Benji Weinberger stuck away to give his team the lead after only 12 minutes. Our opponents had further opportunities but were denied by Josh Ameganvi who made some great saves and was later rightly given the Man of the Match award by an “Esteem Gallery of Supporters”.

Despite our slow start we are a resilient team and we worked our way back into the game and equalised in the 28th minute with a well worked goal. Harry Jones, Benji Kakembo and Harry Beaumont linked up to set up a shooting opportunity for Harry Shepherd who drilled the ball from about 30 yards out into the bottom corner. Score 1-1.

We took the lead for the first time in the 70th minute when Harry Shepherd latched onto a loose ball following a challenge by Noah Butler and then smashed a shot from outside the area which the away keeper was unable to keep out. On “X” Shep was likened to Peter Lorimer who was famous for his fierce shooting power and Shep certainly deserves praise for his scoring prowess this season with 14 goals scored from 25 games. Score 2-1.

Our opponents, to their credit, kept pushing forward but we defended well and when called upon Josh’s handling was first rate. We put the game to bed 5 minutes from normal time when Noah Butler and Dylan Fitzpatrick combined to put away Kieran Turner who timed his run to perfection and then kept a cool head to slot the ball past the keeper. FT Score 3-1.

This was a fine performance, especially as we had to come back from a goal down, and an even better result against a formidable side who will probably be contenders for a play off place at the end of the season. Our next match is at home to Kempston Rovers on Saturday for a Premier League match.

Team: Josh Ameganvi, Harry Jones, Mason Clarke, George Carbery (Capt), Greg Deer, Jack Harvey (Dylan Firzpatrick 75), Harry Beaumont, Harry Shepherd, Frankie Hercules (Noah Butler 66), Benji Kakembo (Kieran Turner 66), Max Hercules (Bailey Osborne 66). Sub not used: Harrison Cornick.

Scorers:

TA: Shepherd (28, 70), Turner (85)

LL: Benji Weinberger (Pen 12)

MoM: Josh Ameganvi

Crowd: 77