Wadh-a-goal!
It took a penalty shoot-out to pronounce Wadham cuppers winners on Friday of 8th week, their final against Catz being locked at two apiece after 120 gruelling minutes of closely-fought football.
The first half of the game was goalless, but by no means a dull affair. Both sides had chances aplenty, and Catz three times rattled the Wadham goal posts.
The stand out player of the first period was Catz blues winger Andy Durnford. He produced the first real opportunity of the match after 20 minutes when he raced down the right flank and into the area, only to fire straight at Wadham's keeper Paul McMahon. A quarter of an hour later Catz hit the bar from the edge of the area, and then the post during a goalmouth scramble in which McMahon was injured.
But it was Wadham who finished the half the stronger, maintaining control of the ball and creating several opportunities in the last five minutes.
The second half began with a series of corners for both teams, and on the hour mark Wadham's Brendan McGirk put in a superb delivery, but the header went over the bar.
A minute later, Catz took the lead in dramatic fashion. Mark Johnson collected the ball in the centre circle, and seeing McMahon off his line, put in a huge looping shot from 40 yards out which obligingly dropped into the back of the empty net.
Wadham's equalizer came with about 15 minutes remaining, their number nine Jermaine Squire scoring from the six yard line.
1 -1 was still the scoreline at full time, meaning extra time was required. Roger Milburn scored for Wadham in the first period, but the score was quickly levelled again, and so a nail-biting shoot out was begun, which Wadham eventually won 4 - 3.
24th Apr 2003