Cuppers Magic Saves Season For Ballilol
On a cold, blustery afternoon on Friday of 8th week, Balliol gave New College a lesson in finishing to secure the Cuppers trophy – the third-oldest footballing trophy in the world, behind only the FA Cup and Scottish Cup in antiquity.
The game was officiated by top referee Janie Frampton, who has seen considerably larger crowds than the 200 hundred or so souls who braved the awful conditions to watch the game, having refereed at the top level for many years and taken charge of both a women’s FA Cup final and a women’s Champions League semi-final.
Newly-promoted New College were looking to add to the season’s success, whilst Balliol were hoping for some consolation, after a poor season in the league saw them moving the opposite way, down into Division One. After a close game with many chances at both ends, Balliol’s superior finishing told as they ran out 3-1 winners.
Both teams began the game nervously and the first ten minutes were characterised by stray passes and hard tackling. With the strong, gusting wind behind them, New registered the first meaningful opportunity, as Dave Stuckey headed just over the bar from a corner after 15 minutes.
However, Balliol’s response was immediate and devastating. They were awarded a free-kick just inside the touchline. The ball was quickly played short down the line by left-back James Doree to Julian Rose, who returned it to Doree’s feet, allowing him to cut inside and clip a deflected shot past New goalkeeper Ben Stoner.
Yet Balliol struggled to capitalise on the early goal, playing into the teeth of the gale, and New began to assert themselves upon the game. After about ten minutes of steady pressure New’s reward came. A powerful header by Thomas Osborne at the far post from a Kevin Doak corner gave New the equaliser their pressure had deserved.
Both teams struggled to play football in the poor conditions, but for the remainder of the first half New continued to edge the game. Balliol’s defence looked suspect under the New aerial bombardment, and goalkeeper Henry Tufton made a smart stop from Dan James’s leftfoot shot after a central defensive lapse. New captain Kevin Doak came even closer to giving his side the lead, only to see his volley ricochet off the underside of the bar and bounce away from goal.
After 45 minutes, the game was still wide-open, with the score at one goal apiece. With the wind behind them, New College edged the play, but failed to create enough meaningful chances to convert their advantage. In the second half Balliol made them pay for some wasteful finishing.
New were unlucky to see goal-scorer Osborne limp off after only five minutes of the second half, and Balliol began to stamp their authority on the game. Captain Andy James was unlucky not to make contact with an inswinging corner after making one of his trademark back-post runs, and tricky winger Lennon time and again caused problems for New down the right flank.
However, New were still creating chances, and Balliol had keeper Tufton to thank for a couple of good saves that kept them in the game. Striker Kevin Doak produced some neat touches around the Balliol box, and it needed a couple of excellent interventions from fans’ favourite Chris Wells to keep him out.
Gradually, New began to tire and the Balliol midfield started to dominate the game. Steve Burn-Murdoch produced an excellent turn to emerge from a crowd of players with the ball and run at the New defence, but his 25-yard shot was scuffed well wide of Stoner’s goal.
Eventually, it was keeper Tufton, already a defensive hero, who unlocked the New defence with a huge upfield punt. Balliol’s Ed Thompson muscled a defender off the ball before bringing it down and slotting into the back of the net.
New surged forward, desperately looking for an equaliser, but never really troubled Tufton. With only five minutes remaining, another long ball released Thompson again, and he fully exploited the hesitant New defending, hitting a sublime chip over Stoner to secure the trophy for the boys from Broad Street.
New must have been disappointed to lose a game that could easily have gone either way, but in the end Balliol’s superior fitness levels and finishing told. Balliol skipper Andy James lifted the trophy in front of over a hundred cheering fans, and professed himself “delighted” to have secured the cup.
The only consolation for New is that they will be playing in the Premier League next season, whilst Ballol will have to suffice with Division One football.
21st Apr 2005