HKL TROPHY LIFTED BY STAVELEY MW FC U21'S

STAVELEY MW FC 2 V BUXTON 1
HKL NORTH MIDLAND U21 DEV LEAGUE CUP FINAL
@ AFC MANSFIELDS FOREST TOWN ARENA 7 MAY 2015---7.30PM

STAVELEY MW U21'S WINNERS OF HKL LEAGUE CUP 2015

Two goals in three hectic early second half minutes were enough to secure victory over Buxton despite a late consolation goal in stoppage time it was the young guns of Staveley that lifted the cup at the end of the evening.

NEW AFC CHAIRMAN MR ANDREW SAUNDERS

Following last nights U19 game at Inkersall Rd the decision to visit this game and it came around all too quickly but thankfully arrival was made at The Forest Town arena, the home of AFC Mansfield in plenty of time.  Last week Dave 'the flag man' former Glapwell kit man summed up this part of the season for the hopper/blog fraternity as like a camel taking on water before entering the desert.  In this case the 7 weeks without any football are fast approaching and having seen the U21's in the semi final I realised what a good set of players Staveley have and following on from an entertaining game last night this was another must in the search for water for the camel!

MR WAITE MODELLING RAINWEAR

Arrival at the ground was greeted by a warm welcome from AFC secretary Pete Craggs a man who I had not seen for all of 24 hours!  There was time for a quick hello to new AFC Chairman Andrew Saunders who the blog managed to photograph by the impressive pop up advert and badge display boards.
Having asked referee Richard Eley for permission to take a pre match line up before kick off the blog also caught up with Mr Waite who was looking resplendent in his light blue Staveley MW FC waterproof.
Something that by all accounts he would have needed a few hours earlier when the area suffered a heavy session of rain.  The pitch had seen standing water brushed off it and in the centre circle was quite heavy looking but during the game stood up superbly well to the 90 minutes of action.

A WET AFTERNOON WAS STILL IN EVIDENCE

Before the mad dash to the centre circle the blog also caught up with former Parkhouse assistant manager Stuart Wall whose son, Ellis, is now firmly placed in Staveley's first team.
The ground has been described here earlier this season but needless to say tonight AFC did a good job with 'Bullys snack bar' open alongside pa announcements including team line ups, well done guys.
Also worth a mention both last nights and tonight's games saw Rob Waite produce a programme another well done for taking this seriously and making the games feel 'right'.

RICHARD ELEY MATCH REFEREE AND HIS TEAM WITH THE TWO CAPTAINS

The first half was a largely unmemorable affair as both sides tested one another out although the difference was Staveley's attacks down the right hand side with Ryan Watters being a constant threat.  Crosses into the box were providing the main threat to Buxton but their defenders were well in control of them for most of the time.

ARTISTIC VALUE 5.9, 5.9, 5.9

Following the break Staveley started at a real pace and the opening ten minutes saw a real dominance that won them the game with two goals in three minutes.   On 48 minutes Tijani was nudged in the penalty box by Oliver Knowles and Kurt Morley fired home the penalty to gave Staveley the advantage.  Just two minutes later a lovely move involving a ball out onto the wing from Ross Goodwin found Ryan Watters whose pace took him into the box and his low cross was slotted home by Staveley's number 9 Ryan Walters.
Buxton were having to work hard to repel Staveley now and non more so than there keeper Aaron Dixon who saved superbly from Morley's 20 yard drive and from the resulting corner pushed over a powerful header from Alex Pugh.
The game was meandering away to a comfortable finish for Staveley until in the second minute of stoppage time a floated in ball saw the out coming Staveley keeper, Chris Butt, not quite get there and Buxton captain John Ollerenshaw head into the now open goal.
Within a couple of minutes referee Eley had brought the proceedings to an end with Staveley crowned HKL cup winners with a competent performance against a sturdy Buxton side who contributed well to this final.
The presentation also saw tonight's man of the match awarded to Buxton keeper Aaron Dixon before Staveley captain Ryan Watters lifted the cup.
An enjoyable evening in North Nottinghamshire and the blog would also like to express its thanks to Kurt Molrey and his dad for the very kind lift back to base, thank you!

FOREST TOWN ARENA HOME OF AFC MANSFIELD