Please note. The team names in this article are played by actors.

Something just doesn't smell right in the football world at the moment.

I've just been reading how Team A, a team that has steadily climbed up the pyramid, has had to ask the Southern League not to promote them next season. The reason, it seems, is down to the amount of extra costs they would face in the Premier League. Presumably, most of this would be extra travel costs. I'm not a money expert but, I would say that the extra funding required for a team to move from the Southern League South & West into the Southern Premier is not going to run into the millions, or the hundreds of thousands. Maybe tens of thousands?

Let's contrast and compare this with Team B, a Premier League team that has completely under-performed for at least three seasons, culminating in their relegation this year. Even by their own supporters admission they have been very poor. Their 'penalty' for being relegated? Around about £65,000,000 of income.

Don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting for one minute that Team A deserve to be raking in as much as a Premier League or Championship team.

However, and call me old-fashioned, I still view football as a sport, an entertainment, an escape for your average Joe. Those people who pay, every week, to watch this entertainment are supporters. Not customers. Not clients. Supporters. They support their clubs. The clue is in the word.

My argument, based on this, would be that, whatever the level of football, it should be about the enjoyment that these teams bring to their supporters. It doesn't matter how many of these supporters there are. Team A have brought joy to their supporters this season. Never before, in almost 100 years, has this club had the opportunity to play at this level of the pyramid. This has been taken away from them for the sake of few quid, equal to the amount of interest Team B have 'earned' on their failure reward in the time it has taken to write this article.

Non-league football doesn't want the millions that the professional game has. It just wants a fair deal. At the moment, it does not get one in my opinion.

Non-League Finals Day was a fitting culmination to another great season of non-league football. As we all take a short breather before the new season gets under way, here's a quick look at the 2015/16 season from a BotP perspective. By a strange coincidence I managed to visit 31 new stadia in the season, exactly the same number as last term. The difference this year though has been in mileage and total games covered. Over a total of 45 games I have covered almost 4,000 miles, seen 149 goals and spent just under £300 on admission costs.

Once again it's been Step 5 that has really caught my attention this year. The promotion battles in the Combined Counties, Hellenic, Midland and United Counties leagues were fascinating all season and, in most cases, ran up until the last few games. Not that there hasn't been excitement and tension elsewhere. The Southern League Central Division was one of the tightest promotion battles for years. The NPL Premier, with Blyth leading the way for so long only to be overhauled by Darlington. In Step 6, the intriguing battle between Nuneaton Griff, Bromsgrove Sporting and Coventry United was a joy, not to mention goalpost-gate and the relegation battle between Stafford and Pelsall. So, let's take a look at the awards for 2015/16:

First of all, my team of the year awards.

Step 6 - Peterborough Sports. 33 wins out of 36 league games and a 100% record until February. A 100% home league record for the season with just 8 goals conceded. They won the United Counties League Division One by 21 points, scoring 140 goals and conceding just 24. I had the pleasure of watching their Hinchingbrooke Cup win over local rivals Peterborough Northern Star. They certainly did not look like a Step 6 side and, in my opinion, could be among the front-runners in the Premier League next season.

Step 5 - Kidlington. This was the hardest level to decide upon with so many teams deserving of a mention. Hereford, Salisbury, Kempston and Hartley Wintney to name just a few. However, in the end I had to go for Kidlington. The Greens had a remarkable season with a long FA Vase run and culminating in promotion to Step 4 for the first time in their history. I was lucky enough to witness the pivotal game at Thatcham where a thoroughly professional performance gave them all 3 points.

Step 4 - Kings Langley. What a battle at the top of the Southern League Central Division with 3 teams still in with a shout of the title on the last day. In the end it was Kings Langley who triumphed, securing a third successive promotion and bringing Step 3 football to Gaywood Park for the first time ever. The club has taken some massive strides forward on and off the pitch over the last few years and thoroughly deserve a shot at The Southern Premier next season.

Step 3 - Darlington. A run of 14 wins in 15 games saw the Quakers catch and overhaul Blyth at the top of the NPL Premier. A thumping 7-1 win at Whitby saw them take the title with a game to spare.

Step 2 - North Ferriby United. The villagers steady climb up the leagues continued with a play-off victory over AFC Fylde. For a village with a population of less than 4,000, a place in the top flight of non-league football is a massive achievement.

Best Match - Godmanchester Rovers 3 Felixstowe & Walton United 2. This was my first venture into the Eastern Counties League and, after this game, I hope that it won't be my last. Two in-form teams, both near the top of the league and both going for a win. The game had everything, the away side took the lead, then fell behind only to draw level again and, finally, lose out to a late penalty. It was great advert for Step 5 football and a thoroughly enjoyable evening of football. (http://www.botp.co.uk/blog/april-14th-2016)

Best Performance - Morpeth Town. The Highwaymen win this award with a very late entry. Up until this point, I was all ready to give it to Stourbridge for their FA Cup victory over Kidderminster. However, Morpeth's performance against Hereford in the FA Vase Final was an absolute joy to behold. After going a goal down inside 2 minutes they showed immense character to fight back and eventually triumph by 4-1.

Favourite New Stadium - The Victoria Ground, Bromsgrove Sporting It's got everything you would want from a stadium. A big main stand with plenty of covered seating. A large covered terrace behind one goal and a quirky, uncovered terrace behind the other Quirky because it features the words Bromsgrove Sporting in 3 foot high lettering, giving it a very much Eastern European feel (maybe Barnt Green Spartak should do the same?)

Best Goal - Nathan Walker. Bromsgrove Sporting v Cadbury Athletic (http://www.botp.co.uk/blog/sporting-chance). An unstoppable drive from 25 yards out that whistled past the Cadbury keeper. Superb technique and power.

Best Supporters - Hereford. They came in their droves to Wembley and, to be fair, have been supporting the club in their thousands all season. They helped to create a superb atmosphere at Wembley and, despite defeat, applauded their team and Morpeth at the final whistle.

Friendliest Club - Fleet Town. Fleet have always impressed with their communication to other clubs, especially around any possible postponements. Having had to travel long distances themselves, they are acutely aware of the perils of a long journey followed by a late postponement. When I visited the club for the first time this season, I was also very impressed by the feel of the club. There was a warm welcome at the turnstile and the lady in the snack bar treated everyone as an old friend. The ground has a very welcoming atmosphere. A great club who like to do things the right way. (http://www.botp.co.uk/blog/no-bore-draw)

Highpoint - Non-League Finals Day. What a great day out for any football enthusiast. Two finals at a very reasonable price. Nothing more to say. Non-League Finals Day needs to be a permanent fixture on the calendar (preferably without an international scheduled for the same day).

Lowpoint - The impending demise of Northampton Spencer FC. Although I only visited Kingsthorpe Mill once, I was immediately very fond of the place and the club. This is the link to the last ever match write-up following their final day 4-0 defeat at Harborough Town. It makes for a very sad read. (http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/northamptonspencerunitedcountiesleague/teams/142183/match-centre/1-2075812)

Cuppa League - Coventry United. A proper cup of tea, with tea bag still in and all for a very fair price. Couldn't beat it this season. Of course, the evening that I was there was cold, wet and miserable which may have helped sway the decision.

What a cracking day out! Two FA finals, six goals, two underdog winners and over 46,000 supporters. I think that the first ever Non-League Finals Day could be classed as a massive success.

The day started with a relatively short train ride from Bicester down to Wembley. Even on this local train there was a noticeable Hereford presence. Hearing that they had sold over 19,000 tickets, this was pretty obvious once we arrived under the arch. Yes, there were small pockets of amber and black bedecked Morpeth fans. There were even one or two early birds wearing the blue of Halifax and the black & white of Grimsby. However, everywhere you looked there were Hereford fans, resplendent in white and black, some even in their red training tops or red & black away kits. Whatever the colours, the bull was there, staring you in the face as you walked to the stadium.

In a normal match blog I would spend a paragraph or so describing the stadium. I'm not sure this is required with Wembley. Suffice to say, there are covered seating areas all around the ground, no actual clubhouse and certainly no little tea or snack hut. It's a fine stadium but doesn't have the character of, say, Hardenhuish Park or The Grove.

The day's action got off to an explosive start. Hereford and Morpeth Town had barely finished their handshakes and the last notes of the national anthem were still floating off down Wembley High Street when Rob Purdie found himself, ball at feet and with acres of space 25 yards out from The Highwaymen's goal. A touch to steady himself and a powerful low drive was arrowed into the corner of the net. The entire population of Hereford, crammed into three tiers of Wembley, went ballistic. What a start!
The Bulls were rampant for the first 25 minutes. Chance after chance went by, most noticeably when Haysham miscued from six yards out and when Grant hit the bar with a vicious dipping effort that beat the Town keeper, but still it remained at 1-0. Gradually Morpeth started to work thir way back into the game and you wondered if Hereford would rue their missed chances.
Sure enough, with just under 35 minutes on the clock, Horsell misjudged a cross and there was Morpeth captain Chris Swailes to bundle it over the line.
Morpeth would have been far the happier to be going in all-square at half-time.

The second half, however, was to be an altogether different affair. The Highwaymen came out of the blocks flying this time with Luke Carr putting them 2-1 up with a deft finish in the 46th minute. It was clear that Morpeth had been told to close down quicker and give Hereford much less time on the ball. The plan was working and the slick Hereford passing moves of the first half were, for the most part, stemmed.
Just before the hour mark a neat pass set Sean Taylor free and he finished at the near post to put 'Peth 3-1 up.
Hereford stepped it up again at this point but, in fairness, Morpeth still looked to be in control. Swailes was marshalling the defence well and Graydon, in midfield, was pulling all of the strings.
Into injury time and a tiring Hereford team were caught out by a neat reverse pass. Bell ran on and, with the aid of a deflection, made it 4-1.
The final score was hard on The Bulls but Morpeth deserved their win for the way they fought their way back from such a bad start.
The game was an absolute credit to Step 5 football, topped off by a lovely gesture from the Hereford team and staff, forming a guard of honour as Morpeth descended the steps with the trophy. A touch of class from the beaten team there.

As the Hereford section emptied, we made our way away from pitch side to grab a bite to eat and a drink before the second game. One slight gripe here. With two hours to kill between games, it would have been better to have been allowed out of the stadium for a while. However, there were plenty of announcements stating that, once you left, that was it. No re-admittance. I'm not entirely sure why this was the case but, rules are rules I suppose.

When we returned to our seats the Hereford section all but empty, a few Morpeth fans had stayed around and the previously sparsely populated Grimbsy and Halifax sections had filled up nicely. We settled in for the Trophy Final between promoted Grimsby and relegated Halifax. A sure-fire Cod Army victory, you would think?

There was no early goal in this game. in fact, it was a completely different style of match all together. Both sides seemed to be taking a much more cautious approach, making sure they didn't concede the first goal. It became apparent from quite early on that it was going to be a very close encounter, much closer than the league positions suggested.

Maybe it was a hangover from the play-off final or maybe we should credit Halifax's pressing but, for whatever reason, Grimsby were certainly not playing like the favourites that they were before kick-off. It was The Shaymen who had the early chances the best of which fell to Jordan Burrow, who shot wide. We were well past the half-hour mark before Johnson had to really stretch himself in the Halifax goal.

At half-time it was still 0-0 and, although it hadn't lived up to the excitement of the Vase Final, it was still an intriguing game.

Just over five minutes into the second half Halifax took the lead. A Cross from the left was palmed out by the keeper and, when it was only half-cleared to the edge of the box, McManus fire it back over the keeper into the far corner. It was a very good first-time finish which sent the massed ranks of Shaymen wild.

Try as they might, Grimsby never really seems to get going and with Halifax captain Nicky Wroe orchestrating the midfield, The Shaymen dug in to spring the second upset of the day. In the end it was a well deserved win for Halifax and, hopefully for their supporters, a sign of better things to come next season. Grimsby, meanwhile, will console themselves with a place back in the Football League next season.

All in all, a wonderful day of football. As a neutral, it was good to see both games won by the teams that deserved it most on the day. So, what were my highlights?

Having a day at Wembley with my Dad
Hereford FC's supporters
Hereford's guard of honour
Morpeth's second-half display
The Halifax winning goal
In Cod We Trust banner
Keith Graydon's performance for Morpeth

Let's hope that Non-League Finals Day becomes a regular calendar event and, next year, let's also hope that the FA gives it a little more respect by not scheduling an international match for the same day.

Peterborough Sports round off a superb season with an emphatic 4-1 win over Northern Star in the Hinchingbrooke Cup.

A three hour round trip on a Friday night to see a charity cup final. Madness you say? Not at all. It was an opportunity too good to miss. This match had all of the ingredients that anyone could want from a game of football. To begin with, it was a local derby between two sides that were, until Sports sealed the Division One title by 21 points, separated by a division. Sports, the underdogs, if you could call them that, were and are managed by a former captain of Northern Star. They also had a number of former Star players in their ranks. Northern Star, however, were the current cup holders and had not conceded a goal on their way to the final. Finally, the game was being played at In2itive Park, home of Yaxley FC, a stadium that I had not visited before. So, after a quick dinner, I set off for on the journey to Cambridgeshire.

Yaxley is a village just South of Peterborough and just North of the village of Stilton, the home of the famous cheese. In2itive Park is on the Southern edge of the village and is accessed down a narrow lane. Being a cup final, by the time I arrived, the car park was full and they had opened up an adjacent field as an overflow. There was clearly a decent sized crowd present and, by the time I got into the ground, the game was already a minute or so old.

The stadium is accessed through a single turnstile pretty much on the halfway line. The state of the art 3G pitch is, of course, completely flat. The facilities are all on the car park side of the ground. A tea and snack bar is adjacent to the turnstile, next to that is a covered seating area and then in the corner of the ground is the clubhouse, players and officials facilities and the toilet block. The dug outs are on the far side, opposite the entrance.

Despite being the lower ranked of the teams and, as such, the underdogs, Sports were actually tipped by many to be way too strong for Star. They had already won a League Cup game 3-0 earlier in the season but Star were reduced to 10 men and it was at Sports home ground. This game was also to be Sports' first competitive game on a 3G surface whereas Star, who play in the same division as Yaxley, had experience of the surface.

Having said all that, it was Sports who raced out of the blocks, pegging Star back almost from kick off. with the exception of a couple of Star raids, the game was being played almost exclusively in the Northern Star half of the pitch. However, despite all of their possession and pressure, The Turbines could not find a way through to goal. Time and again they put together some lovely passing moves, aided by the playing surface, but each time the final ball was slightly off or a Star defender got a vital touch at the last second.

Just as we were wondering if Sports would be made to pay for not taking advantage of their superiority, they finally managed to put a chance away. On 41 minutes Vieira latched onto a through ball, raced towards goal and deftly slotted home into the keepers right-hand corner. So it was that Sports took a deserved lead into the interval. The only real surprise of the half was that they hadn't scored more than one.

Star made a change at half-time and, to be fair, started quite well. However, it wasn't too long before the second half began to take on the same pattern as the first, with Sports pushing the black & white striped shirts back deeper and deeper.
Vieira almost grabbed his second of the game when he headed against the bar and then smashed the rebound wastefully over. Shortly afterwards Star keeper Dan George had to be at his bets to turn another shot against his left-hand post and out for a corner.

The respite, however, was relatively short-lived. A ball down the Sports left flank was picked up by Vieira who then drove into the box, cut along the by line and fired past George from a tight angle. It was a good finish but he really shouldn't have been allowed to cut into the box so easily. At 2-0 the game was pretty much over in my eyes. Star were still trying their best to push forward when they could but had the air of a team that was at the end of a long, hard season. Sports were dominant now and proceeded to hit the post a further couple of times, with Vieira again being denied his hat trick.

Six minutes after Vieira's second, Sports made it 3-0 with a Gibbs header that hit the underside of the bar before it was cleared. The assistant on the far side flagged immediately that the ball had goner over the line. There wasn't too many protests from the Star defenders, so my guess is that it was well over the line.
To their credit, Star heads did not drop and 7 minutes later they got some consolation when Gibbs curled in a wonderful free-kick from 25 yards. Probably the goal of the game.
Sports though went back up the other end and, only two minutes after conceding, regained their three goal advantage. A lovely ball was slipped through for substitute Lawlor to run onto. He finished with some ease, low to George's right hand post.

There was still time for Vieira to, once again, almost get his hat-trick but, in the end, he had to make do with the two goals.Newly promoted Sports, on this showing, can look forward to a productive season in the United Counties Premier league.

So the rather impressive Hinchingbrooke Trophy has blue ribbons on it this year and will make the short journey across Peterborough to Lincoln Road. A decent crowd of 304 had witnessed an entertaining final in which both sides played their part. Credit also must go to Yaxley FC for their hospitality in hosting the final at their stadium.


Peterborough Sports - @pslfc
Peterborough Northern Star - @pnsfc_official
Yaxley FC - @yaxleyfc

​The Oxfordshire Senior Cup is starting to become an end of season regular for BoTP and, after last season's thrilling game between Banbury United and North Leigh (http://www.botp.co.uk/blog/pure-cup-joy-for-banbury), I was really looking forward to an all Oxford final this year.

​Between them City and United have won this trophy 55 times. City hold the record with 32 wins, United have won it 13 times in total, although 3 of these came in the guise of Headington United. Despite City's dominance in the past, in recent years it has been United holding the upper hand. They have won the trophy five times since City's last triumph in 2003.

As is always the case with professional clubs entering the County Cup competitions, they tend to play their development squads. Oxford United are no different in this respect and with their first team all out in the City celebrating promotion anyway, it was no surprise that their line-up was full of youngsters. City also had a much-changed line-up for the evening with a number of squad players getting a run out.

United started off the better of the teams, knocking the ball around confidently on the slick surface. City seemed quite happy to sit back at this point. However, after 13 minutes a through ball found former City loanee James Roberts who was clean through. Hill made a good save from his first effort but, from the rebound, Roberts calmly stroked the ball home for 1-0.

​City responded to going a goal behind by stepping up the pace a little and the game became more open. They almost forced an equaliser on 26 minutes when Whichelowe rounded the keeper but couldn't get the ball past a defender covering on the line. In a period of end to end attacking both sides came close to scoring, City's Bubb had an effort saved and both Roberts and Jeacock had chances for United. Fleet then unleashed a stinging effort from outside the box which United keeper Stevens did very well to tip over.

It was Jeacock who finally made a chance pay off when he robbed a City defender out wide on the left. Driving into the City box he then calmly slid the ball past Hill and put United 2-0 up.
Not to be outdone City did find time to pull one back before half-time when a low, driven cross from the right was turned into the next by McDonough
An entertaining first half drew to a close with just a goal between the sides and the promise of a close 45 minutes to come.
Seven minutes into the second half, however, thoughts of a City fightback were quashed when Roberts produced a sublime piece of skill. When the ball was slipped to Roberts just inside the box his options looked limited but, as the City keeper advanced, he expertly lobbed the ball over him and into the far corner. Dare I say, almost Cantona-esque in it's execution.

​Although City were still trying to push forward whenever possible, United were now well in control and just nine minutes later Jeacock registered his entry for goal of the game. Picking the ball up out wide, he cut inside and then curled a delightful effort around the keeper and in of the far post for 4-1.

Between them Jeacock and Roberts were causing all sorts of problems for the City defence. Their pace and speed of thought was creating chance after chance. It was no surprise when, after 70 minutes, Roberts grabbed his hat-trick thanks to great work by Jeacock down the left flank. After beating his man and taking the ball to the byline, he pulled it back across the box for Roberts to apply the simplest of finishes.

It was all United now and the only question remaining was how many goals they might notch up. They held out for another 18 minutes before Roberts smashed home his fourth and United's sixth in the 88th minute.

Credit must go to the band of City supporters who kept up their vocal support throughout the entire game. Treating us to renditions of some classics such as 'Bus-stop in Horspath' through to some more obscure tunes, such as the theme tune to Grandstand. Even as I left the Kassam I could still hear them resurrecting KC and The Sunshine Band's 'That's the way I like it'. If they like losing 6-1 so much, I wonder what sort of noise they make when they win?

Oxford United - @oufcofficial
Oxford City - @oxcityfc
Oxfordshire FA - @oxfordshirefa

​A quick fire second-half brace from striker Taylor Collins gave Tring Athletic their 4th St Mary's Cup in 12 years.

It's been a while since I last visited Hemel's Vauxhall Road, 26/03/2014 to be exact (http://www.botp.co.uk/blog/the-ton-up-club) when I witnessed a spectacular game between Hemel Hempstead Town and Stourbridge in the season that The Tudors gained promotion to the National League South. They are still there and their ground, apart from one very noticeable change, is pretty much as it was 2 years ago. The major difference is that the stand 
behind the goal at the Leverstock Green Road end is now seated rather than standing.
​
I'll be honest, until I saw this fixture, I didn't know anything about the St Mary's Challenge Cup and even though I now know a lot more (thanks to the match day programme) I don't intend to go into any great detail about it. Suffice to say, the cup is an old competition, dating back to 1888 and gets it's name from the fact that it was donated by Mr F.S. Miller of Watford St Mary's FC. A few years later Watford St Mary's and Watford Rovers merged to form Watford FC, the club that currently plys it's trade in the Premier League.
Since the turn of the century the cup has been dominated by Hemel Hempstead Town with 6 wins from 14. Next in line, with three wins each, come Oxhey Jets and one of tonight's finalists, Tring Athletic.

​As the teams emerged the rain which had been heavy earlier in the evening had stopped for the time being but had left the surface damp and zippy. The two league meetings between the teams this season had both ended in 1-1 draws. Tring finished the season 2 places and 8 points above their opponents but I was expecting this to be a tight encounter in view of the league results.

Following a few minutes where the teams sounded each other out, the game sprang into life in the eighth minute. A Sun Sports through ball caused some hesitancy in the Tring back-line allowing Sun's Brima Johnson to nip in between the centre-half pairing. Luckily for Tring keeper Jack Hopwood was quick off his line to smother the effort.

Tring's best effort in the opening 20 minutes came on the 17 minute mark. A ball down the left flank found Kieran Turner who ran clear. His shot beat the Sun keeper but was cleared off the line by a defender, who had tracked back well to stem the danger. It was Sun, however, who were looking the more dangerous of the two sides.

Midfielder Ashley Lewis was really stamping his mark on the game and it was Lewis who made the next goalscoring opportunity. Picking the ball up on halfway, the Sun number 8 drove past a couple of Tring players and unleashed a superb shot from the edge of the box. The ball beat Hopwood's outstretched hand but came back off the foot of the post and was cleared.
​
Sun continued to have the best of the play but, on 40 minutes, it was Athletic who came close to scoring when a cross from their right-hand side flashed across the edge of the Sun 6 yard box with no Tring player able to get a touch.

At half-time and with the rain once again hammering down, it was Sun Sports 0 Tring Athletic 0. Sun had probably just about edged the first half but it was all still to play for.

With the rain easing off a little, it was time to find a different vantage point for the second half. It was whilst walking around the ground that I came across one of those quirks of non-league. An emergency exit in the perimeter wall that has clearly come from someone's house at some point. It even still has the number 14 on it. 

By the time we were 10 minutes into the second half the rain had let up again. Tring were now kicking up the slight slope on the pitch but this didn't deter them and after 12 minutes of the second half they took the lead.
It may have taken 57 minutes to break the deadlock, but it was worth the wait. A rash challenge on the right-hand side of the Sun box lead to a free-kick. Taylor Collins eyed up the opportunity and then drilled a superb shot into the far corner of the net. A great strike.

Three minutes later and Collins was at it again. He latched onto a through ball down the left hand side, guiding his shot in off the far post with a very cool finish.

​Two goals in three minutes could have taken the wind out of Sun Sports' sails but, to their credit, they stepped up and worked very hard to get back into the match. However, it wasn't to be. When Lewis had a stinging shot well saved by Hopwood in the 84th minute it was clear that it was not to be their evening.

​In fact, with Sun pushing up, it was Tring who could have, and should have, scored again. The ball was won back deep into the Sun territory on the left flank by Ryan Sturges and, when the ball was cut back across the six-yard line, it should have been finsihed off by Stapleton. Credit to Sun Sports stopper, Ross Hampton, for getting back across his line to make the block though.

In the end it didn't matter as the referee blew for full-time a minute or so later.
Congratulations to Tring Athletic who, on their second half performance, just about deserved the win. Sun Sports were, in my opinion, the better team in the first half but in the end the difference between the teams was the clinical finishing shown by Taylor Collins.

Sun Sports - @sunsportsfc
Tring Athletic - @tringathletic

​A second-half comeback seals a debut Midweek Floodlit Cup win for Copsewood and condemnds Griff to a third final defeat.

It's that time of year, The league games have, for the most part already dried up, but there are still various cups finals to settle. This Tuesday it was the turn of the Birmingham Midweek Floodlit Challenge Cup which will be contested by Coventry Copsewood and Nuneaton Griff, both of the Midland League Division One. Griff were making their third appearance in the final of this competition and have yet to be successful, losing 2-1 to Romulus in 2004 and 1-0 to Lye Town in 2011. Copsewood were making their début in the final.
This year's final was at the DCS Stadium, home of Stratford Town. As this is not the first visit to their ground, we won't spend much time on a stadium description. However, it is fair to say that there have been a few additions since our last visit. Covered standing behind the far goal and a new covered seating area between the dugouts, opposite the main stand. 

Let's take a look at the history of the competition which has been around since the 2002/03 season when Tipton Town were the inaugural winners, beating Rugby Town 3-1 in the final. Since that time, Lye Town have proven to be the most successful team, winning both of their finals. Gornal Athletic and Southam United have both appeared in three finals but have only got a 33% win ratio. Southam also hold the dubious record for the heaviest final defeat, going down 9-2 to Bolehall Swifts in 2013/14. 

Previous Finals

• 2002/03 Tipton Town 3 Rugby Town 1
• 2003/04 Nuneaton Griff 1 Romulus 2
• 2004/05 Castle Vale 3 Boldmere St Michaels 1 (aet)
• 2005/06 Atherstone Town 4 Pilkington XXX 1
• 2006/07 Coventry Sphinx 4 Dudley Town 2
• 2007/08 AFC Wulfrunians 4 Bartley Green 0
• 2008/09 Darlaston Town 1 Southam United 3
• 2009/10 Bartley Green 1 Gornal Athletic 0
• 2010/11 Nuneaton Griff 0 Lye Town 1
• 2011/12 Gornal Athletic 3 Black Country Rangers 0
• 2012/13 Lye Town 2 Southam United 1
• 2013/14 Bolehall Swifts 9 Southam United 2
• 2014/15 Gornal Athletic 0 Willenhall Town 0 (3-4 on pens)

Copsewood and Griff have met twice in the league this season. A 2-2 draw in Coventry was followed by a 4-0 win for Griff back the The Pingle Stadium.

​On probably the most spring-like evening of the year so far, the teams took the the field at the dcs Stadium. Coventry Copsewood in their green and black stripes, reminiscent of a  traditional Coventry City away kit and Nuneaton Griff in their blue and white stripes. As expected from their league positions, it was Griff who started off looking the stronger of the two but, in truth, on a very bumpy surface, both teams took a few minutes to settle into the game at all.

After 10 minutes, however, Copsewood had an amazing escape when Griff broke into the penalty area only for the Copsewood keeper to make a brave block. There ensued an almighty scramble, pretty much on the Copsewood goal-line, in which several last ditch blocks were made before the ball was eventually hacked away. The charmed life of the Coventry goal was not to last though. With just under 20 minutes on the clock and clearance from the Copses keeper was powerfully headed back over their advancing back-line. Griff top-scorer Luke Shorthouse was onto it in a flash and produced a clever lobbed finish over the stranded keeper to give Griff the lead.

Copsewood tried to hit back and a well hit volley from the edge of the box on the half-hour mark was probably their best effort. It was, however, parried well by the Griff keeper and the danger cleared.
A few minutes later Shorthouse was sent clear again but this time out wide on the left. His cross-shot beat the keeper but also beat the far post. The same player than had another opportunity to increase the Griff lead but was, again, slightly off target.
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At half-time, Griff held a slender 1-0 lead and were good value for the score-line. They should, in all honesty, have been a couple of goals ahead.

​It was a reinvigorated Copsewood side that took to the field for the second half and, within 5 minutes, they had reward for their renewed efforts when they were awarded a penalty. There were few complaints from the Nuneaton players so, even though I didn't have a clear view, I am assuming that there was little doubt about the award. Michael Healy stepped up and smashed home the spot-kick and make it 1-1.

Griff tried to regain their first-half dominance. The lively Shorthouse was always a threat and Griff were finding some success down their right-flank, all without seriously threatening the Coventry goal. The Copsewood defence, marshalled by Birmingham FA Man of the Match George Whitelaw, had got to 
grips with the Nuneaton ball up to Shorthouse and were keeping a much tighter rein on the Griff forwards in the second half. Sitting just in front of the defence my man of the match, Craig Civzelis, was driving the Coventry side on with a real battling captain's performance.

Just eight minutes after equalising, Copsewood could have gone in front. A long ball through the centre of the Griff defence caused some confusion between goalkeeper and defence allowing a Coventry player to nip in and get a shot away. The keeper saved well and the rebound was headed wide.
If Griff had been the dominant force in the first half, it was Copsewood who were holding sway in the second. With just over 15 minutes remaining another overlapping run from the Copsewood left-back produced a great cross which was unfortunately headed into his own net by Griff captain Mark Williams.

​There was still time for Griff to go up the other end and miss a golden opportunity to equalise. However, it was not to be and when the referee blew for full-time the score remained Coventry Copsewood 2 Nuneaton Griff 1. A début Midweek Floodlit Cup victory for Copsewood and an unwanted third final defeat for Nuneaton.

Great to see the Nuneaton Griff twitter account keeping their sense of humour the following morning, re-tweeting the video of the own-goal and congratulating their captain on a top class finish. I then find out that, in a season where the team scored over 100 league goals, he had not managed to notch one himself and, wait for it, it was his birthday. You really couldn't make it up.

Best of luck to both sides for next season. It was an entertaining final and a credit to the Birmingham County FA.

Coventry Copsewood - @ccfcyouthfc
Nuneaton Griff - @nuneatongriff
Bimingham County FA - @birminghamfa