Drennan the destroyer for Eastfield
Pack Horse 1, Eastfield 3 Brighouse Echo Cup Final Emily Parker at the Dual Seal Glass Stadium
FORM team Eastfield, in front of an excellent crowd, didn't disappoint their fans winning the Echo Cup in style.
They saw off top sides Sun Inn and Old Pond to claim their place in the prestigious event against underdogs Pack Horse, the new boys from Southowram.
Eastfield proved by far the strongest with a superb man of the match performance from the tireless Mickey Drennan but that award could easily have gone to Brad Wormald or Danny Hodgkinson.
Pack Horse favourite Dave O'Shea was a thorn in Eastfield's side and he made a serious bid for the man of the match accolade with his accurate and searching feeding kicks from dead ball and crosses.
A delighted Eastfield coach Joe Kitcher, collecting the cup for the first time since the 2004-05 season, said: "It was very nerve-racking. It was a really good performance and they should be proud of themselves.
"Our boys were nervous, certainly in the first half, but in the second half we played a little more like we can.
"When you have match winners like Mickey Drennan and Bradley Wormald, you're on to a winner. In Sunday football you really need to dig in and the lads showed tremendous spirit. But I have to give credit to the Pack Horse who played well and gave us a game."
After six minutes Eastfield's David Phelan, sporting the colours of his side with his latest haircut, was yellow carded for unsporting behaviour on Pack Horse striker Michael Hirst and it was the underdogs who drew first blood a minute later when Ryan Richards put a goal in the back of the net from 35 yards out.
On the 12-minute mark Eastfield equalised through Brad Wormald. He received the ball from a long corner up into the area and chipped it in over keeper Matthew Townsend.
Eastfield were given a free kick 40 metres out and the resultant ball was crossed into the box and Phelan headed it just wide of the goal. Darren Hill was, as ever, working tirelessly in midfield for Eastfield who had the skill factor but were not having it all their own way.
After 25 minutes of play, Pack Horse's Gary Neill put in a powerful shot on goal but keeper Andrew Crossley took the sting out before gathering it into his arms.
A fresh pair of legs came on for Eastfield after 30 minutes when the much travelled Danny Hodgkinson replaced the injured Lee Dyson.
Phelan was pulled in again by referee Wally Hemingway for words, following the intervention of assistant George Wilkins, which were to calm him down, but no card was given or it could have been curtains for the big man.
Eastfield went two up with ten minutes to the break. Wormald put a through ball for Hodgkinson to score. Pack Horse claimed for offside but Hemmingway checked with his assistant, Mike Kinnear, and it was 2-1.
The half closed with both teams evenly matched despite the goal difference. Ten minutes into the second half and again Richards made an attack on Eastfield's goal but his shot hit the bar.
Two minutes later and Wormald laid on for Drennan to shoot but it skimmed the bar and away to safety.
Richards was then booked for unsporting behaviour.
Eastfield's evergreen, Leighton Armstrong, narrowly missed from a half volley just outside the box, much to Pack Horse goalie Townsend's relief.
Hodgkinson was then booked for unsporting behaviour, giving Pack Horse a free kick. Michael Hirst curved the ball round the wall straight into keeper Andrew Crossley's hands.
A minute later, Eastfield's Joe Shaw had a clear shot to score but it went wide of the target.
Pack Horse then brought on Darren Gaskin for Frank Williams who had worked hard at the back with Ben Walker dampening down the on-fire Eastfield strike force.
Wormald, a menace the Pack Horse needed to shackle, looked set to score his second with an open shot on goal but he skied the ball.
Shaw was then booked for unsporting behaviour, taking out Wayne Cummins.
Hirst followed with an entry into Hemingway's book after his reckless sliding tackle on Drennan.
With nine minutes to go, Phelan was given his final warning by a clearly irate referee.
In the 85th minute, Drennan sealed the deal for Eastfield, placing a goal in the net to make it 3-1. He weaved in and out and went round the keeper, pulled the ball out and shot into the net around the scrambling defence.
In the dying seconds of the match, Drennan had a chance to bag another goal when he was one-on-one with the keeper but Townsend kept his nerve and grasped the ball.
But Eastfield had done the hardwork and were ready to celebrate a deserved success.
(More sports news and pictures in the Brighouse Echo 14/5/2009)
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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