Town Triumph in Junior Cup
TOWN TRIUMPH IN JUNIOR CUP
It was all to play for in tonight’s Norfolk Junior Cup final at Harrod Sport Arena as Wymondham Town faced AC Mill Lane. It was Town who were successful in seizing the silverware against a hard-working AC Mill Lane side.
Wymondham Town came straight out of the blocks to dominate the early stages. Their quick passing and movement off the ball allowed them to enjoy a large share of possession in the first 5 minutes of the game. It was Darrell Wigger who had the first chance of the game as his low, driven strike was saved by Ethan Mills in the Millers Goal.
A scrappy period of play saw both teams battle for control in the midfield with heavy challenges and crunching tackles being made. It was clear that frustration was rising as it remained a stalemate after 15 minutes.
A moment of excitement from Town saw good link up play between Luke Tuttle and Wigger, with the latter switching the play to Joe Woodcock who set an overlapping Brad Rivett down the wing. Rivett took on three AC Mill Lane defenders and worked his way into the box before being stopped from getting a shot off by Shannon Deeks' outstretched leg. Immediately, the possession turned over as the Millers set away on a counterattack led by Alex Shreeve, whose tireless work earned him space to work a shot but he was denied by Harley Lemmon in the Wymondham goal.
Despite the quick run of play by AC Mill Lane, Town kept their cool and composure at the back. A clearance from the back line fell to Wymondham's striker who was fouled in dangerous area. In the 22nd minute, Aaron Kay delivered a threatening free kick ending in a goalmouth scramble. The ball rolled across the goal to the feet of Wymondham’s captain, Charlton Halliday, who made no mistake in tapping the ball into the back of the net to give his team the advantage.
The pace of the game slowed down as Wymondham settled and AC Mill Lane were put on the back foot. Mill Lane, however, remained faithful to the counterattack in their tactics. With five minutes to go in the first half, AC Mill Lane enjoyed their clearest goal scoring opportunity thus far. Shreeve beat his man and split the Wymondham defenders with a pass to release Nathan Thompson, who dragged his shot wide of Lemmon’s goalpost.
Following a push in the back on Harley Kerrigan, Deeks entered the book with a yellow card only minutes later. This provided Wymondham’s set piece specialist, Kay, a chance on goal from close proximity. His strike resulted in a moment of worry for the AC Mill Lane defence as it rebounded off several players before eventually being cleared. Yet, this was only as far as Town’s midfield who found Kay once again for a long-range effort towards the bottom left corner of the AC Mill Lane goal. Ethan Mills was quick on his feet to scramble across and diving to prevent Town doubling their lead.
Wymondham went into the break comfortably controlling the pace and possession of the match, with Wigger and Kay enjoying the attacking flow of the game. AC Mill Lane were still very much in the contest despite having to set up defensively in the first 45
Half Time - Wymondham Town 1 – 0 AC Mill Lane
The second half action kicked off as AC Mill Lane looked for a way to equalise against a strong Wymondham side.
Town continued to look dangerous at every dead ball scenario. Inside the first two minutes, Kay stepped up for yet another free kick and quickly released an unmarked Luke Tuttle down the wing who attempted to curl the ball to the far-right side of the goal. Luckily for the Millers, the ball went wide of the post.
As the tensions heightened, Callum Webb was the second player to enter Match Official, Dario Matthewson’s book following a few mis-timed tackles throughout the game earning himself a yellow card. This was unsurprising following the bout of Wymondham attacks that pressurised the Millers at the back. However, the Mill Lane centre back duo, captain Jackson Williams and Deeks, held a strong back line to prevent a second Town goal in the first twenty minutes of the second half.
However, it wasn't long before Town increased their advantage. In the 73rd minute, Wigger skipped past 4 AC Mill Lane defenders before being brought down in the 18 yard box earning his team a penalty. Tuttle stepped up to the mark confidently sending Mills the wrong way as he calmly slotted the ball home.
Immediately from the kick off, AC Mill Lane reacted to going two goals down with a goal of their own. The Millers skipper, Williams, inspired a comeback as he released Liam Williams with a lobbed through ball setting the forward through on goal. The frontman deftly chipped Lemmon from the edge of the box providing his team with a lifeline in the cup final.
Minutes later, penalty shouts from the Miller's supporters filled the air as Shreeve was brought down in the box. The Referee waved these away as the tensions increased ahead of an intense last ten minutes of the game.
AC Mill Lane increased the pressure following their goal as a chance fell to Tom Leuenberger on the edge of the box. His shot just missed the target despite troubling Lemmon in the Wymondham goal. It was clear that the Millers’ goal injected life into their side as they began to create more attacking opportunities through longer forward passes.
It wasn’t long before Town regained their two-goal cushion. In the 87th minute, Rob Browne attacked the left wing before cutting back and beating his man to find Kerrigan at the corner of the 18-yard box. Kerrigan shifted the ball to his right foot and struck a powerful dipping effort which sailed into the top right corner of the Miller's goal.
Moments later Wymondham found the back of the net again only to be denied the goal by Assistant Referee, James Sneddon’s offside flag.
Tonight’s action came down to the wire, delighting the 317-strong crowd at Harrod Sport Arena with both sides battling until the final whistle.
Full Time - Wymondham Town 3 – 1 AC Mill Lane
Line Ups:
Wymondham Town: Harley Lemmon, Liam Brock, Brad Rivett, Scott Sell, Charlton Halliday ©, Callum Webb, Darrell Wigger, Harvey Kerrigan, Luke Tuttle, Aaron Kay, Joe Woodcock
Subs: Lloyd Greening, Cadan Hill, Dion Hill, Rob Browne, Andrew Jackson
AC Mill Lane: Ethan Mills, Adam Bray, Jackson Williams ©, Will Spinks, Shannon Dinks, Nathan Thompson, Harry Norman, Alex Shreeve, Liam Williams, Tom Leuenberger, Daniel McDonald
Subs: Sam Bensley, Luis Lopes, Richie Fabian, Pip Watkins, Steve Hemp
Referee: Dario Matthewson.
Assistants: Rob Bunting & James Sneddon.
Fourth Official: Shaun Catchpole.
Attendance: 317
Player of the Match: Darrel Wigger
Photography: Ben Cunningham, @Cunninghamben86