Ten-man Bloods end season on high note

Saffron Walden 2

(M Barker S Bell)

Eynesbury Rovers 1

(Harper)

Saffron Walden finished their season on a high at Catons Lane last Wednesday with a South Midlands Cup Final victory over Eynesbury Rovers.

The Bloods had to do it the hard way after Richard Chadwick was sent off in the second half for his second yellow card.

Walden started strongly and Michael Barker was first to test Houseago in the visitors goal with a fierce shot in the opening minutes.

Albone should have put Rovers in front, but he fired wide of the post and then Ben Smith then out jumped the Rovers defence, but Houseago was on hand to deny him the opening goal.

Eynesbury took the lead in the 43rd minute. A corner was whipped in and towering defender Stuart Harper out jumped the Bloods defence and powered his header into the back of the net.

The second half saw Walden apply more pressure on the wings and Chadwick's cross found Smith's head only to see the ball skim the post early on.

The Bloods levelled the scores on 54 minutes. Chadwick beat two defenders and crossed to the unmarked Barker who fired in the equaliser.

Fisk came close with a header from a corner but David Pledger did well to deny the visitors the lead and Ben Newman saved the day with a clearance of the line from a corner that bounced around in the box.

Chadwick was then sent off for a second yellow, so manager Marc Das put on strikers Ben Riches and Spike Bell to up the pace.

Within minutes Riches and Bell both had shots cleared off the line, before they made the breakthrough. Riches outpaced the defence to slot through to Bell, and he sent a perfect lob over the advancing Houseago to give Walden the lead.

The Bloods had the best of the chances in the remaining minutes and they went on to lift the trophy in front of over 200 enthusiastic supporters.

Walden: Pledger, Clark (Butchart), Newman (Bell), Riches, Flack, Butchart(capt), Barker, Kingham, Smith, Mynott (Riches), Chadwick.