TENBY 2NDS 3

ST. FLORENCE 1

 

It was a day of reckoning in more than one way as Tenby Seconds travelled to Monkton for the Fourth Division cup final against St. Florence on election day. 

St. Florence must have been in confident mood, having already beaten Tenby twice in the league, but Tenby were eager for further success, having already gained promotion to Division Three, and were keen to put one over their local rivals.

Thankfully, the downpour before the match soon stopped and when kick-off arrived, Monkton was ablaze in glorious sunshine and the surface was looking like the playing surface at Anfield.

Tenby started off with the 3, 5, 2 system that has served them well all season.

For the first 20 minutes, it was one-way traffic as the Tenby boys played some excellent flowing football which left the St. Florence players chasing shadows.

Tenby bombarded the St. Florence goal only to find the young Saints 'keeper, Will Thomas, in excellent form.

St. Florence then came back into the game and it became an entertaining encounter for the big crowd that had amassed at Monkton. 

Tenby's pressure then told when the excellent James Howes scored from a corner with a bicycle kick which gave his side a well deserved first half lead. 

The second half started with St. Florence having a real go and the industrious Ashley Smith scored from a corner.

This gave the Tenby boys the incentive to up their game and this then led to the goal of the match. Player manager Alun Morgan tackled Ashley Smith on the edge of his own area, took the ball forward and then released the flying machine Tom Nicholas down the right wing. He then took the ball on, beat a few St. Florence players, then knocked the ball over for Gareth Warlow to fire the ball past the helpless Thomas in goal.

This gave Tenby the boost that they needed and they took complete control of the game thereafter. 

Dewi Davies, in the Tenby goal, was a mere spectator for the remaining 20 minutes as the outstanding back three of Peter Horsley, Dan Edwards and Curtis Hurlow dealt confidently with everything that came their way.

The midfield duo of captain Mo Sofan and Jimmy Thomas were outstanding throughout and were dominant in the middle of the park, Tom Nicholas and Mike Lindsay were superb in the difficult wing back roles and the young strike pairing of Howes and Warlow were magnificent, never giving the St. Florence back four any time to settle on the ball, and in fact it was Gareth Warlow who put the icing on the cake with another accomplished finish with 10 minutes to go. 

The substitutes, Simon Bolton, Adam Brown, and Alex Heesom, all contributed to what was an outstanding team performance, and when the final whistle went, it was a deserved victory for an excellent display.

Captain Mo Sofan lifted the trophy and the celebrations then started! Congratulations should also go to St. Florence who contributed to what was an entertaining final.

It has been an excellent season for Tenby Seconds who have now gained back-to-back promotions and are looking forward to a new challenge in Division Three next season.

A big thanks must go to the club's main sponsor, Andrew Price, and also the Normandie for the excellent after-match food that they have provided throughout the season.

Tenby team: Dewi Davies, Curtis Hurlow, Peter Horsley, Dan Edwards, Mike Lindsay, Tom Nicholas, Alun Morgan, Mo Sofan, Jimmy Thomas, Gareth Warlow, James Howes, Simon Bolton, Adam Brown and Alex Heesom.