PREVIEW: Haver Town take on New Star Soccer in Division 3 Cup Final seeking double

This Thursday night, we head to Dagenham & Redbridge FC for our second cup final of the season as the Division Three Cup reaches it’s climax. New Star Soccer return to the final for the second season running, taking on Haver Town Reserves who are seeking a league and cup double this season. We now look ahead to the game and provide some insight into who might be crowned cup winners on Thursday night.

It’s a second season in succession in this final for Jeff Khan’s New Star Soccer outfit who will be looking to put the dramatic ending to last year’s game firmly to the back of their minds and strive to be the ones lifting the cup this year. They were up against the odds last year against an FC Baresi side who had cruised to the league title but raced out of the blocks in an excellent opening half by to lead 2-0 at the break. But a second half recovery saw Baresi level it up before winning it late on to break New Star hearts. Their league form this season has seen an improvement on their last campaign with a seventh placed finish and, with over 120 goals featuring in those contests, you can’t accuse them of not providing entertainment value! They’ve saved their best performances this season for the cup competition where they started their road to the final with a trip to Glendale at the quarter final stage. They were 3-1 victors that day to secure their place in the semi-final where they were on the road once again with a trip to face top of the table Custom House United. That tie was incredibly tight with just a single effort separating the teams on the day with Dwaine Hitchman the hero for his side to send them to Dagenham once again. When you analyse the side’s statistics to see who might be the men to watch, it’s been a team effort in the goal scoring stakes with Tyrese Sutherland leading the way on 9 goals while Dwaine Hitchman and L’heureux Menga who have scored 8 apiece. Couple that with the fact that eighteen different people have scored this season for the club, it would be difficult to pinpoint one player as their key man.

Taking on New Star Soccer are the newly crowned Division Three league champions, Haver Town Reserves, fresh from achieving that accolade last Saturday in the last game of the season. Steve Ince’s side have followed up the impressive achievements of Kevin Chapman’s team last season and stand on the brink of another league and cup double were they to be victorious on Thursday night. It’s been a hard contested race for the title having been locked in battle with Royal Forest, Tower Hamlets and Custom House United all season long but, ultimately, their games in hand proved their worth in the end. On the cups front, it’s also been a good season with a run to the semi-finals of the all-divisions Fenton Cup competition where they eventually saw an end against top flight ACD United. Their run in this competition began back in round one where they faced up to one of the toughest opponents on paper with a trip to Royal Forest. But Haver were imperious on the day as they cruised to an 8-1 victory to secure a quarter final against St Francis. Despite the gap between the sides and home advantage, this saw one of their toughest battles in the run but managed to run out 2-0 victors to go through to the semi finals. That last four contest was an epic, taking on the might of Tower Hamlets at Mabley Green and coming from behind to level up the match at 4-4 by the end of ninety minutes through goals from Billy Biggs, Ryan Kelland, Reece Simpson and Ezekiel Akinola. An eventual 9-8 win from the penalty spot saw them safely through to the final. Four players have reached double figures in goals this season for the club with Ryan Kelland’s 21 strikes leading the way while Reece Simpson (14), Courtney Waller (13) and Lee Harris (12) have all contributed goals as well to a very strong attacking side and are men to watch out for on the night.

The difference in placings between the sides in the league would suggest that Haver Town Reserves start the game as clear favourites to take home the silverware at the end of the evening. But New Star Soccer proved in last year’s final against similarly lofty opponents that, if they can get out of the blocks quickly, they can prove a force to any side in the division with some big game players amongst they ranks. In the battles between their sides this season, Haver have had the upper hand with a 3-0 win in their first match back in December. That was followed up by an emphatic 8-0 victory in their most recent clash in April which supports the view of the bookies that Haver have the edge. New Star will have to deal positively with the attacking threat that Haver possess while taking the chances that present themselves for their own forwards.

Congratulations to our appointed match officials on this final, a reward for the continued hard work put in by our referees across the season. The vastly experienced Paul Shea has been appointed as referee for the final and he will be ably supported by the up and coming Martin Bell and Aaron Mills from the touchlines. Completing our team of officials, fans favourite John Simpson, will be on fourth official duties. Well done to all!