PREVIEW: Jolof and ACD United meet in season ending Fenton Cup Final finale

This Wednesday night, we return to Dagenham & Redbridge for one last cup final this season and it’s the big one… the Fenton Cup Final! This year’s line-up sees ACD United return to the final once again following their defeat to Docklands Albion in last year’s competition and they are joined by the newly crowned league and Senior Division Cup winners, Jolof Sports. It’s a match which offers all of the promise to be a fitting finale to a wonderful season. We now take a look at each of our finalists and assess their chances of lifting the coveted silverware.

For Jolof Sports, they’ve already been there and done it once before this season as they secured the Senior Division Cup ten days ago with their 2-0 win against Docklands Albion and, along with the league title that they earned a few weeks back, go into this match seeking a historic treble. Such a feat has yet to be achieved but you wouldn’t back against them being the first to do so. What a season it has been for the club as Danny Brissett took over the helm at the start of the new season and has carried on the great work started by Ahma in previous years. It took them until the very last game to get over the finish line in the league however as their opponents in this final, ACD United, pushed them all the way in a neck and neck battle for the silverware. It could have been even more had they managed to hold on in the Essex Junior Cup, losing out in the semi-finals to Westhamians. Their run in the Fenton Cup started in the fourth round with a narrow 4-3 win away at Three Colts before facing East Ham Inter in the quarter-finals. They won that game 5-2 to book a place in the semi-finals against Division One’s Wapping. They made no mistake in that semi-final with goals from Kana Sene, Hervan Volney, James Tossou-Ayayi and Mody Gaye completing a 4-0 victory for the Jolof boys as they confirmed their place in the final. The two leading scorers for the club this season are Papa Ndiaye and Jesus Paniagua who have scored 14 and 11 goals respectively in a side possessing plenty of quality and athleticism.

Taking on Jolof Sports on Saturday are the other side making up the top flight’s top two sides as ACD United return to the Fenton Cup Final once again. Having been the first side outside of the top division to compete in the last year’s final when they led against Docklands Albion but were eventually beaten late on, they will be keen to put that to the back of their minds as they go for glory again this year. Following their double promotion into the Senior Division last year, they’ve taken to the next level like a duck to water and, for the majority of this season, led the way at the top right up until the very last day of the season then their points tally was finally hauled in. Nonetheless, the Romford based side will reflect back on yet another positive season and be looking ahead to a big season for the club in 2019/20. Their run in the Fenton Cup started at the third round stage with a trip to face West Essex Reserves, winning that tie 2-1 and securing a fourth round clash at Division One champions, FC Baresi. Once again they edged that game by the odd goal with a 1-0 taking them into the last eight. In the quarter finals, they were 2-0 winners against Blue Marlin in their first home tie of the competition which saw them confirm a semi-final against Division Three’s Haver Town Reserves. Jamie Alexandrou and Michael Wade efforts gave them a hard fought 2-1 that day to book a place in the showpiece final. In the scorer stakes, Michael Wade’s 26 goals see him top of the club’s standings while it’s a three-way tie between Wade, Sam Payne and Shaun Allen who each have 6 assists this season.

When you compare the two sides and try to fathom who might be the bookies favourite for this one, it’s incredibly difficult to pick a winner with both teams having secure a win each this season in the league. Jolof were 3-1 winners in the first clash between the sides back in October which was followed up by a 3-0 victory for ACD in the return fixture just before the Christmas break. And even by studying the league tables, that only reveals a gap of three points between the teams over their respective eighteen-match seasons. One area which will give ACD some hope is their penchant for scoring plenty of goals with fifty plus to their name compared to just over thirty for Jolof, indicating that ACD will be a big goal threat. I think this all demonstrates quite what a tight and hard fought match is in store for us all!

Many congratulations to our appointed match officials who are rewarded for their consistency and commitment this season. The man in the middle is Morgan Conn who receives his first cup final “middle” appointment with the league and continues a successful season following promotion. He is joined in the officials team by his assistants, James Crowe and Keith Everett, while the fourth official duties will be carried out by Dave Sargent. Well done to all involved with the final and we wish you all the very best of luck!