PREVIEW: Loughton Lions meet Sungate in Division 4 Cup Final to open finals fortnight

This Tuesday night, we head to Dagenham & Redbridge FC for our opening cup final of the season as the Division Four Cup reaches it’s climax with Sungate Reserves looking to complete a league and cup double as Loughton Lions stand in their way. We now look ahead to the game and provide some insight into who might be crowned cup winners on Tuesday night.

For Will Osmond’s newly formed Loughton Lions side, Tuesday’s final represents a high point in an otherwise challenging first campaign which has seen some mixed results. Nonetheless their run in the cup this season has provided plenty of optimism for seasons to come that they can compete with the best. They finished eighth in the league with a points haul of eighteen over the season but were one of the highest scoring sides in the division with forty-six goals which gives an indication that they are probably at their best when attacking, perhaps their best form of defence. They started their run in the competition with a first round tie at home against Old Barkabbeyans Reserves, a tie which they came through in a 4-0 result. In the quarter finals, they faced a tough trip to Soul Youth who had already dismissed three higher division sides in other competitions but came through that test in securing a 4-2 victory on the day to go through to the semi finals. In that semi final they were up against another side desperate to get something out of their season with the visit of Dagenham United Reserves to the Rec. Alex Nicoll was the hero on the day however as he scored both of the Lions goals in a 2-1 win to book their place at Dagenham & Redbridge. When you look at who might be the key men in their side, player-manager Osmond has scored the Lions-share of their goals with 26 at better than a goal per game. Tommy Edwards and Jamie Wood have also weighed in with a fair number of goals too with Edwards being their leading assistor of goals to boot.

Facing the Lions on Tuesday will be Paul Phipps’ Sungate Reserves outfit who, like their opponents, are in their first season with the league and have taken to life in the EAL like the proverbial duck to water. A wonderful first season with us has seen them secure the league title, eventually edging a terrific title battle with Avondale Rangers by a single point with fifteen league wins from eighteen this term. They’ve been able to call upon the services of some experienced individuals this season, moulding them into their club’s winning mentality and bringing about a major improvement in the reserve side’s fortunes compared to previous seasons. They started their run in this competition with a quarter final tie at home against Chigwell Mens Club, putting in a sterling performance to run out 5-1 winners on the day and book their place in the semi finals. Their semi final tie saw the visit of third placed Debden Park to Warren School in by no means an easy task. But they put in another big performance to record a stunning 4-0 win as Darren Reid scored twice with Aaron White and Danny Downed netting the others to send their side through to Dagenham on Tuesday night. When you look at their squad for who could be the key men on cup final night, the vastly experienced Danny Downer is the name that stands out with a 14 goal haul this season while Darren Reid and John Watson have also chipped in with 7 goals each too. Glenn Bransgrove has been the main supply line for goals with 6 assists this season to his name.

When you look at who might be lifting the silverware at around 9.30pm, you would have to put Sungate as the firm favourites given their lofty league position and the results between the sides so far this season. Sungate won the first of those clashes 6-2 back in December, following it up with a smashing 9-0 demolition in their February match. However, both sides showed good form at the end of the season and last year’s cup finals demonstrated just how much of a lottery these matches can be. As is always the case with these big fixtures, the side who deal with the occasion better will most likely by victorious at the end of the night.

Congratulations to our appointed match officials on this final, a reward for the continued hard work put in by our referees across the season. Jason Hale has been appointed as referee for the final, his first such appointment with the league, and he will be ably supported by the experienced pairing of Norman Redington and Malcolm Pond from the touchlines. And completing our team of officials, Terry Campbell is our fourth official having become a regular appointment on our fixture list this term. Well done to all of our appointed match officials!