PREVIEW: Three Colts face Chigwell in Division 1 Cup showdown

This Tuesday evening, our penultimate cup final of the season takes place down at Dagenham & Redbridge where Three Colts go in search of a third crown in succession as they take on Chigwell in the Division One Cup Final. We now look ahead to the game and provide some insight into who might be crowned cup winners on Tuesday night.

Three Colts head into Tuesday’s cup final looking to match Chingford Athletic’s record of winning the same competition for three years in succession following their wins in recent years against Sporting Hackney Reserves and Docklands Albion. It’s been yet another decent season for the Buckhurst Hill side who have completed a fourth placed finish in the league having won ten of their eighteen games this year, just eight points off of the promotion pace. As a side who are always there or thereabouts in the league, you might be forgiven for labelling them as a cup team following their unbeaten exploits in the competition since 2017. Their run in the competition this year started with an away tie in the quarter finals where they travelled to Walthamstow to take on Chingford United, winning that contest comfortably 6-0. On to the semi-finals they progressed therefore and this time they were up against Melbourne Sports for a place in the final. They made no mistake of course as they edged to a 3-1 win with long-time servant to the club, Tom Jakob, scoring twice in the tie with David Watson’s effort completing the win to send them to Victoria Road. Colts are a side who base much of their success around a team effort which therefore sees their goals shared around the squad. Tom Jakob (8) and Jason Fox (7) are the highest scorers in the team while Nicky Blackwell's 8 assists this term see him as the main provider of goals in the side.

For Chigwell, Tuesday night's final represents another part of a largely successful second season with league having made the semi finals of the Essex Junior Trophy, a third placed finish in the league, quarter finals in the Fenton Cup and this final too, this all following a double promotion from Division Three last year following a runners-up finish. This up and coming team are making fast progress through the divisions with a spot in the top flight likely to behold them in the coming weeks, a feat which I'm sure won't daunt this confident side one little bit. Their run in the Division One Cup began in the first round where they took on Wapping in Hainault, earning a comfortable 4-1 victory on the day to book a quarter final. That tie saw them make the journey to Walthamstow to face their biggest rivals, FC Baresi. In a game where the side couldn't be seperated at ninety minutes following a 2-2 draw, Chigwell won 10-9 on penalties to win the tie and go through. In the semi finals, they were up against a fired up Rapid Chingford side who themselves were looking for a cup final place but a Ross Chimes goal for the visitors proved to be the only goal of a tight game as Chigwell won 1-0 to go through to Tuesday's final. When looking at the men to watch out for, Ross Chimes himself has been the side's leading marksman this year with a 19 goals haul while Mark Howe has also chipped in with 11 goals himself in a side full of goals. Jonathan Lye leads the way in the assist stakes with 8 to his name this year while Jack Ryan's efforts between the sticks shouldn't be forgotten with 6 cleansheets to his name.

This could be one of the tightest cup final contests this season with just one place and six points between the sides in the league with both having had terrific campaigns in the second tier. In fact, in their two league contests, they have shared the honours with a win each. Three Colts won their initial clash back in October 3-2 before Chigwell returned the favour with a equally narrow 4-3 win in January so this really couldn't be any more difficult to pick. Three Colts do of course have the experience on the big occasion from their previous two visits so you might imagine that to be a big factor but there is certainly going to be no easy let-up from this young Chigwell side who will be keen to get their hands on some silverware having ended as bridesmaids on a couple of occasions already. This is sure to be a terrific contest!

Congratulations to our appointed match officials on this final, a reward for their continued hard work and commitment through the season. The experienced and respected John Conaghan is the main with the whistle on Tuesday and he'll be supported by Emma Guest and Will O'Neill from the touchlines. Ken Jackman completes the team as the fourth official on the night. Best of luck to all involved!