Crowle Colts v Bakewell Town

A successful first season in the Central Midlands League for both these clubs brought them to Retford United’s Cannon Park ground to contest the final of the cup competition for the two sections of the Macron Store Stoke Division One. Both sides won their semi-finals four-one but had narrower victories in the previous round, Alfreton Town Reserves took Bakewell into extra time while Crowle needed penalties to get past Sutton Rovers.

The early chances in this game were at the Bakewell end, Tom Finnigan’s shot in the fifth minute was well saved by Tom Crapper but the ball fell to Ryan Bonser whose attempt went over the bar. Bakewell’s leading scorer Tom Forder found himself through on goal five minutes later but was thwarted by the onrushing Ben Simpson’s shins. Jamie Carrington ought to have put Town in front midway through the half but put his close-range header wide of Simpson’s left-hand post.

In a match lacking a plentiful supply of goalmouth incident, the better opportunities were being made by Bakewell and five minutes before the break Tom Poste ran through on goal; Hashlee Cranidge’s covering run pushed the forward wide and the resulting shot missed the target but the side in blue and white still managed to go into the break in front. A rash challenge by Bonser in Crowle’s right midfield was punished by a yellow card for the player and a goal for his opponents when Conor Maskrey headed Andrei Pykett’s free kick into the net.

The second half began in the same manner as the first with the early chances coming the way of the Colts. Crapper held on to the ball under Danny Smyth’s challenge from Gav Cooper’s free kick before Tom Baker took the ball down the left wing and released a dangerous low cross only inches in front of Finnigan. Bakewell’s second goal came ten minutes after the interval from a corner on their left. Pykett delivered the ball to the middle of the goal on the edge of the six yard box where it met Bakewell’s captain Ben Rach and Ricky Girling who between them headed it past Simpson.

As the game progressed and the tackles flew, the referee had plenty of occasions to practice his whistle-blowing and card-brandishing techniques but it wasn’t until the eighty-eighth minute that he had to make a note of another goal. Joe Simpson’s free kick from the left was headed clear by a defender but collected by Finnigan on the edge of the D. Finnigan controlled the ball and shot through a crowded box to give the Colts a glimmer of hope but despite a half chance for substitute Daniel Barrowcliffe who shot over the crossbar, Bakewell held their lead and took the trophy.