By FA People’s Cup 23rd February 2019
First Round @ Goals Doncaster.
Grimsby Corinthians sent two teams to Doncaster to take art in the first round of this years FA People’s Cup. The prize for the winners is a day out at Wembley on FA Cup Final day with the trophy being presented on the pitch at half time.
The teams arrived to learn there were 13 teams in this local round of fixtures, putting our teams up against sides from Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Hull, Hornsea and local rivals Grimsby Ancient Mariners.
Corinthians Whites found themselves in a group of 4. Their exploits are described by team captain Andy Shaw:
“A sunny Doncaster afternoon saw the Corinthians whites commence their venture into the people’s cup with a hard first game against Retro Rovers A team, both teams starting cautiously. The twists and turns from Wayne Capes eventually resulted in a deflected shot finding the net. Whites managed to keep control for most of the remaining time but a rogue shot from the Retros managed to find an equaliser. Good solid defence came from Dean Capes and Pete Harris, with Andy Shaw causing a nuisance in midfield. John Hill provided safe hands in goal, a few well saved shots, but still managed to stretch his thigh (first casualty of the day.)
A much awaited second game against our friends and players from Grimsby Ancient Mariners B Team saw a cagey start. Both teams had chances with good saves from replacement keeper Carl Reeve. Captain Andy Shaw replaced himself with Pete Harris after being totally embarrassed by a brilliant “nutmeg” from opposition captain Jimmy Charlton. The change paid off with Neil Holcombe’s cheeky rebound board pass to Wayne Capes who slotted the ball home. Wayne then managed to add a second. Great result.
With other results going Whites’ way, they only need a draw against Iron Golden Years to proceed to the knock outs. The Scunthorpe team put up a valiant effort, but due to a weakened team because many of the squad had chosen to watch the local derby between Scunthorpe United and Doncaster Rovers (1-1), Whites coasted to a 3-0 win
The Whites opponents in the knock out round saw them play Hornsea, who had previously drawn against the Blues, in an equally sided game with Whites losing their “million pound” striker to groin strain. Penalties ensued which saw Carl Reeve save the first penalty. Penalties by Neil, Andy and Pete where all well taken, but the in-form Hornsea goalie saved them all. Hornsea went on to share the day with Corinthians Blue. Ir was a good day with good football and many new friends made.”
Secretary Mick Hill describes the action from the Blues:
“The Blues found themselves in a group of 5. First game was up against Hull Pacemakers A which turned out to be a cagey affair. The Blues were sloppy in possession but keeper Bagnall wasn’t really troubled. The game finished 0-0 with John Daly going closest for the Blues with a good shot. It’s always important not to lose your first game in a tournament.
Our second game was against Grimsby Ancient Mariners A. Mariners this year had altered their selection policy and put a group of 8 strong players together in their A squad. As to be expected, the game was tight with Mariners John Molloy closely marked by the Blues defenders Hill and Drinkell. It was Tony Drinkell who changed the game with two well struck goals to give the Blues an important victory. A good sporting contest with handshakes all round.
The third game was against Retro Rovers B. Blues won easily 3-0 with two goals from Mick Hill and the third from Pete Coles. However, the game was marred by a dreadful challenge on John Daly that saw him collide heavily with the barriers. Unfortunately, no action was taken by the referee but Jan Milner, who runs Retro Rovers with sportsmanship and goodwill at their core, admonished the player at the close of the game.
The final game in the group put us up against Hornsea (50s) and saw a change of pitch, referee and to a futsal football. This changed the game dynamics completely. Hornsea took the lead but Blues hit back with a goal from Tony Drinkell. The game finished 1-1 and the Blues topped their group.
The 1/4 final was against Hornsea (60s) and was a brilliant game. The Blues defence this time of Drinkell and Paul Goodhand shackled the Hornsea forward and the Hornsea keeper pulled off around 4 brilliant saves to keep the blues at bay. Pete Coles was the hero with the goal that saw the Blues through to the semi-final.
The semi-final saw us u against the GAM A squad again. They made a couple of changes to their lineup and we were now missing Paul Goodhand with an injury issue. It was a tense atmosphere as the Mariners supporters lined one side of the pitch and the Blues, supported by the Whites, on the other side. Mick Hill broke the deadlock, but GAM struck back just 15 seconds later through Colin Akhurst, to big cheers from the GAM supporters. The Blues defenders were solid, and Coles and Daly put pressure on Gam further up the pitch. It was Pete Coles again who scored the winner after a great pass from Drinkell put him free. The final whistle blew and much to their delight the Blues were in the final. Great effort by GAM and a great sporting attitude after the final whistle with congratulations all around.
The final was now against Hornsea (50s). Unfortunately, with the score at 0-0, a Hornsea player injured himself making a challenge on a Blues player. The injury seemed serious at first and the player was treated on the pitch for several minutes. While this was ongoing, Corinthians Blues offered to share the trophy with Hornsea. All the players agreed and shook hands. Fortunately, it is not now believed the injury was too bad.
Well done Corinthians Blues, undefeated again all day; only conceded two goals in 7 games a good showing from all involved.
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