BRERETON LION 1 - V - 0 WOOLPACK

Staffordshire FA Sunday Premier Cup Final Brereton Lion 1 Woolpack 0 at Rocester FC Thursday 9th March 2017

Following the postponement of the Sam Kimberley Cup Final on Tuesday evening, the Sunday Premier Cup took the honour of being the opening Staffordshire FA Cup Final of the 2016/2017 season and those present witnessed a hard fought cup tie at Rocester’s Hillfields ground.

In fairness the opening 45 minutes saw a mix of passion and tenacity as both sides struggled to impose their authority on the game and, despite glimpses at either end, clear cut chances were few and far between with neither keeper being called into serious question and both defences standing strong.

The half ended with a blank scoreline although that very nearly changed at the beginning of the second half when Brereton struck the post within the opening moments, the closest either side had come to breaking the deadlock in an increasingly tight contest.

With clear chances clearly going to be at a premium a quick break or set piece was the most likely route to a goal and so it proved with the decisive moment coming on 57 minutes.

Tom Wright broke the offside trap and whilst his initial attempt was blocked by an advancing Richard Stones in the Woolpack goal, Wright calmly collected the loose ball and placed it neatly into the net from the corner of the box despite being under pressure from Woolpack defenders.

With Lion now ahead it was left to Woolpack to try and break down a solid back line and despite numerous set-pieces and long thrown-ins, a breakthrough never came and the Cannock League side hung on to claim their first ever Sunday Premier Cup title.

Credit to both sides in providing a game that was full of passion and commitment and congratulations to Brereton Lion on their win - the scenes at the end showed how much this win meant to the club and their supporters who travelled home with the first silverware of the season.