AFC Waverton Wasps 0 v 2 Vauxhall Motors

Cheshire FA Minor Cup Final (21 March 2010, at FC Heswall)

Coach's MoM - Ollie Tyler

Report

After a fantastic run, in their first ever Cheshire County Cup campaign, Waverton were pitched against a very strong Vauxhalls team in the final, with over 90 other teams having already been eliminated.

The Wasps made a very strong start, attacking down the hill, and for the first 15/20 minutes they played some of their best passing football of the season. Throughout this period Waverton totally dominated the game, and the Vauxhall team looked a bit shellshocked and surprised that they were getting outplayed all over the pitch. However Waverton didn't make the most of this advantage. They created five or six really good openings, but in each case the final shot was either off the mark or underhit, and as a result the Wasps didn't take the lead their play deserved and for all their dominance they never seriously troubled the Vauxhall keeper.

The final fifteen minutes of the first half were more even, but with both defences remaining dominant, and it was unsurprising to see the game reach the half time interval goal-less. At the break though it was definitely Waverton who had the most to regret about only being on level terms.

Vauxhall changed their formation at half time, strengthening their midfield, and in addition they were now kicking down the slope for the second period. This saw a real change around in the game's fortunes and Waverton started to struggle to create any real danger. It remained a cagey game however, and when the breakthrough eventually came, after about 50 minutes, it was a rather scrappy goal (from a mix up in the Waverton defence) rather than any great attacking move which allowed Vauxhall to take the lead.

Although Waverton pushed forward for an equaliser they never really seemed to be able to regain the momentum they'd achieved in the first half, or create any significant openings. After Vauxhall doubled their lead from a corner with 10/15 minutes left they sat back on their lead, and Waverton never really looked like pulling things back. In fact the more likely scorers throughout the second half were Vauxhall, and it was only through some great saves by Ollie Tyler that the Wasps were able to prevent any further additions to the scoreline.

Genuinely a game of two halves. Had Waverton gone one or two goals ahead in the first half, as their dominance desrved, then they'd probably have gone on to win the game. With the Wasps having missed their chance though, Vauxhall then dominated the second half and on the evidence of that period probably deserved their victory. While it's hard not to be disappointed at finishing runners-up, and not collecting the trophy, Waverton should be very proud of beating some very good teams along the way, and deservedly finished second in the whole County!