The biggest game of the local football season turned into a sporting massacre tonight.
Godmanchester Rovers lifted the Hunts Senior Cup after dishing out a final drubbing to St Neots Town as they breezed to a 6-0 triumph.
It was every bit as emphatic as the scoreline suggests at the Premier Plus Stadium. In fact it was men against boys as Ollie Drake’s side had the trophy in the bag by half-time.
An early breakthrough from Cavan King was followed by a second goal from defensive partner Charlie Bowen before a brace from Buster Harradine allowed the engraver to get to work on the trophy before the break.
Rovers continued to look the likeliest scorers in the second period and it was no surprise when they extended their advantage as Austen Diaper nodded in with 19 minutes to go.
The excellent Harradine then completed his hat-trick with nine minutes remaining to apply the icing to an impressive cake as Rovers lifted the trophy for the first time since 2015 and boss Drake celebrated a first piece of silverware of his reign.
On the other hand, it’s the second time in three seasons that Saints have suffered the ignominy of a county final defeat at the hands of a team two steps further down the non-league ladder. It also happened against neighbours Eynesbury Rovers back in 2017.
Of course this was no ordinary clash of sides at Step 3 and Step 5 respectively with the Saints line-up featuring four Under 18 players and a rookie goalkeeper aged 17 from the start with two further youngsters introduced as substitutes for the second half.
In fact the captain of the opposition – Rovers man Micky Hyem – has made considerably more appearances for Saints than any of their current crop of players.
Hyem was all smiles as he lifted the trophy and he could well be getting his hands on more silverware as Rovers face Pinchbeck United in the Hinchingbrooke Cup final on May 1.
TEAMS
Godmanchester Rovers: Niall Conroy, Reece King, Alex Brown, Charlie Bowen, Cavan King, Micky Hyem, Austen Diaper (sub Ross Munro), Jack Chandler, Simon Unwin, Matty Allan (sub Tom Spark), Buster Harradine (sub Russell Bull). Unused subs: Joe Walker, Chris Hyem.
St Neots Tn: Michael McCormack, Steven Shaw (sub Joe Rider), Leon Fulianty, Ryan Hughes, Owen Dunnett, Jacob Joseph, Matty Miles, Mason Wison-Rhiney (sub Reif Clarke), Joe Sutton, Ben Bradley, Prince Mutswunguma. Unused subs: Dan Trendall, Marc Abbott.
Referee: Josh Crofts.
Attendance: 259
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here