Maryport’s Netherhall School are U13 Cumbria County Cup Champions following a 4-3 victory over the William Howard School of Brampton, writes deputy headteacher Mark Bailey,
The match, at the Sheepmount, Carlisle, will live long in the memory of all who were present as the Netherhall School year eight boys’ football team produced a performance for the ages in a classic encounter to secure the U13 Cumbria County Cup title in an absolutely magnificent game of football.
A fantastic first-half performance from the year 8 boys saw Netherhall take the lead with only 6 minutes gone, when a superb free kick taken by Finn Nicholson was arrowed into the top left corner of the William Howard goal to get the boys off to a flying start.
The lead was doubled on 21 minutes following a period of sustained pressure by the Netherhall boys when a corner kick was turned into the William Howard goal by one of their own defenders to make the score 2-0 to Netherhall.
The year 8 boys continued to press forward searching for more goals and William Howard’s ‘keeper pulled off a superb save from Finn on 30 minutes to keep the scores at 2-0, while Kian Stuart smashed an effort just wide of the left-hand post on 33 minutes.
William Howard nearly reduced the arrears on the stroke of half-time however, when a superb run from one of their attackers saw a shot come back off the post before the referee blew for half-time with the scores at 2-0 to Netherhall School.
A pulsating second-half laid the ground for what can only be described as one of the great games of Cumbrian schoolboy football, and it was Netherhall School who scored the third goal of the afternoon 17 minutes into the second-half when Alfie Holdsworth played a great lay-off to Morgan Towers just inside the William Howard penalty box, with Morgan gleefully driving the ball into the top right corner of the William Howard goal to the delight of the year 8 boys and Netherhall supporters on the touchline to take a commanding 3-0 lead for Netherhall School.
It was at this point that William Howard School, the reigning Cumbria County Cup holders, began a fightback that proved what a fantastic side they are and led to the contest becoming an all-time classic.
Twenty minutes into the second-half Netherhall failed to clear their lines from a corner, with William Howard stabbing the ball home from close range to make the scores 3-1.
With their tails up, William Howard were through on goal again, this time it took an absolutely magnificent save from Netherhall keeper Jayden Faulder to keep the scores at 3-1, but a resurgent William Howard team kept coming forward with new found belief that they could rescue the game and defend their County Cup title.
On 30 minutes, a William Howard free kick was delivered beautifully into the Netherhall box and was skilfully headed into the net to make the scores 3-2.
At this point the character of the superb year 8 Netherhall boys came through, they refused to surrender the lead and surged forward once again, with Alfie hauled down in the area leading to a penalty to Netherhall with only 2 minutes remaining which would surely secure victory for the Netherhall boys at 4-2, but it was not to be, and the resulting penalty struck the post and bounced back out.
With only seconds to play, William Howard poured forward, desperate to find an equaliser and following a magnificent cross from the William Howard winger, their centre forward steered a bullet header into the bottom corner of the goal to tie the scores at 3-3 with the last kick of the game, leaving the Netherhall boys distraught as the final whistle blew.
With the full-time scores tied at 3-3, the sides then went into an unbelievably tense period of extra-time.
The first period of extra-time went off without a clear-cut chance for either side, while some fantastic defence from the Netherhall boys kept William Howard out in the second period.
As the game approached the last 2 minutes of extra-time it was Netherhall who pressed forward, forcing a corner which was headed narrowly wide by Kian.
Then in the last minute Netherhall poured forward again, with centre-forward Alfie brought down in the area and the referee awarding the year 8 boys with a penalty to seal the game. Netherhall School captain Kian took the responsibility and the pressure must have been immense, knowing that converting the spot-kick would surely win the title for Netherhall, Kian stepped forward and calmly stroked the ball into the bottom left corner of the William Howard keeper’s net to retake the lead at 4-3 to Netherhall School to the delight of both the team and supporters alike.
Within seconds of the re-start, the referee called time on one of the great schoolboy football finals and the year 8 boys celebrated the fact that they had just become the U13 Cumbria County Cup Champions!
These brilliant young men have earned their place in the history of Netherhall School.
There are many people to thank for all that took place at the U13 Cumbria Cup Final; I would like to thank Mr Tidmarsh of the William Howard School, Brampton and the Cumbria Schools’ FA for setting up the final at the Sheepmount in Carlisle. I would also like to thank the officials on the evening: Dan Cullen of the Cumbria FA for refereeing the game so fairly and Dale Gebbie of Netherhall School’s excellent PE department for acting as linesman; I would like to thank the boys of the William Howard School of Brampton for providing a first-class opponent in the final and for playing the game in the right spirit. Finally, I would like to thank the over 50 supporters and friends of Netherhall School who came along to support the team in the final and helped to make the occasion so memorable for the Netherhall School U13 boys.
Congratulations once again to all the boys of Netherhall School’s County Champion U13 football team – this was a success that was very much deserved and one that will live long in the memory. I would like to thank the boys of the Netherhall School U13 team for their performances and commitment throughout the 2023-24 season; they have proven themselves to be a brilliant group of young men who have represented their school, town and families with distinction – we are all immensely proud of you boys!
