Graham Edwards Memorial Trophy

Group B

Sunday 18th July 2021

Kick Off 12.00 Actual 12.01

Four Crosses 5 Ellesmere United 3, attendance 72

2’ 0-1

14’ 1-1

34’ 2-1 (pen)

35’ 3-1

40’ 4-1

73’ 4-2

79’ 4-3

87’ 5-3 (pen)

@ Gobowen Playing Field

St. Martin’s Road

Gobowen

SY10 7GA

No Admission or Programme, £1 Raffle.

The Graham Edwards Memorial Trophy is named after the former Weston Rhyn and Gobowen player, who died from leukaemia when he was just 21 years old. It was first played for in 1975, with all matches played at Gobowen Playing Field, home to Shropshire County League side Gobowen Celtic. There are two groups of 4 teams, who play each other once, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi finals.

These two had both lost their opening matches, Four Crosses 0-5 versus Gobowen Celtic and Ellesmere United 0-4 to Morda United, so it was vital to pick up a win today, if they were to have any chance of staying in the competition. The skill level wasn’t great, but both sides gave it their all and it made for decent entertainment as a neutral. It can’t have been much fun playing in that heat, so fair play to them. Ellesmere took an early lead, but by halftime they trailed 4-1 and looked out of it. They recovered well in the second half and pulled it back to 4-3 with eleven minutes left, but were unable to nick an equaliser, before Four Crosses made the game safe, with a penalty three minutes from time to give them a 5-3 win.

The original plan had been to stay for the second match, between Gobowen Celtic and Morda United, but with the kick off being put back by half an hour to 15.30, we decided to give it a miss as the 30 degree heat was unbearable, especially with so little shade. As it turned out, we were leaving Warwick Services, on the M40, just as the game would be about to start, so it felt like we’d made the right decision.