Essex & Suffolk Border League

Knock Out Cup Semi Final

Saturday 20th April 2024

Kick Off 14.30 On Time!

Thorpe Athletic 2 Earls Colne 0, attendance 48

5’ 1-0

90’ + 1, 2-0

@ Kirby Playing Fields

Halstead Road

Kirby Cross

CO13 0LW

No Admission or Programme.

Today’s game was an opportunity for Thorpe Athletic to take another step towards a treble winning season. They’ve already won the Essex F.A. Junior Cup and currently lead the Essex & Suffolk Border League Division 1 (need a maximum of 2 points from their last three games to guarantee finishing top). Despite Earls Colne being a division higher (10th place), Thorpe will have fancied taking full advantage of being at home for this one, having only lost once here all season (1-5 to title rivals Cressing United).

Sadly, from a neutral point of view, this wasn’t a great game. Thorpe were ahead after just five minutes, after a cross from the right saw a shot saved by the ‘keeper, but the rebound was smashed in from close range. The eighty five minutes that followed can best be described as attritional. Both ‘keeper’s pulled off one very good save each, but at no time did it look like there would be any further goals, until Thorpe finally killed it off a minute into stoppage time.

Kirby Playing Fields hosts cricket and football, the latter being to the right when looking from the changing rooms. Taped off along the cricket side and rather unusually, still having the old square goal posts. The pitch was bobbly, which probably didn’t help matters and it certainly didn’t feel much like Spring, as the ground is very exposed and there was a very cool wind blowing throughout, but at least it was dry for a change.