Cambridgeshire F.A. Cliff Bullen Challenge Cup
Semi Final
Saturday 23rd February 2019
Kick Off 13.45 Actual 13.48
Thorney 1 Whittlesey Athletic 2, attendance 53
4’ 0-1
88’ 1-1
90’ + 4, 1-2 (pen)
@ Campbell Drive Playing Fields
Campbell Drive
Gunthorpe
Peterborough
PE4 7ZL
No Admission or Programme.
I wasn’t really sure what standing this competition had, as it involves teams from the Cambridgeshire County League and the Peterborough & District League, but it is certainly a long standing competition. It was first played for in 1897, under the name of ‘Senior Cup’, before becoming the Challenge Cup in 1921 and then adding Cliff Bullen to its name in 2004. The other semi final tie was an all Cambridgeshire County League affair, whilst this one was between two teams in the Premier Division of the Peterborough & District League, which was 3rd versus 7th as far as league positions go.
Over the last couple of years I have only seen matches in this league during the late July groundhops, where the football has been awful, as teams still have players on holiday and it is just too early in the season for them to have gained any match fitness. However, watching a match when both teams are fully in the swing of things, certainly makes this league look much better than the impression gained during the ‘hops. It is also nice to see a match under normal conditions and of course, there are no ‘rip off’ admission charges, or one off programmes produced for the match either.
Whittlesey went ahead early on, but just couldn’t get the second goal to kill the game off. Both teams had chances to score, although it looked like the one goal would decide it. With two minutes left, the inevitable happened, when Thorney scrambled in an equaliser out of nothing and it looked like we would be heading to penalties to decide it, as there would be no extra time, but four minutes into stoppage time Whittlesey were awarded a penalty and duly scored. A further four minutes were played, in which Thorney had a couple of good chances, but the visitors held on.
