Bishop’s Cleeve A emerged victorious in the Cheltenham League Junior Charity Cup after an exhilarating match against Southside Star at Kayte Lane on Friday evening, ultimately winning 7-6 in a sudden-death penalty shootout.
The match lived up to its billing, ending 3-3 after 90 minutes of intense action, marking Bishop’s Cleeve A’s sixth Junior Charity Cup triumph. Joint manager Joe Woolley reflected on the game: “We were in control for much of the match but made it harder than necessary. Southside are relentless; they keep pushing until the final whistle.”
Devonte Philip opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, calmly finishing after Rhys Long’s initial save. Bishop’s Cleeve doubled their lead early in the second half when Fynn Carter broke through on goal, firing a powerful shot into the net in the 55th minute.
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Southside Star quickly responded, with Jacob Webb scoring just two minutes later to narrow the gap. Cleeve seemed to put the game out of reach in the 69th minute when Charlie Shore-Nye scored an audacious goal from the halfway line, catching Long off his line. Woolley praised Shore-Nye’s quality, saying, “We knew bringing him on would make a difference.”
However, Southside showed tremendous resilience, pulling a goal back five minutes before full time and then levelling the score in injury time with a spectacular overhead kick from Webb, forcing the match into penalties.
The shootout stretched into sudden death, where goalkeeper Cheal stepped up to score his own penalty and then saved Southside’s Long’s attempt, sealing the cup for Bishop’s Cleeve.
Woolley admitted the nerve-wracking finish: “Once you get to sudden death, it’s all about luck and composure. You pick your spot and hope for the best.” Forward Curtis Osinuga shared his mindset: “I noticed the keeper diving right on previous penalties, so I went straight down the middle. Knowing my family was watching added pressure, but it also motivated me.”
Looking ahead, Woolley is optimistic: “This team and club deserve to be in a higher division. We’ll enjoy this win but our goal next season is promotion.”
Squads:
Southside Star: Long, Brady, Teague, Ryder-Jones, Page, O’Leary, Thom, Prince, Clayton, Witcomb, Plumb. Subs: Plnells, Williams, Webb, Ritchie.
Bishop’s Cleeve A: Cheal, Singleton, Barnes, Essel-Effum, Palmer, Hucker, Danter, Carter, Shore-Nye, Njenga, Philip. Subs: Reid, Lepford, Bowden, Jobbins, Osinuga.
Referee: Mark Walter.