Robson Taylor Chippenham Sunday League News 2007/08  RSS feed | About

Myles Hickton

Come Sunday afternoon, it should be known which two teams will be contesting this season's final of the Westernsport Trophies-sponsored WG Parr Trophy competition.

The competition has arrived at its semi-final stage and the only sure thing at the moment is that April's final will be an all-First Division affair as all four teams remaining in the competition are from that division.

FC Colerne, now in the Premier Division, had been pre-season favourites to retain the trophy they won last term, but once Foresters sent them packing the competition, now in its 34th season, became one of the most open for years.

Of the four remaining sides, Potterne are the new favourites to lift the silverware at Corsham Town's Southbank ground on April 13.

AFC Calne v Potterne

POTTERNE travel to Avebury for a showdown with AFC Calne and if the game is as eventful as their league match two weeks ago, referee Pete Lowe will have to be at his very best to stop the tie from boiling over.

AFC Calne will be hoping that it will be a case of third time lucky for them this season. When the teams met in December, Potterne scored a late goal to win 3-2 and when they clashed at the start of this month another late goal earned them a 3-3 draw from what was a fiery encounter.

If the semi-final is as entertaining as the league matches then another thriller is on the cards.

Both sides have scored plenty of goals to reach this stage.

AFC Calne started their progress through the rounds with a preliminary round victory over Third Division Bromham, who they defeated 6-2 after extra-time.

Next up for AFC Calne were First Division stable-mates Christian Malford who they beat 3-0 and then a 6-3 triumph over Second Division outfit Audley booked their place in the last four.

AFC Calne's management team of Sam Parrish and Liam Westland have 19 players to choose from and they will be hoping that Mark Dolman and Dean Fry can produce the goals that will see off Potterne.

Along with Fry and Dolman, they will want big games from the likes of Ryan Kelleher, Paul Green, Richard Sheffield, Simon Dance and goalkeeper Aaron Ward. If AFC Calne don't freeze on their big day they could make the final.

Potterne's route to the semis was a little easier.

Pete Huntley and Lee Sanders' side missed the preliminary round, before they trounced Second Division The Crown Devizes 6-0. They went goal-crazy again in the second round when they hammered FC Bradford, also from Division Two, 8-2.

Huntley and Sanders have 16 players available for selection, but at the moment they have a major doubt over top scorer Myles Hickton who is due to go away on a stag do.

Their other concern is for centre-half Jamie Bayes who is due to move house so could miss the game.

Potterne rested key players James Campbell, Ben Giles and Wayne House from last weekend defeat to The Ship, but if Bayes, Hickton and Wesley Palmer, who only plays in the big games, are available then Potterne squad should be a full strength and 100 per cent fit.

Potterne go into the game as favourites to make their first ever cup final appearance, but if they under perform AFC Calne will seize their opportunity. If they progress Mark Dolman will be appearing in his second final in three years, having lifted the trophy with North Star A in 2006 when they beat Wheatsheaf FC 3-1.

Coyote v Atworth United

TROWBRIDGE-based Coyote and Atworth United contest the other semi-final at Southwick playing fields.

This is the first season that Chris Carr's Coyote side have been eligible to enter the competition and they will start the game as favourites to make it through to their first ever cup final.

Atworth will be bidding to reach their second WG Parr Trophy final, having got there in 1994 when they lost to Corsham Park Rangers 5-4 on penalties after an exciting 120 minutes ended with the teams all square at 2-2.

Coyote who defeated Atworth 4-1 earlier this season, thanks to goals from Nathan Flower and a hat-trick from Jason Povey, reached the final four thanks to a 5-0 first round victory over Fourth Division Old Road Tavern and a win over near-neighbours North Bradley to set up the meeting with Atworth.

Chris Carr hopes to put out a decent team for their biggest game since last season's Wiltshire Sunday Cup semi-final against Nine Elms United.

Carr knows that both Sam McQueen and Tom Berryman will miss the game due to work commitments and Carl Davies will miss out as he is running in the Bath half-marathon, but he hopes to have Ali Jaffari, Tarick Yachou and Steve Fox back from injury.

Darren Jones, who missed the last two weeks because he was moving house, should be back as should be Matt Stevens. And top scorer Scott Askew is available again after serving a suspension.

Ashley Haynes will hope to maintain his recent good form in goal and Nathan Flower and Dan Shanley should help Coyote progress.

At this stage Carr looks to have more than enough players at his disposal, but he is well aware that players could let him down at the last minute, which is why there could be no place in the starting 11 for Dan Mercer, Ross Pike or Matt Minnis, three players who let Carr down last week and led to him postponing the game away at AFC Calne.

Mark Jeffery, manager of Atworth, should have a full strength side to choose from for the first time in many weeks and his only definite absentee is defender Andy Robins, whose season ended a few weeks ago due to an eye injury. The injury is healing nicely, but it won't have healed in time for him to play even if Atworth do get through to the final.

Midfielder Paul Burns, who missed the last two games with a knee injury, is rated at 50/50 but if available he may have to settle for a place on the bench.

Jeffery will be pleased to have back his regular goalkeeper Joe Menghini, who has been in great form this season and whose name will be among the first on the team list, as will that of his brother Ross who is the club's top scorer with 13 goals.

Atworth have scored 19 goals on their way to the semis.

They started with an 8-4 victory over Third Division Corsham Park Rangers in the preliminary round, when Sean Fordham, Ross Menghini and Jack Adcock scored two each and Steve Lye and Paul Burns added singles.

Fordham and Adcock got on the score sheet again in the first round when they walloped Kingfisher 8-3 as Fordham netted a five timer and Adcock bagged a brace.

At the quarter-final stage they defeated Third Division Blue Circle 3-1 and for once neither Fordham or Adcock found the target. That day it was left to Ian Jeffery, Brian Wiltshire and Laurence Brill to score the goals that saw Atworth to victory.

Atworth have lost their last three games and will go into the game as underdogs but in truth there isn't a lot between the sides.

Coyote are expected to progress to the final, but should Atworth get the best out of the likes of Fordham, Menghini, Adcock, Ian Jeffery and Ashley Wheeler then they have a very good chance of ending Coyote's dreams of cup success while keeping their own hopes alive.

Both games kick-off at 10.45am.

12:00pm Friday 14th March 2008

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