Eric Hand Challenge Cup Final

Oakview won the Challenge Cup for the 10th time in what was their 15th appearance in the final after a comfortable 4-1 win over Third Division champions The Tree.

The Tree had made it to the final despite losing the semi-final 2-0 to Reed Rangers, who were removed from the competition after being found guilty by the Herts FA and the FA for playing a suspended player in that tie.

The Tree’s game plan was very clear from the outset as they put three players on Oakview’s top scorer Lewis Putman.

Every time Putman received the ball during the opening exchanges, he was heavily closed down. But although this approach was initially effective, it opened up gaps elsewhere on the pitch.

It was Putman who had the first effort on goal after 11 minutes when he broke away from his markers and hit a first-time shot that was superbly saved by Tree keeper Kyle Pater, who would go on to win the man of the match award despite being on the losing side.

Oakview opened the scoring three minutes later when with Putman drawing his three markers away from the ball, a lovely weighted through ball from Luke Lloyd sent Lee Armitt through and he made no mistake with a well-taken finish on the run.

Straight from the restart it got worse for The Tree when they failed to clear the ball and it broke to Lloyd, who didn’t seem to connect with his effort but it still ended up in the far corner of the net.

Despite this The Tree worked themselves slowly back into the game, but eight minutes before the break the final was effectively over as a contest when Armitt scored his second. He broke through the offside trap when the opposition back four stopped, allowing him to run clear and slot home.

The Tree started the second half positively but could not find a way to break through the Oakview back line, and just after the hour Armitt was denied a hat-trick by a superb blocking challenge by Steven Collett.

Payter then denied Armitt once again, but with 25 minutes left he couldn’t prevent a fourth Oakview goal when Armitt saw his shot superbly saved at point-blank range by the keeper, the ball broke across the goal to Lloyd to score his second of the contest.

Lloyd was then denied a hat-trick when Payter tipped his powerful shot onto the cross bar, but The Tree didn’t give up and substitute Adam Cadmore saw his effort tipped away by Cameron Inch.

The Oakview keeper then punched a powerful header from Jordan Robinson over the bar and from the resulting corner it was another substitute Chris Morris who found finally found the net for The Tree with a deserved consolation goal with a neat flicked header.

Oakview: C.Inch, Barrett, Waldren (T.Inch 74), Lloyd (Deamer 74), Brown, Armstrong, Gladdy, Kennedy, Armitt, Putman, Beardsworth (Lowton 80). Subs not Used: Grace, Shepherd.

The Tree: Pater, Seager (Hodgins 22), Collett, Rush, C. Brownsell, Davies (Morris 65), Horwood (Barter 74), M. Brownsell, Simmonds (Mair 74), O’Malley (Cadmore 59), Robinson.