Scalby Under-15s edged out by York League champions Rawcliffe in York FA Cup final
Scalby Under-15s put up a brave fight in their York FA Cup final against York League champions Rawcliffe, but lost out by a 2-1 margin in a keenly-fought final.
After knocking out Strensall Tigers and Hamilton Panthers who were both unbeaten at the time and finished second and third in York’s Division 1 retrospectively, there was a fantastic reward of a cup final to be hosted by York City Foundation at the LNER Stadium against double league champions and current FA Cup holders Rawcliffe Juniors.
All 15 lads played their part on this fantastic cup run – Alex Murray, Liam Walton, James Draper, Finlay Beckham-Richards, Oskar Walters-Hardy, Sam Smith, Luca Mollica, Liam Cassidy, Teddy Eccles, Jayden Simpson, Indy Ellwood, Charlie Hughes, Freddie Jewison, William Chapman and Freddie Fletcher.
The game didn’t quite have the fairytale ending Scalby had have hoped for, but a battling 2-1 defeat highlighted how close the game had been.
Trailing 1-0 at half-time, Scalby came out for the second half with the mentality that they weren’t going to give up without a fight.
This would be rewarded when Cassidy would fire in an unstoppable 25-yard shot beyond the outstretched keeper, the momentum was with Scalby, but they would be hit with the sucker punch as Rawcliffe’s quick thinking allowed them to take a short corner and be first to react to a shot from the edge of the area to bundle in the winner.
Scalby would continue to apply the pressure late on and the closest they would come to an equaliser is when Walters-Hardy would hit the crossbar from an in swinging corner.
It was a great turnout for the final as there were 400 spectators that attended the highly anticipated final.
Both coaches Mark Draper and Phil Fletcher were quick to congratulate Rawcliffe on their league and cup double, whilst also been complimentary of the venue, staff, and representatives of the York FA in attendance.
They were delighted with their own lad’s desire to fight until the final whistle to try and force the game into penalties.
Finally they wanted to thank all the parents and supporters that turned up to provide a fantastic atmosphere.