GOALS FROM JAKE HOLDSWORTH, BRACHAN STEEL AND ADI PARKER STEERED AFC ROYAL TO LOFTY HEIGHTS BY LIFTING THE PREMIERSHIP ONE LEAGUE CUP WITH A 3-1 SUCCESS OVER NOSTELL MW IN THEIR DEBUT SEASON IN THE WAKEFIELD & DISTRICT SUNDAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE.

Wakefield & District Sunday Football League - Sunday 21st April 2024.

Premiership One League Cup final

AFC Royal vs Nostell MW (3-1)

AFC Royal fought back from behind to register a 3-1 success over a youthful Nostell MW to lift the Premiership One League Cup in front of a large crowd at the Crofton Community Centre Complex last Sunday.

The Nostell outfit made a promising start and saw them go close in the 6th minute when striker Joe Penn cultivated an opportunity for Dillon Connelly on who beat his marker with ease before his effort skimmed past the foot of the post into safety. Both Connelly and Josh Craig were proving a threat with the latter going close with a raking effort.

In an isolated break in the 23rd minute, Adi Parker headed wide to waste a golden opportunity to nudge his side ahead. However, four minutes later, a long punt by Nostell goalkeeper George Bason was misjudged by a Royal defender under the close attention of Dillon Connely who strode clear to steer his chance home in clinical fashion to give his side a 1-0 lead.

The Norton-based side wrestled some control following the setback with the versatile Jake Holdsworth proving to be a pivotal influence in his sides ascendency as the game progressed. The fightback came from a set-piece weapon that saw the AFC Royal haul themselves level in the 32nd minute when a deep throw-in from the left-flank by fullback Ethan Wheeler was flicked on by Adi Parker and found Jake Holdsworth who drove home from close-range with an instinctive drive on target much to the jubilation from their supporters in the main stand.

The second-half saw the AFC Royal post an early warning when a trademark deep cross from the left across the face of the goal by Holdsworth found Lewis Hall who forced a point-blank save from Nostell custodial George Bason for the save of the match to keep his side in the game.

The Royal began to dictate the play and another probing attack saw a Jacob Toomer miss a headed chance at the far post following a teasing cross by Joshua Taylor before an intricate and fast passing move involving Holdsworth and Addi Parker with the latter’s low cross across the Nostell danger zone was not cleared and saw a tap-in opportunist goal by speed-merchant Brachan Steel cash in from close-range to give his side a 2-1 lead.

Nostell with Josh Craig, Lee Dooler and Tom Booth rallying their side on saw a forced error fall in the path of Josh Buxton who shot narrowly wide with a powerful effort. A brief period of a purple patch saw a Joe Penn goal disallowed for a close offside decision following a flowing move involving Jordan Carter and Josh Craig.

Enforced injuries saw the Nostell side introduce 17 year olds in Jason Illingworth and Hayden Swift with the latter craving out a good opportunity for Connolly whose drive forward was halted on the edge of the Royal penalty area and the resultant free-kick forced the goalkeeper Lee Mayberry into a confident stop before Holdsworth cleared a Josh Craig goal-bound effort off the line to deny Nostell outfit the equaliser in an isolated chance.

At the other end, Nostell's busy goalkeeper George Bason denied leading marksman Adi Parker with another point-blank save but he could little to prevent Royal notching their third goal of the game when Holdsworth and Scott Dixon linked-up swiftly to find Adi Parker who charged through the Nostell defensive line to fire home to make it 3-1 and secure the Premiership One league cup in their first season in the Wakefield Sunday Football League.

~ The man of the match award sponsored by Pennines Trophies (Heckmondwike) was won by the versatile Jake Holdsworth of AFC Royal.

~ The match balls were sponsored by Lightwaves Leisure & Community Centre (Wakefield).