Macclesfield & District F.A. Saturday Cup Final
Sponsored by Safety Screens Ltd
@ Macclesfield Town FC Saturday 22nd May
Club AZ 4 Boarhound 1
Peter Cavanagh’s Club AZ capped off a remarkable season by adding the Macclesfield and District Saturday FA Cup to their collection having already been crowned Cheshire Division One champions in midweek.
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| Club AZ's Craig Scott takes on Andy Foote |
They started the game as overwhelming favourites but their opponents, Boarhound, hadn’t lost a match all season in league or cup so they were not to be taken lightly. They had already picked up two pieces of silverware themselves and were now looking for a third!.
The two sides met in an earlier round of the competition last season with Club AZ comfortably disposing of their East Cheshire League neighbours. Boarhound’s manager Maurice Sutton was determined the game wouldn’t end in another heavy defeat.
On a dry, dusty pitch the game started in typically robust fashion with players from both sides taking some heavy knocks. It was AZ who dictated the pace of the game but against the run of play it was Boarhound who took the lead on seventeen minutes when Simon Gibbons let fly with a spectacular effort from twenty five yards giving Scott Davies absolutely no chance. Boarhound's lead lasted barely ten minutes though as Craig Scott broke free from his marker and stooped low at the near post to head home Lee Malkin’s corner.
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| Boarhound's Andy Foote puts pressure on the AZ defence |
Dave Barrett tested Davies again from long range minutes later but the AZ stopper was equal to it turning his shot out for a corner. On the half hour mark Harry Wheetman made it 2-1 but despite plenty of possession AZ couldn’t add to their tally before half time.
Boarhound needed a goal to get back in the game and started promisingly in the second half . Andy Foote , the lone front man and star of their Inter-League Cup Final triumph causing particular problems but they failed to breach a resiliant AZ back line .On fifty five minutes centre half Andy Forbes made it 3-1 guiding his header across Gareth Hughes and into the net again from a set piece .
The third goal finished the game as a contest but to add to Boarhounds’s woes Danny Frost was stretcher from the field of play minutes later with what looked like a serious ankle ligament injury.
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| Club AZ Captain Andy Quigley lifts the cup |
With several Boarhound players still visibly shaken Harry Wheetman added his second of the afternoon with fifteen minutes remaining to make it 4-1 to the cup holders which was harsh on Boarhound who’d fought hard to stay in the contest.
For both teams it was the finale of what has been a very successful season, Club AZ, the first side from Macclesfield to ever win the Cheshire League Division One and Boarhound who themselves retained the East Cheshire league and the Inter-league Cup!! Congratulations should go to players , staff and officials of both clubs!
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| The double winning AZ team |
