TNS North Shropshire College defeated Bridgend College at Accrington Stanley’s the Wham Stadium to win the ECFA Men’s Senior Cup for the first time.
After taking a 2-0 lead inside the opening 20 minutes thanks to goals from Jake Morris and Rhys Tilsley, it proved to be a fairly comfortable evening for The Saints, but they did have to stave off a second-half fightback.
In the end, Cian McIntosh’s 69th minute goal proved to be the decisive one, as Simon Spender’s side went on to claim a 3-2 victory.
It was a good start from The Saints, as they became the first team to settle into the game, and they had their first opening with 12 minutes on the clock.
From the edge of the penalty area, Rhys Tilsley forced Bridgend goalkeeper, Austin Little, into a one-handed save, with the ball eventually going behind for a corner.
From the resulting set-piece, TNS were rewarded for their start, as Jake Morris headed past the goalkeeper to give his side the early advantage.
Six minutes after their opener, Simon Spender’s side were celebrating again, with Tilsley heading home a deserved second goal at the back post following a left-sided free-kick.
After falling behind, the team from South Wales began to grow into the game, and Henry Green pulled off a good save to deny Body Ziwza with 24 minutes on the clock.
In the 33rd minute, Bridgend had another chance to pull a goal back, but after receiving the ball in space on the edge of the penalty area, Leo Roberts failed to hit the target.
The Saints took their two-goal advantage into the half-time break, but just 10 minutes after the restart, their defence was breached for the first time.
Collecting the ball from Roberts midway inside the penalty area, Eduardo Bregua sent Green the wrong way with a composed finish under pressure to make the score 2-1, and get his side back into the game.
In the 63rd minute, however, Roberts went from hero to villain, as he picked up a second yellow and received this marching orders, leaving his side a man light for the remainder of the game.
It didn’t take long for TNS to make their advantage count either, as Cian Macintosh smashed the ball home from a corner on the right in the 69th minute to restore his side’s two-goal lead.
The Saints began to work more chances as Bridgend pushed for an equaliser, and Little needed to be alert to deny second-second-half substitute, Frankie Kynaston-Bradbury with 15 minutes to go.
With the clock running out, and the trophy seemingly heading for Park Hall, there was still time for late drama, as Will Evans pulled another goal back for Bridgend College in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.
In the end, it proved to be too little too late though, and TNS North Shropshire College held on to lift the ECFA Men’s Senior Cup for the first time.
TNS North Shropshire College: Henry Green (GK), Josh Taylor, Nathan Doforo, Charlie Murphy, Tyler Roberts, Ieuan Jones-Wellstead, Luke Johnston, Cian McIntosh, Paris Gray, Jake Morris, Rhys Tilsley
On the bench: Rhys Jones (GK), Alfie Clark, Frankie Kynaston-Bradbury, Oliver Blayney, Ben Richards
Goals: Morris (13), Tilsley (19), McIntosh (69)
Yellow cards: Murphy (60)
Substitutions: Blayney for Morris (57), Richards for Taylor (65), Clark for Murphy (65), Kynaston-Bradbury for Macintosh (74)
Lead image: ECFA
