Brooke House College U21s v Stafford Rangers U21s (Challenge Bowl, Final)

​Brooke House College and Stafford Rangers met in the final of the Challenge Bowl at Coleshill Road on Saturday. It was an excellent opportunity for a trophy for both teams who had done brilliantly to reach the final as part of their cup runs. 

Brooke House College had an excellent run to reach the final which included wins against the likes of Stourbridge and Coventry United who have impressed in the U21s division.

Stafford Rangers notably beat Kidderminster Harriers to reach the final which was an excellent win against the league champions last weekend in the semi-finals.

Out of the two teams, Stafford Rangers were the slight favourites having had a better season in the U21s division where they secured a top half finish and came in 5th with 41 points.

Brooke House finished comfortably in mid table in 10th and were only two points off Stourport Swifts in 8th. None the less, form can occasionally go out the window in cup matches which offered hope.

The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming prior to kick off at Coleshill Road. The programme on offer was informative and gave a bit of background information on both teams and their run to the final. Stafford Rangers brought a commendable number of supporters for the final and Brooke House also had a decent following which added to the occasion.  

​Starting Line Ups

The starting line up for Brooke House College included Nicolaj Rhode starting in goal and Leandro De Sousa captaining the team from holding midfield. The formation appeared to be a 3-4-3 with Diquon Messam playing up front and being supported by Arran Cocks and Tanit Kiwilo on the wings.

There were two changes from the team that started against Coventry United last weekend with Alex Gicheru coming into the team and playing in holding midfield.

Stafford Rangers’ starting line-up featured Zanes Wegehaupt starting in goal and Max Barlow captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 4-3-3 with Luke Draysey playing as the main striker and being supported by Flecther Rushbury and Lewis Porter on the wings.

There was one change from the team that started against Kidderminster Harriers last weekend with Jack Schollar coming into the team and playing at right back.  

​First Half

Stafford Rangers got off to an excellent start and took the lead thanks to a moment of quality. Fletcher Rushbury took a brilliant free kick from distance that sailed into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 in the 3rd minute. It was a huge moment in the final and helped them settle into the match.

Brooke House responded well to the early set back of going a goal down and stuck to their attacking principles rather than be overly cautious. Arran Cocks had a half chance on the edge of the box that went wide of the left-hand post in the 7th minute. None the less, it was an encouraging sign that Brooke House were going for it on Saturday in search of silverware.

​They found an equaliser a few minutes later with Waris Lawal finishing from a tight angle into the net in the 10th minute.

​Brooke house remarkably took the lead only a few minutes later which stunned the Stafford Rangers supporters in the 12th minute following such a good start to the match. Waris Lawal got a shot off following good build up play in the box and the rebound fell to Alex Gicheru who tapped the ball into the net to make it 2-1.   

From there the chances were mainly limited throughout the rest of the first half with both teams well set up off the ball and preventing dangerous attacks into the box. Jake Malone was having a brilliant game for Brooke House and managed to clear numerous good balls into the final third. Max Barlow was having an impressive game for Stafford Rangers at the other end to prevent the chances.

A crucial goalkeeping mistake allowed Stafford Rangers to equalise a few minutes after the half hour mark to make it 2-2. Nicolaj Rhode got caught playing out from the back and played the ball to Lewis Porter who finished into an open net from outside the box. It was a shame from a Brooke House perspective as they were really settling into the match at that point.

The chances were mainly reduced to speculative efforts for the rest of the half with both lacking that final ball to create clear cut chances in the final third. Stafford Rangers had the momentum following the equaliser in the final fifteen minutes but could not find the breakthrough.   

Second Half

Stafford Rangers continued where the first half left off and they had large spells of momentum in the early stages of the second half in search of the third goal to take the lead. Following a sustained amount of pressure on the brooke house goal they found the breakthrough on the hour mark.

Fletcher Rushbury made an inspired run down the left-hand side of the box before instinctively beating two players and producing an excellent finish into the bottom right corner to make it 3-2 to Stafford Rangers. It was another moment of quality from the winger who impressed for Stafford Rangers on Saturday and is a bit of a fan favourite among the supporters.

​Brooke House showed character from going 3-2 down and responded positively instead of allowing the match to get away from them. The manager Michael Edwards made a clever tactical change in the middle of the second half and put Waris Lawal in the holding midfield role which gave Brooke House more of the ball to build attacks.

He was excellent in the second half at 3-2 down and really made the difference from holding midfield by linking up the play and bringing players into it. The momentum was with Brooke House College in the final half an hour of the match with Stafford Rangers holding on to their lead and looking to break on the counterattack.

Substitute Jeremy Bisau was impressing down the right wing for Brooke House in the latter stages of the second half and was standing out. He had a good chance where he cut inside before having a shot well saved by Zanes Wegehaupt in the 70th minute. He managed to find the equaliser a few minutes later where he cut inside and finished well into the bottom left corner to make it 3-3.

The match was finely poised for the last fifteen minutes, and the chances were few and far between as both teams were resolute off the ball.

Just as the final looked like it was going to penalties a moment of quality ultimately decided the match. Henry Brereton was the quickest to react to a second ball into the box and produced a quality strike that went into the bottom right corner to make it 4-3 to Stafford Rangers with a few minutes to go.     

It was heartbreaking from a Brooke House perspective as they did so well to get back in it and make a match of it. None the less, Stafford Rangers produced that moment of quality when it mattered, and they managed to see the match out to win the Challenge Bowl.    

​Full Time

Brooke House did themselves proud on Saturday and just came up short against a quality Stafford Rangers side who have a lot of attacking threats in the final third. To get to the final of the Challenge Bowl is an excellent achievement but to be involved in a thrilling match is testament to how well the squad played.

Stafford Rangers showed character and grit to win the Challenge Bowl on Saturday and every member of that squad contributed to it. There were a lot of players that went under the radar such as Lewis Keeling who had a brilliant game from holding midfield. They were worthy winners on Saturday. 

Overall, this was an excellent final that showcased the strength in depth of the U21s division.   

FT score: Brooke House College U21s 3-4 Stafford Rangers U21s

Man of the Match: Fletcher Rushbury (Stafford Rangers U21s) 

Attendance: 50

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League