Congleton Town V Highgate United (MFL league cup, Final)

​Congleton Town were looking to make it a league and cup double yesterday evening against Highgate United at the Bescot Stadium. It’s been an excellent season for the Bears in step five who won the MFL Premier with a total of 81 points and suffered only three league defeats all season. The main concern for the Cheshire side was if they might be a bit rusty with their last game being on the 16th of April.

Highgate have also had a brilliant season at step five and made the play offs in the premier division before losing out to Lichfield City in the semi finals last weekend. The Solihull club have been competing near the top of the table all season and have been competitive at this level down the years.  

Congleton knocked out league rivals Lichfield City and also beat Shifnal Town and Whitchurch Alport to reach the final. Highgate notably beat Division One champions Hinckley AFC on penalties alongside beating the likes of Tividale and Droitwich Spa to get to the final.  

The atmosphere prior to kick off was excellent with Congleton bringing a committed away following who made the trip down to Walsall. Highgate bought a fair number of supporters as well and the turnout for both MFL finals has been encouraging this week. 

​Starting Line Ups

The starting line up for Congleton Town included David Parton starting in goal and Darren Chadwick captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Brian Barton leading the line up front and being supported by George Sankey and Max McCarthy on the wings.

There were two changes from the team that started against Tividale in their last league match of the season with Daniel Needham coming back into the line-up and playing in the number ten role.

Highgate United’s starting line up featured Reece Francis starting in goal and Nathan Pulisciano captaining the team from left back. The formation appeared to be a 4-2-3-1 with Ryan Harkin leading the line up front and being supported by Charlie Shaw and Corey Currithers on the wings.

There were three changes from the team that started against Lichfield City in the play-off semi-final with Chris Cox coming into the team and playing in central defence alongside Aaron Brown. 

First Half

The match got off to a good start and Congleton started on the front foot in the opening stages. Brian Barton made an excellent run into the box before passing to Peter Williams who scuffed his shot at Reece Francis in the Highgate goal. None the less, it was a statement of intent from the Bears and showed they were up for it straight away.

Highgate responded with a quality move of their own with Ryan Harkin getting into a good position in the final third before laying the ball off to Corey Currithers who had a shot go over the bar.

​It suggested the final would be evenly balanced with Congleton having a degree of control over it but Highgate looking threatening on the break to cause problems.

Congleton found another gear a few minutes after the half hour mark and managed to take the lead to make it 1-0. Peter Williams made a brilliant run down the left before playing a looping cross to the back post that found Max McCarthy who produced a clinical finish for the opening goal of the final.

Highgate’s best chance to find an equaliser near the end of the first half came when Charlie Shaw had a shot well blocked by Darren Chadwick in the box to keep it at 1-0 to Congleton going into half time.

Second Half

Highgate had a decent chance to get an equaliser at the start of the second half when Josh O’Grady played an accurate ball into Aaron Brown who fired wide inside the box.

Congleton responded and got a second goal a few minutes later to take control of the final. Peter Williams played a composed ball into the box that found Brian Barton who produced an excellent finish into the bottom left corner to make it 2-0.

Highgate got a goal back when Ryan Harkin made an inspired run down the left before cutting inside and finishing low into the bottom right corner to make it 2-1.

The Bears responded in the middle of the second half and Max McCarthy capitalised on a defensive mistake at the back from Highgate and accelerated with the ball into the box before finishing across Reece Francis to make it 3-1. This was crucial and effectively settled the match with 25 minutes to go.

Congleton showed their class in the final stages of the match and scored two further goals with their fourth coming from substitute Daniel Cocks who was free in the box before finishing well. Fellow substitute Thomas Hampton made a good run off the ball for the fifth goal and produced a quality finish to wrap up the win.    

The Cheshire side saw the match out well in the final twenty minutes and it was a moment to celebrate for Bears fans at the final whistle. 

​Full Time

It’s been a great season for Congleton Town at step five and they’ve deservedly gone up to step four as league champions. To do the league and cup double at any level is an incredible achievement and the manner of the victory yesterday was top draw with the Chesire side putting in a professional performance to lift the league cup.  

The most pleasing thing about their performance yesterday was how clinical they were in front of goal. They were creating a good number of chances against a decent Highgate United defence and had that composure to settle the match in the second half.

​When Congleton were transferred to the MFL last summer from the Northwest Counties League they were up for the challenge and have impressed to be one of the standout teams at this level. The consistency of results and the huge attendances the Bears get has added to what’s been a memorable season for the club.

In terms of the squad, a lot of players put in reliable performances yesterday with Peter Williams being excellent from holding midfield. Alongside helping the Bears settle into matches he’s got that quality on the ball to create chances and he’s been one of the standout midfielders in the premier division this season.

Marco Fregapane also had an underrated match from right back and looked defensively solid and blocked balls into the box. Darren Chadwick was brilliant at the back and reads the game well from central defence. He made a huge block at the end of the first half and manages to take the pressure off Congleton defensively.

Highgate competed well in this match despite the scoreline and just fell short to a team that are having a great season. It’s been an interesting week for the Gate, and they’ve tested themselves against the likes of Lichfield and Congleton. The main aim going into next season is building on the positives of what’s been a good season at step five.

In both of the matches for Highgate over the last week, Ryan Harkin has looked dangerous on the ball and is a key attacking threat for the team. His hold up play and quality on the ball is excellent and he can make the difference in tight matches. The goal he scored early in the second half stood out in what was a memorable final yesterday.

Overall, this was a brilliant final to watch and a good showcase for step five football. The day belonged to Congleton Town and the loyal following they’ve built up has been brilliant to see over the last few years. It was one of the atmospheres of the season alongside the play off semi-finals last weekend and it will be interesting to see how both teams get on next season.            

FT score: Congleton Town 5-1 Highgate United

Man of the match: Peter Williams (Congleton Town)

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League