Soccer: Fairfax and Beech are treble kings

Having triumphed in their respective Premier Divisions and East Anglian Cups this season, both were searching for their third major honour of the season when the League staged their 1998-99 cup finals at Roots Hall yesterday.

While Rangers won the under-12 Maplin Trophy final earlier in the day with a 3-1 extra-time success over Benfleet Youth, Beech brought the thrilling near 12 hours of action to a twilight close under the Southend United floodlights at 9pm with a 5-1 success over Shoebury Boys.

This gave them the under-13 Lesney Cup. In the under-12 final, Benfleet were entitled to think it might be their day when Adam Hillman shot them ahead six minutes before the break and they held that lead until injury-time.

However, Fairfax were given a last-gasp lifeline when they were awarded a penalty and goalkeeper and captain Tom Spall showed plenty of responsibility by coming forward to shoot home.

From that point on Fairfax were in control. Halfway through the opening period of extra-time, a clever lob from Tommy Byrne gave them the lead. Then a couple of minutes later, Aaron Paterson was on hand to head home their third.

There's no doubt that the under-13 final was one many had looked forward to with particular relish.

It pitched Beech against a Shoebury Boys outfit who, in the shape of big Danny Coulson, fielded a striker who had netted approaching 150 goals in the campaign.

Shoebury, under the astute managership of Tony Ingram, had netted the highest number of goals of any of the 14 finalists on the day, 38, while Beech, almost unbelievably, had made the finals without conceding a goal.

Beech themselves had their own high-class hit-man in the shape of Raymond Gibbs and, such was the talent on view, it's little surprise that a host of top League scouts, including one from Manchester United, watched the action.

Gibbs, at his sparkling best, opened Beech's account by blasting home from close range after 20 minutes. Just 12 minutes later little Max Shepherd, the smallest player on the pitch, wheedled his way through three challenges to blast home goal number two.

Just before the break, Gibbs made it 3-0 with an in-off-the-post effort. The same player completed his hat-trick 10 minutes after the restart, but brave Shoebury - who will be back among the premier big boys next season after winning the A Division - responded in style with Adam Salmons scoring the first League Cup goal Beech had conceded this season with a fierce drive.

However, it was rightly Beech manager Chris Roberts' outfit who had the last word of the day with Shepherd grabbing his second.

Special praise though to Shoebury skipper and goalkeeper Carl Ingram who kept the final tally down with several valiant efforts to earn man-of-the-match ratings. Groom is tailormade for final

Mark Groom earned himself a place in Shoebury Boys' folklore as the manager who at last laid the club's bogey in the Southend Junior League cup finals to rest.

Despite plenty of attempts during the past quarter of a century, Shoebury had never previously won a Junior League cup final, but all that changed yesterday at Roots Hall.

For they captured the under-11 Roy Chaplin Cup - appropriately named after the man who started the League 27 years ago - when they beat Southend's Trinity Juniors 4-3 on a penalty shoot-out.

Despite tips from ex Southend United striker Dominic Iorfa, whose son Collins was in the line-up, neither Trinity nor opponents Shoebury had been able to find the net during the game or extra-time.

The under-10s got the finals underway at 9.30am with a couple of notable firsts. Hawkwell Athletic became the first side to arrive for a final in real style in a couple of stretch limos - courtesy of Rochford pub the White Horse, which co-sponsors them with NatWest card Services.

Also, teenager Karen Herbert enjoyed the distinction of becoming the first female referee to take charge of a Junior League final . . . following quickly in the footsteps of the member of the fair sex officiating at Roots Hall a week earlier in the South East Essex Sunday finals.

It was Thundersley's Deaneswood Youth who ended on top on the day, beating Hawkwell 2-1 to take the Syd Dobres Cup with goals from John O'Connor and Liam Burr after Daniel Robbins had opened the scoring for the losers.

In the under-16 final for the Trophy Factory Cup, Benfleet's Woodside Colts emphasised the difference in Premier and A Division football by beating Woodham Athletic 8-0.

Individual star was Danny King, with four goals, while Mark Pamphilon grabbed a hat-trick and Emoun Wouri one. Sad Woodham also missed an 88th minute penalty chance of a consolation.

Woodside - who had only won one Junior League final in their history - went on to complete a fine double when they beat Canvey Orient 1-0 to take the under-14 Spartan Athletic Cup after a close encounter in which Daniel Astley grabbed the only goal after an hour.

The under-15 Ekco Whitecaps side, jointly managed by Kevin Beadell and Kevin Hopley, have enjoyed a superb record of success over the years including four previous League cup final successes.

Yesterday they took the Confederation Life Cup with a 6-1 win over Leigh Ramblers, but their joy was tinged with sadness when goalkeeper Lee Scott was stretchered off with a broken leg five minutes from time after an accidental goalmouth collision.

Chris Gordon had given them the lead and Matt Dick's superb header made it 2-0. Ryan Roach, James Moggeridge and Dick again added to Ramblers' misery, before the Leigh side pulled one back through Jason Taber's penalty.

However, Whitecaps had the last word when Roach grabbed his second and the Southend outfit's sixth. THE biggest day of the boys' soccer season brought fans piling through the turnstiles at Southend United's Roots Hall ground.

The seven cup finals of the Southend Junior League saw proud mums and dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, mates and - among the older age groups - girl friends, packing the stands to capture the action.

While mothers looked on in pride, fathers dreamed of their own soccer exploits of yesteryear as well over 150 youngsters aged ten to 16 paraded their talents on the hallowed turf of the Blues.

For all it was a day to remember. After a season of often battling it out on parks pitches, and having to get changed in loos, this was the big time . . . the chance to show their skills on a professional ground where previously they had only watched the action from the sidelines.

Win or lose all those present, whether playing or supporting, were given a day that however high some of the youthful stars might rise in their soccer careers, will never be forgotten.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.