Hampton & Richmond Borough 3-2 Wealdstone
Middlesex Senior Cup Final
Tom Hickey's second half screamer saw Hampton & Richmond win the Middlesex Senior Cup Final at Wealdstone’s expense on Saturday.
The combative midfielder arrowed in a magnificent low shot from 25 yards shortly before the hour to settle a see-saw contest at Grosvenor Vale.
It was the second time this season the Beavers had lowered the colours of the Ryman League Champions, making them the only club this season to achieve the feat.
Yet it was Stones, playing the final on their home ground, who made all the early running in search of a cup and league double.
They could have led within 20 seconds as from the kick off Rodney Chiweshe came out to gather a long ball forward only to be beaten to it by Wealdstone’s Charlie Penny.
The former Millwall youngster played the ball back to Scott McCubbin whose cross found the head of Scott McGleish only for the veteran striker’s glancing effort hit the far post. Luke Pigden followed up but could not get a clean contact on the ball and Hampton survived.
The reprieve though did not last long however as Wealdstone grabbed the lead in the fourth minute.
Stones won the ball in the centre circle and the ball forward sent McGleish racing towards goal.
He won the foot race with fellow veteran Darren Powell, but instead of shooting slipped the ball inside to Penny who swept the ball home.
Barely a minute later it might have been 2-0 as Jerome Okimo and Luke Pigden combined down the left to release Tom Pett whose cross to the far post found McGleish once more, but he headed off target.
Still Stones kept up the assault and on 11 minutes Penny found McGleish for another header off target.
Hampton had barely had a chance to draw breath, yet they levelled from their first threat on 13 minutes.
The chance arose from the first of a number of strange decisions from referee Reuben Simon who penalised Stones skipper Wes Parker for an aerial challenge in which he was caught by an arm across the face that left him requiring treatment.
No sooner had Parker recovered his senses when Dave Tarpey virtually passed the resulting set-piece around the wall, leaving Gary Malone, in for the suspended Jonathan North, a mere spectator.
Stones rallied well from the blow to regain the initiative, Penny chesting a long ball into the path of McCubbin whose cross from the right was weak and cleared to safety.
The lively Penny then gave Chiweshe some hurry up once more, forcing the Beavers’ keeper into a hurried clearance. McGleish tried to take advantage with an audacious overhead kick, but Chiweshe recovered his position to gather the effort.
Then it was the turn of Okimo to storm forward on the left and though Hampton appeared to have snuffed out the danger, Pett then drove at their rear-guard before unleashing a curling shot which flew just wide of the far post.
Yet, having looked dominant, Stones fell behind 10 minutes from the break.
A defensive error began their troubles as Sean Cronin was robbed of the ball in the right back position by Joe Turrner and when the ball broke into the path of Tarpey he fired unerringly into the far corner.
Beavers held the lead to the break and were first to threaten after the restart when Turner shot wide following a corner from the right.
Stones were further disrupted when James Hammond limped off with an injury to be replaced by Glen Little, Scott McCubbin moving to right back in the reshuffle
Little’s impact was almost instant as Stones levelled just two minutes later.
Okimo’s charge forward on the left was cut short by a foul by Luke Wanadio and when former Burnley and Reading man Little floated in the free-kick there was Cronin to atone for his earlier error by heading into the far corner.
Almost from the kick-off George Wells saw his shot from inside the box parried by Malone and then hacked to safety before what turned out to be the pivotal moments of the final unfolded.
The first chance fell the way of Wealdstone as Penny showed great feet to trick his way clear on the right of the box.
The teenager shot beyond Chiweshe, but the ball was blocked on the line before a second effort also found a Hampton body in its path.
Almost immediately the ball broke to the other end and when a ball in from the left was only half cleared to Hickey he struck the sweetest of shots through a crowd of players leaving Malone helpless.
In truth, Hampton always looked in control from then on with only Little shot from distance parried by Chiweshe and a McGleish shot wide causing them any real concern.
The win could have been more comfortable too but for a brilliant Parker block to deny the Ryman League’s leading scorer Charlie Moone and they were very close to a fourth when substitute Ben Harris stepped inside and outside his marker to thump a venomous shot against the post.
It mattered not as Hampton took the honours to end a mediocre season with some silverware.
As for Stones, no gravy with which to garnish their championship winning campaign, but the bulk of the squad now head an end of term holiday to Magaluf dreaming of what is to come in Conference South cum August.
