Cup win would be special
Skipper hopes to pull off a shock success
CAPTAINING your club in a cup final is a day to remember for any player, but for Michelle Watson skippering Dursley Town Ladies in Sunday’s Gordon Perrett Cup final will be even more of a special occasion.
The cup competition is named in honour of the late Gloucestershire County Women’s League administrative stalwart and former Football League linesman, and Watson knew him personally from their long association with the now-defunct Cam Bulldogs Ladies club.
Watson, then known by her maiden name of Purse, joined the Bulldogs as a 14-year-old in 1996 and remembers Perrett as a popular figure.
“Gordon was a big part of the club when I first went to Cam,” recalls Watson.
“He used to run the line for us and drove the minibus to away games, and he always made sure he had a supply of sweets for the journey. He was a lovely man and very supportive of all the players.”
The Dursley skipper represented Cam until their demise in 2012, playing alongside Perrett’s grandaughters Becky and Kirsty, with Kirsty a bridesmaid at her wedding.
Watson also got on well with their respective mothers – Perrett’s daughters Helen and Marg – with the latter’s husband Alistair being the Bulldogs’ manager.
Watson added: “That family was a huge part of Cam Bulldogs from the start, and with Gordon’s involvement with the County League too it means a lot to me to play for the Gordon Perrett Cup.”
While Dursley may be big underdogs against Longwell Green on Sunday, Watson has first-hand experience of pulling off a shock in the final – albeit 19 years ago – when she netted three goals against the original Gloucester City Ladies in the 2003 edition.
She said: “Gloucester City were one of the top teams back then, with players like Helen Wood and Yvette Kemp, and they hammered us 13-1 in one of the League games that season.
“They were expecting an easy game, but I was lucky enough to score a hattrick in the first half and we held on for a 3-2 win. Afterwards, Gordon got me the match ball and got all the players to sign it.”
Division One runners-up Longwell Green should be the toughest side Dursley have played all season, but Watson insists she and her teammates have nothing to lose at Cirencester’s Corinium Stadium.
“We’re clearly the underdogs, but anything can happen,” added Watson. “Our team spirit and togetherness has taken us such a long way this season, so we will give it our all to finish on a high.”
Dursley missed out on the opportunity to tune up for the final last weekend when Ellwood forfeited their League match.
The Forest of Dean side therefore prop up Division Two, with Town finishing as runners-up.
Meanwhile, Cheltenham Civil Service completed their campaign with a thumping 4-0 win at Red Falcon. Division Two’s top scorer Gemma Riley bagged a hat-trick, with Bethany Sullivan also on the mark.
In Division Three, Kingswood and Winchcombe rounded-off with a 3-3 draw, Anna Howes (2) and Kelly Adams netting for the visitors.
Bradley Stoke claimed the Division Three title with a 1-0 win at Southmead, while Downend Reserves beat Bristol Ladies Union Development 4-1.
Forest Green, meanwhile, were defeated 4-0 at home by St Austell, who secured the fifth-tier South West Premier Division championship.
We’re clearly the underdogs, but anything can happen. Our team spirit and togetherness has taken us such a long way this season, so we will give it our all to finish on a high