Gosport end Moneys’ cup hat-trick dream
Wooden grabs first half double in final containing two red cards
Gosport Borough were crowned Portsmouth Senior Cup winners after a lively final against Moneyfields which saw both sides end the game with 10 men.
Dan Wooden’s first-half double was followed by Aston Leigh’s penalty and Luke Hallett’s late header as Boro recorded a 4-1 win over two tiers lower Moneys at Baffins Milton Rovers FC’s PMC Stadium last night.
Striker Steve Hutchings’ penalty had briefly brought Moneyfields - who were aiming for their third successive PSC win - back to 3-1 as referee Jordan McRitchie awarded two spot-kicks.
The official also brandished two red cards, with Moneys midfielder Callum Glen dismissed in the firsthalf. Boro substitute Billie Busari was then given his marching orders just minutes after coming ont in the final 25 minutes.
Ellis Grant parried Jordan Pile’s curling free-kick into the path of Tom Cain, who fired into the side-netting as Moneyfields provided an early scare inside two minutes.
But Boro played some brilliant passing football after that to take control of the contest.
A fine move saw Leigh, Bradley Tarbuck and Harry Kavanagh all involved, with the latter’s cross finding Matt Paterson who squared for
Wooden - once of Moneyfields - to tap Gosport ahead after 22 minutes.
Leigh had involvement in the second goal, superbly taking the ball down, jinking his way past a couple of players, then his superb dinked pass found Wooden and he fired into the bottom corner four minutes later.
Moneys’ task was made even tougher when Glen was shown a straight red for what appeared to be dissent eight minutes before the break.
When Leigh dispatched a 55th minute penalty - after his free-kick had struck Joe Briggs’ arm - it looked as though Moneys could be in for a long night.
But they were handed a lifeline - and a spot-kick of their own - after Hutchings had received a slight nudge from Hallett in the area on 62 minutes.
The skipper sent goalkeeper Ellis Grant the wrong way to give Moneyfields some hope of an unlikely comeback. Busari, introduced off the bench on 65 minutes, was heading back off the field just five minutes later having been shown a straight red card following an off-theball coming together with Corey Heath which he retaliated to.
Yet Boro would retain possession and nullify any possible fightback, with Hallett heading home Rory Williams’ deep corner at the back post to wrap up the victory on 76 minutes.
It was Gosport’s seventh PSC success - four more than any other club have managed since the tournament began in the late 1980s.