Non-League and Academy football writer

In the final of this season’s (2024/25) Middlesex FA Junior Cup, Civil Service 3s faced CB Hounslow & Abbots Senior Reserves, at Rectory Meadow on Wednesday night. Southern Amateur Football League side, Civil Service 3s, are currently in eighth place in the Junior Division 1 South of the SAL. CB Hounslow & Abbots Senior Reserves are currently in fifth place in the Combined Counties Football League Division Two table. This promised to be a good and competitive cup final, and it was Civil Service 3s who won this final 1-0. After a fairly even start to proceedings, CB Hounslow would start to look like the more likely side to score the opening goal of this final. After CB Hounslow player Kayden Fitzgerald’s throw-in had found the run of Jerome Edwards, down the right-hand side of the pitch and on the edge of the Civil Service box, Edwards would hit a good, dipping effort on the bounce. His powerful effort would loop just over Jack Panton’s crossbar. A couple of moments later, and after Jack Panton’s rushed clearance out of his penalty area had been latched on to by Jerome Edwards, on the edge of the penalty area, he would hit an effort over the goal.

By this stage of the first half, CB Hounslow were quite dominant. Following on from Martin Blythe’s low volleyed effort on the Civil Service goal (from 20 yards out) which was gathered by Jack Panton, CB Hounslow would then go close to taking the lead. As CB Hounslow captain Shane O’Connell’s lofted free-kick delivery from the right-hand side of the pitch and in to the box, would find Jerome Edwards. His volleyed effort on the stretch would go narrowly wide of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post. And then a couple of minutes later, Shane O’Connell’s corner-kick in to the Civil Service box, would find Oskar Prokop, whose headed effort took a slight deflection as it went just wide of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post. CB Hounslow’s really good spell in the game continued, with Kayden Fitzgerald hitting a clever lofted effort from around 25 yards out from goal on the right-hand side of the pitch, which was well tipped over his crossbar by Jack Panton.

Civil Service did start to get in to the game more during the final 15 minutes of the first half. After Luke Davies had volleyed a fine, dipping effort (from 20 yards out) which just missed finding the top left-hand corner of the CB Hounslow goal, around five minutes later and moments before the end of the first half, the SAL team would go close to taking the lead from a free-kick. However, and although that free-kick ball in to the CB Hounslow box had seen a bit of a goalmouth scramble, Civil Service were just unable to get the ball over the goal-line, before the referee gave a free-kick against them. Civil Service would start the second half of this final really well. Not long at all after Jay Dave’s lofted free-kick ball in to the centre of the CB Hounslow penalty area had been met by Civil Service’s captain Kieran Rowe, whose looping header had hit the top of the crossbar, Civil Service would then take the lead a couple of minutes later. A free-kick which had been awarded to Civil Service (30 yards out from goal), would see Jay Dave’s fine lofted ball in to the penalty area, be met by Kieran Rowe. Under pressure from the goalkeeper, Rowe’s brave headed effort would loop over the goalkeeper and in to the goal, 1-0.

After Civil Service had taken the lead in the final, there was quite a cagey spell in the game. But, after CB Hounslow forward Warren Williams had managed to get to Lee Brompton’s lobbed pass out on the right-hand side of the Civil Service penalty area, with his resulting effort on the bounce going over the goal, Civil Service would go on to finish the game well. A good cross from the right-hand side of the pitch, by Jon Basterfield, in to the centre of the CB Hounslow box, would find Paddy Radley, whose headed effort on goal was excellently pushed away by the CB Hounslow goalkeeper, Adam Knight. And in the resulting minutes, a good low cross across the face of the CB Hounslow goal, by Jon Basterfield, would have to be cleared by a defender, whose attempted clearance almost went in to the goal, but for some good reflexes by Adam Knight, who managed to gather the ball. Some good defending from Civil Service would see them defend their penalty area really well during the final minutes of the game, to win the final.

CB Hounslow & Abbots Senior Reserves would have a really good, long spell during the first half, and they played some good football, as well as giving their all throughout the final. It was quite a cagey game of football, from the 30 minute mark onwards, but, Civil Service were very well organised, disciplined in defence, and after doing really well to stay in the game during the first half, they took their chance, and Rob Solomon’s side would ultimately win the final. Many congratulations must go to Civil Service 3s, on winning this season’s Middlesex FA Junior Cup. This was a good and very competitive cup final, and regarding my CB Hounslow & Abbots Senior Reserves player of the match, I thought that their captain and defender, Shane O’Connell, was their player of the match, after a fine performance. However, my overall player of the match was Civil Service’s central-defender Kieran Rowe, who put in a very good defensive performance, as well as ultimately scoring the winning goal of the final. Special mentions must also go to Civil Service’s centre-forward, Paddy Radley and also Jon Basterfield, on their influence on the game in the final third, during the second half.