SJR narrowly miss out on Cup final

The first half was evenly contested, with neither goalkeeper particularly tested. Denaby had the chance to take the lead 25 minutes in when they were awarded a penalty, but the effort sailed high over the bar. The missed opportunity seemed to spark SJR into life, allowing their younger players to settle and gain control of the game. Although Denaby created another chance before the break, it was off target. Half-time: 0-0.

SJR came out strong in the second half, and the game flowed end to end. The breakthrough came in the 65th minute, thanks to Mason Gee’s relentless pressing. Gee dispossessed a Denaby defender in the box and set up Ryan Parker, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to give SJR a 1-0 lead.

As Denaby pushed for an equalizer, SJR defended valiantly against their physical aerial assault. SJR had the chance to double their lead with 15 minutes remaining when Will Bates, played through by skipper Chris Ryde, was denied by a brilliant save from the Denaby keeper.

Denaby eventually leveled the score with 10 minutes left. A cross wasn’t dealt with, and the ball fell kindly to a Denaby player at the far post, who fired it home to make it 1-1.

With the clock ticking down and extra time looming, Denaby pressed hard. In the 95th minute, a last-gasp corner caused chaos in the SJR box. The ball ricocheted around before falling to a Denaby player, who scrambled it over the line with the final kick of the game, sealing a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat for SJR.

Despite the loss, SJR’s young development team showed immense heart, passion, and determination, pushing a strong and experienced Denaby side to the limit. They can hold their heads high after such a spirited performance.

We would like to thank Graham Pool our photographer for all his work this past year, we really appreciate what you do for us.