Mursley United FC U18

U18 and U14 County Cup Final Preview

On Sunday the 26th March the County Cup Finals start with Mursley United U18's (pictured) taking on near by Buckingham Athletic U18's, followed by...
Youth U18 Cup- Mursley United v Buckingham Athletic- 11:00am KO
Mursley head into the final on the back of a brilliant semi-final performance against a strong Binfield side, something manager Alan Baldwin hope they can build upon; “Our display against Binfield in the semi-final at Station Road last month highlighted that when we have our best team out and playing near its full capacity, we are a match for most opponents and hopefully we show our abilities when it matters most once again."


“As Mursley United FC Development manager in a Berks & Bucks Cup Final is a wonderful feeling and I have to believe my fortune is about to take a turn for the better in a competition everyone with a love of youth football wants to win."

Baldwin is aware that Buckingham Athletic will be an even tougher opponent in the final;“We fully respect today’s opposition, Buckingham Athletic FC U-18’s, who are a very experienced side that have won this prestigious trophy before. Being a local derby as well, I expect the match to be highly competitive fixture that everyone will enjoy."

“Here’s hoping we complete the dream.”

On his own teams chances, Buckingham Athletic's manager Steve Farmborough had this to say; "We are having a good first season in the Allied Counties u18’s Floodlit League. We have adapted brilliantly to such a tough league and performed at a high standard consistently; we are now looking to push on and win the title. This has also helped our good form in the County Cup, which has seen us come up against some extremely tough sides. The squad has shown a great amount of desire and determination to get this far and will have to do so one final time, in order to try and keep our hopes of winning the double alive. We look forward to the challenge of facing Mursley United FC u18’s and hope the lads all enjoy the day, as its not easy to win this competition, as some of our boys already know having won it before.” 

U14 Minor Cup- Stony Stratford Rhino's v Marlow United Tigers- 15:00pm KO
In the U14 section Stony Stratford manager Dan Gurling is full of praise for his side. who are defending their U13 title from last year, and how they are developing a strong team ethic; "Having managed the team from U5s and witnessing the development and progress they have made, I feel they have earnt the right to play in this years County Cup Final and have the opportunity to retain the title. I believe the teams continuing success is partly due to their work ethic but mostly due to the fact that they are a close knit team. They all look out for each other, support each other and do their best to make each other better players. I am constantly impressed with their skill and ability and proud to say that I manage Stony Stratford Town Rhinos."

They face a strong Marlow United side who are unbeaten in their East Berks Football Alliance Division 1 section. They currently have 12 wins from 12 matches and have not lost in the league in two seasons. Stony Stratford did get the better of the two teams when they met in the U13 Minor Cup 3rd Round last season, winning the match 5-1. This is something manager Lin Wilson recognizes going into the final, “Both teams have dominated their areas recently – it’s the final everyone wanted to see. For us, it will be unusual to start as underdogs, but we feel we have nothing to lose and will definitely relish the occasion."

Wilson believes that playing the final will aid the players development which is the most important thing, "Our main aim, as always, is to give players the best footballing experiences possible – whether that’s on tour, in cup finals, at tournaments (even playing at the Nou Camp and Stamford Bridge) or at training and weekly matches; the boys love of the game shines through every time. From a young age, we’ve encouraged them to make their own decisions on the pitch with minimal interference from the sidelines, with the philosophy that happy players make good players.”

Describing Marlow United, Lin added “We’re a small but growing club and the U14s squads have led the way in defining our ethos of teamwork, skill and sportsmanship. Our supportive parents and brilliant coach Jim Woodisse have built the platform for the Tigers to excel; I’m very proud to have been part of it and to see the joy they continue to get from the game.”

This promises to be an excellent final between two sides in top form.

We would like to wish all four teams the best of luck in their final and would like to thank Aylesbury FC for holding both finals.

Keep up to date with all the final action click here