United’s Under-18s battled back from two goals down to beat Mangotsfield in the Gary Else Memorial Cup Final on Saturday, as they secured a 3-2 success at Fairfax Park.
Despite having emerged victorious in both of their previous league outings, it was Mangotsfield who started the better, as time and again they caused havoc down the flanks, with wing-backs Theo Jeremy and Devanti McInerney proving to be a constant threat in the early stages.
It was therefore no surprise then, that the latter player provided the delivery that broke the deadlock just before the 15-minute mark, with Field midfielder Jack Nunn stooping to head home McInerney’s corner, after the set-piece caught out United goalkeeper Lloyd Marshall.
Despite Marshall’s heroics, worse was to follow five minutes later, as a low cross down the left found striker Spike Weaver in space to fire towards goal, and although The Gulls’ No.1 produced a fine parry to keep the ball out, Weaver was quickest to react to the rebound, as he slammed home the loose ball with his right foot to make it 2-0.
It that stage it looked a long way back for Ryan Dickson’s side.
Although they continued to struggle to gain any foothold in the match, the turning point of proceedings arguably came five minutes before the interval, as Torquay were awarded a central free-kick just outside the box.
Jayden Gilbert, who had worked tirelessly without reward in a bid to turn the tide, produced a pin-point curling effort into the top corner of the net to reduce the arrears at the halfway stage.
Having been thrown an unexpected lifeline, United still looked decidedly uneasy leading up to the break, and it wasn’t until the opening stages of the second period that they were able to exert their authority on the match.
Ben Aldous had cut a somewhat frustrated figure in the first half, but after threatening to break free of Mangos defender Jeremy Mabika on a couple of prior occasions, The Gulls’ leading scorer finally made his presence felt in the 56th minute.
After turning his man and breaking into the penalty area, Aldous was primed and ready to shoot from eight yards, before a despairing leg clipped the back of his heels, leaving the referee with no option but to point to the spot.
Gilbert took a moment to steady himself before sending opposing ‘keeper Brendan Beard the wrong and restore parity for his side.
It was game on, and United were now in the driving seat.
It may have been no surprise when they eventually found the winning goal in the 67th minute, however it was no less pleasing when the silverware was secured with arguably the move of the match.
Harvey Field’s defence-splitting ball provided Mason Elliott with the opportunity to break free of his defensive shackles down the left wing, and after making his way to the byline, he sent in the perfect ball into the path of Aldous, who controlled the ball, before side-footing his effort past Beard and into the far corner of the net to complete a remarkable comeback.
There were several more chances for Dickson’s men to add to their tally in the closing stages as the yellows finished strongly, prior to the final whistle confirmed the Class of 2022/23 had retained the trophy the Club had won twelve months earlier.
Well done, lads – Gary Else Memorial Cup Winners!