After 10 years of waiting to lift a cup, Hayes & Yeading United cast aside the disappointment of relegation to lift the Southern League Challenge Cup with a 4-2 penalties win at St Ives Town.

In front of a crowd of almost 400, with many United fans turning up in fancy dress, it was the home side who started the quickest and could have scored as early as the fifth minute. A deep Charlie Day cross from the left side was met at the far post by Danny Kelly, United’s stopper Danny Boness doing well to push the header to safety where his defence cleared the danger.

Ten minutes later the deadlock was broken by the home side from yet another Day corner, this time Kelly thudded a header against the bar with the ball dropping to Saints skipper Charlie De’Ath who poked home from close range.

This seemed to ignite something in United that sadly we’ve not seen too much throughout the season as Paul Hughes’ side started to pile pressure on the home goal. An Anthony Edgar effort from distance forced Saints ‘keeper Tim Trebes into a save as he fumbled the shot wide of the post before a Richie Whittingham corner was met perfectly by Darren Locke in the middle, the defenders effort looked to be heading for the top corner only to be superbly clawed out by a flying Trebes.

Within a couple of minutes United worked another good opening as a quickly taken free-kick found Edgar, he danced past the out-coming Trebes and rolled the ball to Whittingham who with just covering defenders on the line scuffed his shot wide of the far post.

Trebes was soon to deny United again, this time Mitchell Weiss nodded down a clearance to Josh Chamberlain, the utility player letting fly with a dipping volley that Trebes tipped over at full stretch.

A deserved equaliser for United was just 690 seconds away, Sahr Kabba received the ball in the box on the right side only to be dragged back by Jordan Jarrold as the striker attempted to go past him to the bye-line, referee Johnson immediately pointing to the spot. Edgar stepped up and coolly Bbeat Trebes (photo above) to bring the game level.

United continued the half very much in the ascendancy with Edgar being a firm thorn in the side of the Saints defence. Firstly his near post cross from the left was met by Weiss only for the ball to strike a defender and drop inches wide of the post and then he won possession on the opposite side and fed the ball in to Weiss who took a touch and fired just over the top.

The second half started as the first had ended with United pushing on for a second as Kabba outpaced Jarrold on the right before seeing his 18 yard effort pushed away by Trebes.

Three minutes later Boness has to be at his acrobatic best to stop United falling behind, Ben Seymour-Shove collecting and hitting an instant drive from 20 yards that was heading for the top corner but for Boness who moved quickly to tip the ball over the crossbar.

Just after hour mark an Edgar corner from the left struck a defender before bouncing to Tom Broadbent, the skipper getting his knee to the bouncing ball but it went just wide of the target. Trebes was soon tested again by the United attack, Kabba knocking the ball down to Chamberlain who hit a 30 yard dipper that Trebes again did well to tip over the top.

The final noteworthy opening of the game came as early the 73rd minute, a corner by the home side from the right was partially cleared and when the ball found the impressive Seymour-Shove on the left of the box, his cross-come-shot sailing inches wide of the far post.

And so we went to penalties, which was the same way United’s run in the competition had begun many months before with victory over Hanwell Town. United were to net all four spot kicks with Trebes not getting near one of them, as for the Saints, kicks one and four were both well saved by Boness to see United lift the cup.

And there I sign off for another season, have a great summer and see you all back again for 2017/18.





Report by Kevin Watts.

Photos by Brian Matthews.

United Man of the Match:
Anthony Edgar.