Sherfield Town celebrate winning the Camden Sunday League Senior Cup after penalty shootout drama

IT was a colossal cup clash as a Hackney Wednesday side looking to add the finishing touches to a historic treble took on a Sherfield Town squad targeting more silver­ware for their trophy cabinet having enjoyed plenty of successes of their own.

Despite the grey skies and drizzle the Camden Sunday League Senior Cup final produced the rarest of feats on the show pitch at Hackney Marshes: a goalless game that actually delivered on its promise of end-to-end excite­ment and entertainment.

The goalkeepers at both ends – Sherfield Town’s David Elliott and Wednesday’s Max Royle – were the standout stars as they produced a series of smart saves to keep their sides in the game.

It was therefore a fitting tribute to their heroics that the final had to eventually be settled by a nail-biting penalty shootout – giving both shot-stoppers one final chance to shine.

David Elliott

Displaying cat-like reflexes, Elliott (left) capped a man-of-the-match performance by saving Wednesday’s first spot-kick – handing Sherfield Town an advantage they looked on course to take after Rowan Larrington, Fabien Hoo, Zion Dos Santos and Alusine Kamara all scored their penalties to put the club on the brink of victory.

But the drama was far from over as Royle saved Jayden Mitchell-Brown’s potentially match-winning penalty to force sudden death. Wednesday failed to hit the target from 12 yards with their next kick, however, allowing Majid Niknezhad to settle matters with a composed finish to seal a 5-4 victory.

“I’m ecstatic, this win has made my week,” said match hero Elliott. “It’s just a fantastic feeling.”

Heaping praise on his No 1, Town manager Keith Camacho said: “David is probably the best goalkeeper in the Camden Sunday League, we’re fortunate to have him. He’s kept seven clean-sheets this season, and only conceded 22 goals in 21 games – which is unbelievable for Sunday league football.”

After seeing his side add the Senior Cup to the Challenge Cup that they won last season and the Junior Cup they lifted in 2018/19, Camacho added: “The players showed great character and deserve this win.”