Strays hold their own

Harrogate Strays Over 70s squad travelled to the Valley Stadium in Redditch, the home of Redditch United, to compete in the Finals of the Walking Football Leagues Alliance (WFLA) National Cup. Our opponents on the day were Birmingham, Bournemouth, Kingston, Boston United and their old foes from Barnsley, Leggy Mambos.

The conditions were warm, although overcast and occasionally drizzly, and five (20 minute) games in a two hour period were going to be testing!

In Strays first game, an early error handed Birmingham the lead, and they doubled their advantage in the second half following another lapse. Result Birmingham 2 Strays 0.

Next up were Bournemouth, and the performance level in this game was much higher. But chances were few and far between and neither side could break the deadlock. Result Bournemouth 0 Strays 0.

Next up were Kingston, who were very strong, particularly up front. Steven Fort had his hands full against a talented centre forward, who evaded him only once, but the goal determined the result, as Strays again failed to find the net despite a number of decent efforts. Result Kingston 1 Strays 0.

Strays next faced Boston United and a victory was at last achieved. Charlie Florance opened the scoring after 2 minutes, after some good approach work and Paddy Keightley doubled the lead with a couple of minutes left. Result Strays 2 Boston United 0.

In the final game, Leggy Mambos needed a win to be in with a chance of taking the trophy, and very nearly did so, but for a fantastic save at the death from 'keeper Steve Simpson, who did brilliantly to tip a goalbound shot over the bar. Result Leggy Mambos 0 Strays 0.

One win and two draws on the day was a fine achievement for manager Derek Rowe and his squad. Strays two losses came against Birmingham, who took the title, and Kingston who were runners up on goal difference. Strays go again next year determined to better their performance!

The squad was: Steve Simpson, Steven Fort, Charlie Florance, Dave Byrne, Mike Pyle (captain), Paddy Keightley, Lawrie Coulthard, and Colin Stringfellow.

If you fancy a go at Walking Football, Harrogate Strays are recruiting! Whether you want to play competitively, or just enjoy a social game, we can accommodate you. Men over 50, women over 40. All abilities welcome! We run two sessions a week, Mondays at the Army Foundation College on a 3g surface (5:15pm to 6:15pm) and on a Wednesday at Rossett Sports Centre on 3g midi pitches (5pm to 6pm)Get in touch via strayswalkingfootball.com/latest-news or [email protected]