FASUNDAY

St Joseph's crowned as FA Sunday Cup winners

St Joseph's secured a 3-2 win over Aigburth Arms in a thrilling Final at Pride Park

St. Joseph's (Luton) were crowned as FA Sunday Cup winners for 2022-23 after securing a 3-2 win over Aigburth Arms in a thrilling Final at Pride Park.

The Bedfordshire club edged their opponents from Merseyside by the odd goal in five, courtesy of a dramatic stoppage-time winner.

And they had to show their character too, as Aigburth took the lead in the first half when Stephen Hoy slammed home from close range to give the Liverpudlians the lead.

But St. Joseph's were level after a short period of pressure ended with a direct ball into the area picking out Patrick McCaffety unmarked, and he lashed the equaliser past Philly Thompson to ensure the teams were all square at the break.

St. Joe's then took the lead after Ryan Blake's jinking run on the right ended with a low cross to Adam Watkins, who drilled a low shot into the bottom corner.

And it looked as though extra time was on the cards when Aigburth Arms won a penalty in the second minute of stoppage time following a handball on the line by Charlie Briggs. Substitute Lewis Hassan took the spot-kick, and after seeing his effort saved he managed to re-position himself to hit an awkward rebound into the bottom corner.

But St. Joe's weren't finished and with the celebrations at one end barely over, it was Blake who slipped through on goal before calmly finishing past Thompson at the other end to win the game in dramatic fashion and deny Aigburth what would've been their first Sunday Cup title.

For St. Joseph's, it's a first Sunday Cup title since 1996 and ends a run of three defeats in the Final since then.

It brings to an end another memorable year in the Sunday Cup, which saw a total of 86 clubs accepted into this season's competition.

Image courtesy of Robson O’Reardon