Pembroke and Jesus win football cuppers semi-finals

Pembroke 2 Caius 0

A crowd of almost 100 dedicated football fans witnessed a nail-biting encounter on Sunday afternoon as underdogs Pembroke emerged with a gritty win against a high-flying Caius side. Unfortunately for the avid neutral, the prospect of seeing Cambridge’s two top scorers, Nikos Yerolemou and Marcus Nielsen, line up against one another, was not to come to pass. Yerolemou was unable to play on account of his selection for the Falcons Varsity match. Caius started in dominant fashion, and in the first five minutes winger Ricky Versteeg forced a fine save from Pembroke’s Blues goalkeeper Fergus Kent.

Kent was a key feature in the Blue’s Varsity victory last year

Both goalkeepers had been on somewhat of a journey to make the game, with Kent having been picked up by the Pembroke Captain and Secretary from Northampton on the morning of the match. Caius’s Liu, on the other hand, had, according to sources amongst the Pembroke crowd, been out until the early hours celebrating a successful run as the lead in the Cambridge University Ballet Club’s version of Sleeping Beauty. It was perhaps this which accounted for a shaky first half performance. He could do little about Pembroke’s first goal however, with Caius’s otherwise excellent centre back’s inexplicable attempt to head a ball bouncing at knee height back to his goalkeeper ending with Nielsen nicking the ball and slotting it home. 1-0 Pembroke.

He genuinely was in Sleeping Beauty the night before

Pembroke continued to dominate the half, taking full advantage of having the wind on their side, but could not make the pressure tell despite numerous scrambles in the Caius goal mouth, and went into half time one-nil up. The second half was much more evenly matched. Caius had more of the ball and for a ten minute period towards the end of the half, Pembroke could do little but clear the ball out of play. Caius’s captain Johnson, Versteeg and striker Marsden combined well, testing the tired Pembroke backline, while the Caius defence dealt better with the dangerous Nielsen than any other side this season. Pembroke still created a number of chances, however. Nielsen hit the bar with an almost perfect lob, which was immediately followed by Peter Harries hitting the post with a thunderous left-footed volley. Soon after, Caius keeper Liu managed to divert the path of the ball marginally out of the path of George Hinksman after a cross from Nielsen.

As the clock ticked down Caius surged repeatedly forward, both sides of the crowd urging their players on. In the dying minutes Kent made a number of crucial saves, as Caius forced a last-minute corner. The ball was whipped in, and the resultant shot deflected off Pembroke centre-back King, curling inches past his own post with Kent stranded. Caius’ keeper Liu joined the outfield players for what had to be the last corner of the match. The ball was cleared and Pembroke’s Captain Scott raced up the pitch, as Liu dashed back towards his goal. Scott ignored the run of Hinksman to his left, tucking a shot away past the distraught goalkeeper. It was 2-0 in the dying seconds. The Pembroke players mobbed their Captain.

Despite the score this was a match that could have gone either way, with the Pembroke back five deserving great credit for their stellar performance in managing to keep the Caius strike force at bay.

Jesus 1 Trinity 0

Jesus edged Trinity in a nervy semi-final which offered few clear cut opportunities to score. Jesus started the stronger side and enjoyed some good possession in the Trinity half but failed to create any good chances. As the half progressed Trinity grew into the game and started to dominate in midfield and went into the break on top but with nothing to show for it. The second half continued to be a very tight affair but the crucial break occurred when Jesus striker Jack Anderson was played through and fired past the Trinity goalie via the underside of the bar. With twenty minutes to go Trinity started to pile on the pressure in search of an equaliser and twice came close. Once firing agonisingly wide after good work down the left wing and then being denied on the line by Jesus defender Ed Robinson. However it was Jesus who managed to get the ball in the net after a quick break resulted in Anderson tapping home his second, yet is was disallowed for a controversial foul on the Trinity keeper. Yet Jesus were able to hold on to their slender lead to ensure they would be contesting for the most sought after prize in college football for the second year in a row.

Second time lucky for Jesus?

The final will take place at Grange Road at 7pm on the 7th of March.