Society of London Treasurers sees off stiff competition to take home Room151 Charity Cup as teams raise funds for the NSPCC
The Society of London Treasurers (SLT) went unbeaten in Room151’s inaugural charity football cup to finish convincing winners of a hotly contested tournament.
Despite scoring a meagre three goals over four games, the canny numbers men gave nothing away at the back with four consecutive clean sheets including a goalless final which might have gone the way of runners-up, CCLA Galaxy, but for a late Richard Simpson save and some wily game management from SLT.
CCLA, led by the injured Henry Swales from the sidelines, had edged into the final after finishing second in the group stage on goal difference, having got off to a strong start against Ocean Media Group/Room151.
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Hounslow, ably captained by centre-back Christopher Wong, fought back from an early defeat to SLT to finish third in the group stage and third overall in the tournament, beating Ocean Media Group/Room151 in the 3rd/4th place play-off.
In the event of a draw the final was to be determined by group placings and having played three and won three, SLT were in a strong position going into the match. Knowing that a draw would be enough, the London borough finance directors stuck with their system of catenaccio which had served them so well in the group.
Marshalling the miserly defence was Surrey’s new FD, Leigh Whitehouse, who impressed at the back and showed some useful distribution going forward.
Mars Hoxha set the tempo in midfield and proved a vital outlet for SLT when under pressure, while Clive Palfreyman probed diligently up front, creating space if not a multitude of chances.
There were also some fine performances from a group of Hackney Council ringers players who were drafted in at the last minute by skipper Ian Williams.
In the post-match debrief, special praise was reserved for Simpson who made a string of fine stops from close range and was careful to escape the referee’s attention when running down the clock in the second half of the final.
Together the four sides raised a little over £2000 for the NSPCC and any players or colleagues who would still like to make a contribution to a very good cause, can donate here. A huge thank you to all those who helped support the charity and the event.
SLT have vowed to defend their title next summer and will nominate the 2019 charity.
