Claverdon Football Club have won the Birmingham FA Saturday Amateur Cup
Claverdon crowned their campaign with some silverware after lifting the Birmingham FA Saturday Amateur Cup.
They defeated Boldmere St Michaels Under 21s in the final on penalties after the match at the Birmingham FA's Ray Hall Lane ground had finished goalless.
It ended the season on a high for Claverdon who have been competitive in the Premier Division of the Birmingham and District League.
They finished the season in fifth place with12 wins from 22 matches under manager Charlie Waterworth.
They notably beat division runners-up Crown Coldfield Rangers at home a few months back and were more than capable of causing a few upsets across the season.
A key part of their success has been up front and they have one of the best attacking records in the league with 68 goals scored from 22 matches.
The likes of Tom Constable and Dan Sill have been prolific in front of goal with 42 goals scored between them in all competitions.
They beat fellow Birmingham and District side Kings Heath Rangers 4-1 in the semi-finals of the Saturday Amateur Cup to set up their final showdown with Boldmere.
The Mikes have been brilliant in the Midland Football League Under 21s south division this season and finished their league campaign in second with 36 points from 16 games.
They beat Coventry Alliance side Fillongley 2-1 in the semi-finals and started the match strongly.
They were on the front foot throughout the opening 20 minutes by committing players forward and taking the game to Claverdon early on.
Their best chance to take an early lead came when Jack White found some space on the edge of the box before firing a shot over the bar.
Claverdon were working hard off the ball throughout the first half to contain the attacking threat of Boldmere.
Jamie Spiers was reading the danger well at centre back and helping them settle into the match.
Liam Reynolds also did a good job of breaking up promising Boldmere attacks from midfield and acted as a shield for the back four.
Their best chance to take the lead came in the middle of the first half.
Sill made a promising run into the box and was through on goal where he had just Josh Webb to beat but strayed offside.
Boldmere had a lot of the ball throughout the first half and were controlling the tempo of the match from midfield.
Claverdon were gradually growing into the match as the first half went on and were starting to commit a few more players forward which left them open to the counter-attack.
A loose pass from Henry Eddy from midfield allowed Boldmere to break with Jack Ritchie-Hopkin rounding Steve Nollett in the Claverdon goal who came out of his box.
The Boldmere number 10 took a low shot from distance that hit the left-hand post and bounced near the goalline with a Claverdon player on hand to clear it on 39 minutes.
Boldmere looked well organised at the back throughout the first half and were dealing with the Claverdon pressure well.
The match came to life in the last few minutes of the first half and involved clear cut chances at both ends.
Constable made a well-timed run into the box before having a shot well saved by Josh Webb in the Boldmere goal.
The Mikes raced up the other end and Alfie Chatwin found some space at the back post before having a shot instinctively saved by Nollett.
The save by the Claverdon keeper to keep it goalless was arguably one of the saves of the season.
He managed to kick the shot over the crossbar for a corner which they managed to clear in what felt like a huge moment in the match and kept Claverdon in it.
The second half was understandably scrappy with not that many clear-cut chances in front of goal.
Both sides were well organised off the ball and did well to cancel each other out and not allow a cheap goal to settle the match.
Boldmere were pressing for a winner throughout the second half and had a good early chance when Liam Wilson made a promising run into the box before having a shot saved by Nollett at the front post.
Claverdon were content to sit back throughout parts of the second half and catch Boldmere out on the break.
They looked a threat on the counter-attack with Constable serving as a focal point up front and making some good runs into the box.
The best chance for them to win it came in the final 20 minutes when they were going forward on the break but they had a shot blocked by Joel Newman on the edge of the box.
Boldmere's best chance came in stoppage time when substitute Liam Ashley-Lees beat a few players down the left before racing through on goal but Nollett again stepped up and made another huge save in the Claverdon goal to take the final to penalties.
The shoot-out was of a high standard with a lot of the spot kicks finding the corners from both sides.
It ultimately came down to the fine margins with Chatwin missing his penalty for Boldmere after hitting the crossbar.
Claverdon kept their composure and impressively managed to convert all five of their penalties to win the shootout 5-4 and lift the Saturday Amateur Cup.
They had shown resilience and character and kept focused throughout the final to not let it get away from them.
They dealt with the pressure of the shoot-out well and defended brilliantly throughout the 90 minutes to win it.
Man of the match Nollett also made some crucial saves in the final which made the difference for Claverdon.
