St. George’s seek first final
St. George’s Colts will go in search of a first appearance in the Dudley Eve final tomorrow when they make the short journey to St. David’s to take on Somerset Trojans in the semi-final.Unlike the other three teams remaining in the competition, St. George’s have never appeared in a Dudley Eve final, or even the Martonmere Cup final which previously involved the top six teams from the previous season.In fact, their only major cup success came 15 years ago when they beat Devonshire Colts 1-0 in the final of the Friendship Trophy.Current president Neil Paynter played in that St. George’s team which also included goalscorer Dean Minors, Clay Smith, Dean and Phillip Bailey, Quinton Francis, goalkeeper Troy Hall, Marlon Outerbridge, Derek Wright, Gregg Foggo and Jerry Laws.Over the last few years St. George’s have been re-establishing themselves as a Premier Division side with a couple of top six finishes in the league under former coach Richard Todd. Now they are relying on one of their youngest teams to take them to the next level, starting with a tough encounter against a team known for cup success.New coach Cymande Davis, who won the Martonmere Cup with both Dandy Town and Devonshire Colts and the Dudley Eve a couple of times with Town, is confident his youngsters can rise to the challenge and reach a first Dudley Eve final.“I’m just trying to rally up everybody and keep them focused,” said the former goalkeeper who has seen the team lose their last two league matches to Southampton Rangers and Wolves.St. George’s sit second from bottom in the league with just a single win over the Trojans in their first five matches, though they did go unbeaten in the Dudley Eve, beating Devonshire Cougars and then coming from 2-0 down to draw with group winners Dandy Town.Colts were missing the likes of Jahron Dickinson and defender Philip Anderson for the Wolves match while veteran defender Ernest Signor returned to action as a sub and his experience at the back will be vital in a team made up of many of teenagers, including goalkeepers Charlie Marshall and Zeko Burgess who have been playing on a rotating basis. Marshall is likely to get the nod for the semi-final tomorrow.“They both bring different things to the team,” Davis stated. “It should be a big occasion for them, and the players know it could be history for the club. I think they’ll get the job done for me, they have a lot of heart and they want to learn.“This a do or die, a one-shot deal and it’s going to be a battle because everybody wants to get to the final. You have to go in focused and stay humble. In the Rangers game I felt we had 80 percent of the play before Marvin Belboda had that famous last ten minutes (two goals) that killed us off. In the Wolves game and I’m not a complainer I felt we did score the two goals that they called against us.“We struggled a bit against Wovles because we do have a young squad and they are still learning and we can’t expect a whole lot from them. They gave me what they could in the absence of the senior players. My youngest player just turned 16 and I’m just trying to keep them focused and together, they are the St. George’s future.”While St. George’s are still searching for their first spot in the final, the three other teams have 20 Martonmere and 15 Dudley Eve titles between them. Village won this competition when it was the Martonmere Cup eight times compared to six each for Town and Somerset.Village have also won the Dudley Eve eight times while Town, the defending champions and favourites, have four titles and Somerset three.The Somerset-Village match will start at noon and the St. George’s-Somerset clash at 2.30. The winners will meet in the final next Sunday at the National Sports Centre.
