Jubilant Oddies vow to build on Shield win

Photo: Tim Bradley

Kieron Holt of Oddies

MATCH OF THE DAY

Oddies 14 2, Horseshoe 1

THERE were jubilant scenes as Oddies 14 won the Oldham Sunday League Second Division Shield at Chadderton FC against a spirited Horseshoe side.

Oddies, under the long-standing stewardship of Nick Parry, won their first trophy under their current name following an encouraging
campaign in the league.

Parry said: “It’s great that we won after we had to re-group as a club this season.

“This gives us the impetus to kick on for next season and maybe promotion.”

Oddies were favourites to win the Shield, especially after overcoming
Division Two champions Top House in a previous round.

For Horseshoe, it was a case of second time unlucky for the Ashton Road-based side, having lost in last year’s final at the hands of Manchester Swifts.

EVEN

Horseshoe’s Peter Blackman, who co-manages the side along with Nathan Handley, said: “It was an even game but I think that Oddies did just about enough to win it.”

It was Blackman’s side that were
fastest out of the traps when Callum Maznechenko’s 20-yards drive found the back of the net on nine minuyes.

Oddies were level five minutes later when Keiron Holt waltzed past his
marker before picking out the unmarked Paul Dolmor, who rifled home from just inside the Horseshoe penalty area.

Oddies’ winner came just past the hour mark when the evergreen Mervyn Davies converted a Nathan Dawson cross from six yards.

It could have been so different had not Oddies’ goalkeeper Andy Lunt saved
superbly from Daniel Jackson with 10 minutes remaining on a hot and sultry day in Chadderton.

ODDIES 14: Lunt, Wooding, Jones, Smith, Holroyd, Taylor, Sims, Holt, Dawson, Revill, Dolmor. Subs: Connervan, Ashworth, Davies, Savin, Kingsley.

HORSESHOE: Lawrence, Simpson, Blackman, Benson, Charleston, Carr, N Maznechenko, C Maznechenko, G Maznechenko, Flanagan, Jackson. Subs: Curran, Townsend.

REFEREE: S Jones.

ASSISTANT REFEREES: J Cunningham, R Burton.

STAR MAN: Keiron Holt (Oddies 14) - Key player in his side’s success.