Football: Hopwood Hall clinch league title in style with 8-2 win against Runshaw College

Hopwood Hall clinch league title in style with 8-2 win against Runshaw College

Hopwood Hall College defeated Runshaw College to claim the ECFA North West Region Cat. 2A Premier league title.

Not much separated the two academies going into the game, Hopwood Hall held the initiative thanks to a slender two-point lead and two games in hand.

This could have led to a cagey affair, but instead the two leaders of the league went for full-blooded attack.

Within two minutes, the goals started to flood in. Jake Frost maintained his excellent season when he beat an opposition defender to chip over the keeper, followed three minutes later by Captain Ben Matthews’ headed goal on the end of a Hopwood Hall free kick.

Come the ten-minute mark, Hopwood made it 3-0 after James Gregory smashed a speculative shot into the top corner.

By this time, Hopwood Hall were in dreamland. With Runshaw shaken, Oumar Camara continued his scoring run; slotting in a cross in the 13th minute. But this was just an appetiser of things to come.

Kieran Glynn, one of Hopwood Hall’s stand out players of the year, produced what was arguably the goal of the season. After collecting the ball on the halfway line, the youngster dribbled past five Runshaw players before chipping the ball into the top corner from outside the box.

A lesser team would have folded at 5-0, but an increase in attacking intensity from Runshaw saw them pull a goal back and ensure Hopwood were grateful for the half time whistle.

Runshaw maintained their high tempo into the second half, for which they were rewarded when they scored in the 50th minute to make it 5-2.

A comeback was on the cards, Runshaw continued to pin Hopwood back in their own half for the next 20 minutes. In an effort to put themselves back on top, Hopwood Hall brought on Dom Bevan, Danny Cryer and James Symonds.

The move paid off as Hopwood began to keep the ball and push forward. With some good play on the right wing from Symonds, he crossed into the box for Matthews to get his second headed goal of the game, sealing the win and the title.

Runshaw finally caved in and further attacks from Hopwood resulted in goals from substitutes Symonds and Cryer in the 80th and 84th minute respectively, capping off a deserved 8-2 win.

Hopwood Hall Football Academy Manager, Rob Johnson, heaped praise on both of the teams’ performances: “It was a cracking game, hard won against very good opposition even though the score suggests otherwise. Runshaw really had us back peddling for a lot of the game and the scoreline is harsh on them.

“We knew we couldn't afford any slip-ups so the plan was to play a high tempo game and get at them from the off, which the boys executed brilliantly.

“It’s been a superb season and I am so proud of the whole squad, they thoroughly deserve the title.”