Barton Rovers 2 AFC Dunstable 3 (1-2 Half time)

Beds FA Men’s Senior Cup Final

Kenilworth Road, Luton Town FC - Tuesday 15 th April 2025.

Attendance – 1,355

Match report by Richard Church

Our fifth Beds Senior Cup Final and second in successive years saw us run out deserved winners on a

very pleasant evening in front of a big crowd (plenty of AFC fans in attendance).

The game started end to end with both sides creating chances. Barton had the better of them with

Matt pulling off three good saves in a five minute spell early on. AFC had their opportunities –

Charlie with a shot across goal on 8 minutes that Sean could not quite get on the end of followed

four minutes later by a superb vollied effort from Sim that the keeper pushed aside for a corner.

The corner was taken short by Sim to Charlie who pulled off a cheeky backheel return to Sim who

then played the ball in to the box to Sean. Sean’s subsequent shot was blocked but the ball fell

favourably to Kyle who drilled the ball home to give us a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later with 22 on the

clock we doubled our lead with an excellent team goal. Kyle ran through midfield (following the 20 th

clean pass by AFC players apparently!) and played a lovely one two with Ollie – Kyle’s touch to

control left the defenders for dead and Kyle then chipped the ball over the onrushing keeper in to

the net.

The ODs spent the next ten minutes knocking the ball about and giving Barton a bit of a run around

but Barton got back in to the game when the ball was played in from the left across the box – it was

played back out and an impressive first time ball back in was thumped home off the head of Alfie

Warman to halve our lead. Barton continued to press but AFC resisted the pressure and we went in

to half time 2-1 up.

AFC started the second half the stronger and had a couple of half chances early on – George had a

decent shot that took a nick and went behind for a corner and then Ollie had a run and shot but the

save was relatively easy for the keeper. Barton were by no means out of it and created chances of

their own – a well struck free kick on 75 was well saved by Matt and the ensuing header was nodded

over. A minute later Barton got their equaliser when a big looping ball in from the left was headed in

to the goal by Albie Hall – a very impressive leap and header.

The game then got a bit niggly with neither side able to make a breakthrough. The board went up to

indicate an added five minutes and it looked as though both sides had resigned themselves to the

lottery of a penalty shootout, but just as we went in to added time the moment we all wanted

happened. Sim ran the ball from midfield towards the box and played the ball across to Abel who in

turn played it to Stan. Stan then played the ball right across the goal to George – his great first touch

set himself for a drilled shot, low and hard in to the opposite corner of the net for the winner. There

was one more good chance for Barton to save it in the last minute but Matt pulled off another

excellent save. Get in there!!

Man of the match (as decided by the AFC committee) was a close call but you can’t score two goals

in a cup final and not get MOM, so it goes to our skipper Kyle Brooks, but special mentions for Matt

Bonsu who pulled off a number of superb saves and match winner George.

The heroes in red (subs in brackets) ; Matt Bonsu, George Joyce, Kyhan Frazer-Williams (Harry Riley

80), Simone Troso, Stan Georgiou, Shawn Joseph, Joel Anker (Abel Damoah-Kyeremeh 79), Charlie

Davis (Ben Lynch 65), Sean Duodu (Bruce Ovbiye-Nsang 93), Ollie Spicer (Russell Berko 94), Kyle

Brooks.