Bridlington Rovers2

Hutton Cranswick OB1

Bridlington Rovers rounded-off an excellent season by winning the British Legion Cup at Allotment Lane, Driffield on Saturday night.

Rovers faced a good football side in Hutton Cranswick OB and this showed throughout the 90 minutes.

A flurry of goal mouth action in the opening five minutes showed just how much this game meant to both sides.

Once the game settled, Cranswick took the initiative and created some good opportunities using their pace up front. The Rovers defence did well to stop any clear chances.

Rovers began to settle and play some excellent football, with midfield pairing Aidy Stockton and Bill Pike playing in forwards Andrew Garbutt and Tony Metcalfe, and it wasn’t long before they created their first clear opportunity when Graham Moore and Metcalfe linked well to put Garbutt through on goal, but a defender did well to get back to clear.

Moments later Rovers won a free kick on the edge of the box. Scott Lapworth guided the ball over the wall but an excellent save kept the score at 0-0.

Rovers began to take control and started to attack down both flanks. The opening goal came after some good passing down the right and saw Lapworth slide the ball through the defence and Metcalfe beat the defender to the ball to lob over the keeper from 20 yards.

But Rovers had the lead for only two minutes as the ball came across from a corner and confusion in the box allowed a striker to smash the ball through a crowd into the net.

Cranswick pushed on for a second and minutes later could have taken the lead but keeper Gary Butler, who has been in excellent form all season, pulled off a superb one-handed save. Rovers made one final push before the break and from a throw on the left, Mally Jennison had time to put in a deep cross, which floated over the keeper and could have been going in, but Moore made sure by heading the ball home before the break.

In the second half Rovers, with the wind behind them, looked to put the game beyond Cranswick, but it was the latter who started the better, just like the first, and attacked on all fronts looking for the equaliser.

But once again Rovers’ defence denied the strikers any space and charged down any shots.

The game began to open up and Rovers had a number of chances but the Cranswick side were playing a high line and were catching the Rovers front men offside.

As the final 15 minutes began, Cranswick were throwing everything at Rovers, but excellent defending once again kept them at bay.

Rovers had chances at the other end, with both Garbutt and Metcalfe shooting wide and substitute Casey Rudd almost on the end of a Jennison free-kick.

Lapworth should have put the game beyond Cranswick when through on goal one-on-one, but an excellent save denied him and Rovers a third goal.