By Harry Ware (Twitter: @HarryWare07)
Chadlington Reserves face Milton-Under-Wychwood Reserves in the semi-final of the Jack Busby Memorial Trophy on Wednesday 5th April.
The game is being held under lights at Moreton Rangers London Road ground, and is a chance for Chadlington Reserves to get to a final where they would face the winner of the other semi-final between Hailey Re and Witney Royal Res. This game is being played on Tuesday 4th April .
Chad Reserves beat Division Two side Hatherop Reserves in the quarter final to make it to this stage having beaten Eynsham SSC Reserves 7-1 in the round before. Experienced striker George Slatter and young forward Finlay Beggin got the goals in the quarter final which saw them book their trip to Moreton.
The Reserves now have a chance to repeat the successes of the early 1990’s when they won the Jack Busby Trophy in 1992 and a year later in 1993 the Junior Challenge Cup - both sides pictured below.
League success has been more recent though as they won Division Four in the 2018-19 season and still retain some of that side while others have moved into the First Team.
A look at Chad Reserves:
The Reserves have had a brilliant season to date, and currently sit in 2nd place in Witney and District Division Three.
Chad have picked up 46 points from a possible 63 and are chasing Wootton Sports for top spot with Yarnton A just behind them with games in hand. They are also unbeaten at home this season.
However, with attention turning to cup action, they will be looking for even more success.
George Slatter is the Reserves’ top scorer this season. The experienced target man has bagged 13 goals from 15 games and played a crucial role to get the Reserves into the semi-final, having got on the scoresheet against Hatherop in the quarter finals.
A 2-0 win against Leafield Reserves followed by a 2-2 draw with Kingham Reserves in the league puts Chad in good stead going into this semi-final, and they will hope to continue their positive run having only lost once in all competitions since the end of November.
A look at Milton-Under-Wychwood Reserves:
Wednesday’s opponents Milton ply their trade in Witney and District Division Two. They beat Division Three Tower Hill Reserves 4-1 in the quarter-finals to get to this stage having beaten Stonesfield Reserves 4-2 in the round before. In their long club history they have not yet won the Jack Busby Cup to date and will look to put that right.
However despite their good cup run they have struggled for league form this season and sit in the relegation zone, two points off 11th-placed Freeland Reserves.
Despite this, their best performances have actually come in their last couple of games. Whilst a 7-0 loss at home to Bampton United will want to be forgotten, three wins in their last four games in all competitions will give Milton confidence going into Wednesday’s semi-final.
Their recent run included a crucial win over relegation rivals Freeland Reserves last weekend. Goals from Mitchell Constable and Ajay Itah ensured that Milton have given themselves a lifeline going into the closing stages of the Division Two season.
Milton’s top scorer George Ford was not involved against Freeland but will be in contention to face Chad on Wednesday evening. He has 10 goals to his name this season from 15 games and will be a real threat if he is to start on Wednesday night.
Match Details:
The game is being played at the home of Moreton Rangers FC of the Hellenic League Division One. The postcode is GL56 0HN.
Kick-off is at 7:30pm on Wednesday night, April 5th, with entry being £3 at the gate and with both Chad and Milton being local rivals a large crowd is expected.
By Harry Ware (Twitter: @HarryWare07)
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