Week ending 13th April by Mason Norton

We start off the Ramble this week with Thursday night's Saturday Intermediate Cup Final at Holmes Park. The League sends its congratulations to Hinckley LR Reserves, who are the 2023-24 Intermediate Cup winners. They drew 1-1 in normal time against Community Football Academy, who beat them in the semi-finals of last year's Saturday Trophy on penalties. This year, it was Leicester Road who came out top, winning 4-2 on penalties after Chris Jones had scored for them in the 22nd minute, Jaseem Khamkar levelling for CFA, who lost in a County final for the second season in a row. 


In the Everards Tiger Bitter League Cup on Tuesday night, Aylestone Park Reserves booked their place in the final against Allexton & New Parks on 14 May after a 2-1 win at home to Anstey Town in the semi-finals. Aaron Preston & Marley Spencer scored for Park in the first half, but Joe Harris pulled one back in the second period to set up a tense finish, though the visitors were hampered later on after sub Tom Barsby received a straight red card, whilst Park's Maradoche Mipro will miss the final after receiving a second yellow card and getting his marching orders. Park hung on as the game finished with ten against ten to book their place in the final. Either way, the final will see a bit of history- if ANP win, they will be the first side to do the Premier Division-League Cup double since Rothley in 2012, whilst Aylestone Park Reserves are looking to be the first reserve side to win the trophy since Kettering Town Reserves in 1975-76.


The remainder of the cup action this week has been in the Chairman's Trophy. Given that the competition was designed to be a post-Christmas stocking-filler for teams in Divisions One and Two, it is slightly ironic that it has fallen behind slightly because of wet weather. Tuesday night's quarter-final between Holwell Sports Reserves and Ingles Development was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, and the tie was rescheduled for this Saturday. Ingles triumphed 2-1 thanks to goals from Will Musson and Lucas Turrell, Tallen Burt scoring early on for Holwell. With the Chairman's Trophy final pencilled in for Tuesday 30 April at Barrow Town's Riverside Park, the second semi-final has had to be dropped in for next Saturday, and sees Ingles Development host Hinckley LR Reserves.


The winners of that semi will play Loughborough Students Development in the final at Barrow, after they won their semi-final on Saturday at home to fellow Div2 side Rothley Imperial. They came through 3-1, Dylan Hacon (2) and Adam Wallis scoring for the Students, Callum Pawley in the first half for Rothley.