Experience prevails as Delting defeat Southend in Parish Cup Final

Southend 2, Delting 4

Favourites Delting overcame stubborn opposition from Southend to lift the Parish Cup on Saturday at Seafield, with two early goals in each half being the deciding factor.

Delting opened the scoring in the ninth minute, right midfielder Ryan Johnson taking a square pass just inside the penalty box before volleying home superbly to give Southend keeper Duncan Flaws no chance.

When a crisp header from Danny Peterson 10 minutes later made it 2-0 it looked all over for Southend, who had barely managed to get the ball out of their own half during the opening 20 minutes.

But urged on by a sizeable travelling support, the Ness side at last began to believe in themselves and on the half-hour mark they pulled one back. Good work from Kevin Manson on the left provided an opening and after keeper Craig Dinwoodie blocked Jamie Robertson’s first shot, the striker followed up to roll the ball into an empty net.

On the stroke of half time the Southend fans were in raptures as, incredibly, their boys were level. A corner on the right side of the park broke back to Alwyn Flaws and his curling left-footed cross was helped into the Delting net by Manson.

Having dragged themselves back into the game Southend were dealt a heavy blow a minutes after the restart when Danny Peterson scored his second from the edge of the box, the ball beating the static Flaws at the right-hand post.

With an hour gone it was all over when veteran Peter Peterson, close behind his nephew Danny in the man-of-the-match stakes, cut in from the left before rifling home from 18 yards.

Southend’s cause was not helped when midfielder Leighton Flaws, on a rare appearance against his Premier League team mates, limped off for treatment after twisting awkwardly when trying his luck from distance. Flaws returned to the fray after a couple of minutes but by then his side were never going to come back again.

“Boy  this feels good” said Delting captain Merv Jamieson, after receiving the coveted trophy from Parish Cup Association president Iain Smith, perhaps a reflection on a season when his side may well claim only one trophy, the Fraser Cup, at Shetland senior level.

Full report and photos in this week’s Shetland Times.