Villa win shield to make it sad end to season for Blues

It wasn’t to be a victorious end to a Covid impacted season for Rustington as they lost 5-1 to Montpelier Villa in the final of the SCFL Division 2 Shield at Steyning on Tuesday night.
Montpelier Villa celebrate their shield triumph / Picture: Stephen GoodgerMontpelier Villa celebrate their shield triumph / Picture: Stephen Goodger
Montpelier Villa celebrate their shield triumph / Picture: Stephen Goodger

The Blues had comfortably beaten Villa in the group stage but Montpelier made the better start and were 1-0 up inside five minutes.

Rustington rallied and levelled on 15 minutes.

Gary Peters clipped a ball down the line on the right hand side for Chris Darwin who ran behind the defence to lob the ball over the stranded Villa goalkeeper.

Rustington - beaten finalists / Picture: Stephen GoodgerRustington - beaten finalists / Picture: Stephen Goodger
Rustington - beaten finalists / Picture: Stephen Goodger
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Villa stepped it up and went in 3-1 at the break with two goals, the first a lob over Billy Nash from a straight long ball and the second a penalty converted after a Peters foul.

Despite their best efforts after the break to get back into it, Villa extended the scoring in quick fire succession and ended the game as a contest on the hour mark, both from corners.

The first was a scrappy finish from a header inside the six-yard box and the second a curled effort from 18 yards after the Blues failed to clear the initial corner which made it 5-1.

With the game fizzling out, Dec Jenkins appeared to have scored a second Rustington consolation only for the officials to have deemed the whole ball didn’t cross the line.

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In injury time, Carl Bennett was dismissed for kicking out with a Villa player which ended a not so triumphant night for Jon Tucker’s men.

Rustington: Nash, Peters, Miles, MacIver, Gilchrist, Oliver, Brown, Butt, Jenkins, Irish, Darwin. Subs: Crouch, Cleall, J Bennett, C Bennett, Chick.