Westfield won the Aldershot Senior Cup for the first time in the club’s history as they avenged last season’s final defeat with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win against Badshot Lea at National League Aldershot Town’s EBB Stadium.
In truth it was a poor game as both sides showed the effects of a long season, but Sonny Wheeler’s save from Lamin Ceesay ensured silverware went back to Woking Park for the first time since the club’s Combined Counties League triumph in 2018.
An even start to the game saw few chances, although Jordan Alves had a strong claim for a penalty turned down after being bundled over inside the box. Westfield were forced into an early change on the half-hour mark when Caleb Wright went off injured and was replaced by Tobi Adaje. Badshot Lea took the lead 31 minutes in when a penalty was harshly awarded for handball and Joshua Keeya sent Wheeler the wrong way.
Westfield responded positively to falling behind and equalised five minutes later when Andy Crossley’s corner deceived everyone, including Baggies keeper Harry Cawdron, and flew straight in. Badshot Lea nearly regained the lead in the 38th minute when Kareem Akinnibi burst through, but Wheeler was out quickly to narrow the angle and block Akinnibi’s effort.
The Yellas nearly went ahead in first-half stoppage time when Jamarie Brissett was through one-on-one with Cawdron, but the Baggies keeper made a sharp save to keep out Brissett’s low shot.
The second half was again lacking in clear-cut chances, although Adaje’s shot hit the top of the crossbar and Brissett’s effort went just over the bar.
Westfield boss Ian Selley introduced fresh legs in the second half, with Niran Butler, Samuel Bello-Balogun and Theo White coming on for Lewis Jackson, Manolis Gogonas and Alfie Huckle.
Badshot Lea boss Gavin Smith freshened his side up by introducing substitutes Kai Allsopp, David Garlinge, Kojo Kyei, Dwayne Clarke and Jonathan Sanchez for Keeya, Baback Dehghani, Cam Rohart-Brown, Kareem Akinnibi and Anuar Ceesay.
Deep into stoppage time the Baggies thought they had won it after a corner caused huge panic inside the Westfield six-yard box, but somehow the ball stayed out despite several attempts to force it over the line.
The final went straight to penalties. Crossley took the first penalty and blazed his effort over the bar. Nick Medcraft was first up for the Baggies and dragged his penalty wide.
Alves took Westfield’s second penalty and sent Cawdron the wrong way as he confidently tucked his penalty into the bottom left-hand corner.
George Hedley was up next for Badshot Lea and sent Wheeler the wrong way as he placed his penalty in the right-hand corner.
White fired his penalty into the bottom left-hand corner to put the Yellas 2-1 up in the shoot-out, before Baggies skipper Kane Fitzgerald sent Wheeler the wrong way and picked out the top left-hand corner to make it 2-2.
Butler picked out the top left-hand corner to put Westfield 3-2 up before Sanchez picked out the top right-hand corner to make it 3-3.
Archy Taylor picked out the left-hand corner to make it 4-3, before Wheeler saved Lamin Ceesay’s penalty to win the cup for the Yellas.