Midland Football Combination (Division One) v Southern Amateur League
FA Carlsberg National League System Cup
The Final
7.30pm, Saturday 3 May 2008
Ricoh Arena, Coventry City FC
Admission is £3 with concessions at £1
Click here for previous results

The Ricoh Arena, home of Coventry City FC, is the impressive setting for Saturday night’s FA Carlsberg National League System Cup Final between the Midland Football Combination (Division One) and the Southern Amateur League.

This is third time that the competition has been held and a record 37 leagues started off on the road, not only to The Final, but also in an attempt to represent England in the 2008-09 UEFA Regions Cup competition. 

The current competition kicked off back in February 2007, when the Southern Amateur League defeated the Kent County League and since then the long road to The Final has unwound with some fancied teams biting the dust along the way.

The Midland Combination, composed of players from clubs in their Division One, overcame the cup holders the Isle of Man League, in the Semi-Final following a penalty shoot out after a 1-1 draw. 

In earlier rounds, the Midlands-based side defeated the Central Midlands League, the Hertfordshire County Senior League and the Anglian Combination. 

Their manager, Martin Harrison, who works for the Aston Villa Community Scheme, is eagerly looking forward to the Final and said:  “Everyone connected with the side is going to enjoy the occasion. 

“It has been a great experience and I don’t think that it has really sunk in with the football family in the Midlands, even within the league itself, that they have a side in the Final of a national competition.

“The SAL are a well organised, solid team and the game will be difficult.  We are not planning anything special as far as our opponents are concerned, it is up to them to worry about us rather than the other way around. 

“It is important, however, that we turn in a better performance than in the Semi-Final on the Isle of Man.  I am on record as stating that we were very fortunate to win the Semi, so we must produce a better display.”

The Southern Amateur League are making their debut in the competition and have claimed some impressive scalps along the way to The Final themselves, seeing of the challenges of the Kent County, Middlesex County, Mid Sussex and Dorset Premier Leagues before a Semi-Final showdown with their local rivals, the Amateur Football Combination where they earned a hard fought 2-0 victory on a wet and windy afternoon at Dulwich Hamlet.

Team manager, Bob Leeds, a Football Development Officer at the Amateur Football Alliance, is thrilled to have reached The Final and is now looking forward to the experience on Saturday. 

“It has been a long and interesting journey since we played our first match against the Kent County League in February 2007,” admitted Leeds.

“It is unbelievable that we are still involved, but our confidence has grown and I firmly believe that if the side plays to its full potential we will have a good chance of victory. 

“Our preparation has been good although I do have a few injury problems to worry about over the next 24 hours with Nick Stavri and Mark Henry causing me most concern.

“I travelled to the Semi-Final to see the Midland Combination beat the Isle of Man League and I suppose that because they beat the holders we might be classed as the underdogs, but we don’t see it that way. 

“I must take this opportunity to thank both the AFA and the Southern Amateur League clubs for their support during our Cup run though. They have both been most accommodating in re-arranging fixtures and without this we may not have made it to The Final, so we will be giving it our best shot.”

Both sides will be going flat out for the victory which will see them not only lift The Cup but also gain entry to Europe’s premier cup competition for amateur players.

Victory for either side will see them travel to Italy in October where they will play in the UEFA Regions Cup Intermediary Round Group Two against representative sides from Italy, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. 

Prior to that The Football Association will be arranging a warm-up fixture for the side in late September to give them a taste of playing against foreign opposition on foreign soil.