UMBRO International Football Festival 2002

Old Rutlishians - UMBRO International Cup

OLD RUTLISHIANS were finally beaten, but not before reaching the final of the International Cup held in Manchester on July 20th and 21st.

It took a superb team exclusively filled with Colombian ex-pats, though, to finally break the hitherto undefeated Old Rutlishians 2-0 in the final. There was absolutely no doubt that the Ruts were given - as Alan Whiter put it - "a football lesson."

Back Row: John Mumford, Alan Mitchell, Paul Hull, Roland Heal, Lloyd McTigue, Leroy Maye, Dave Cundy, Joseph Maye. Front Row: Ed Reynolds, Alan Whiter, Steve Berry, Phil Rea (capt), Lee Poulter, Neil Woodhams, Ryan Brown, Paul Orriss
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Earlier on the Saturday, led by the redoubtable Phil Rea, Old Ruts had started the campaign with a comeback 2-1 defeat of Hewlett FC after falling behind. The Maye brothers, Leroy Maye and Joseph Maye may indeed be two awesome signings for the club and they immediately proved it by scoring the equaliser and winner respectively. Qualification from the Group Stage was assured with a 2-0 win over Govan Athletic. Crucial saves by Roland Heal meant the twin attack of Lee Poulter and Leroy Maye was far too much for their opponents and it was fitting that they both scored.

Phil Rea, assistant manager on tour who selected the side for each game was not complacent and it proved to be all over for Winsford Over as goals by John Mumford and the influential throughout Ryan Brown ensured the Ruts qualified as group winners with maximum points.

Having qualified for Sunday's Quarter Final against High Irlam Social Club (HISC) it needed the continued back up support of warm up coach Anton Holder to shake off the excesses of the previous day both on and off the field. The game was a nasty affair epitomised by the sending off of John Mumford after continued harassment by HISC. An early goal by Leroy Maye was the prerequisite to resist the aggressive play by HISC, but just before half time a crucial mistake let HISC in. However as he has done many times before, Alan Whiter scored a great winner to send the Ruts through.

So to the Semi Final against New Spring, and if ever an early goal was needed, top scorer Lee Poulter provided it after less than five minutes. That sparked the inevitable New Spring attacks but they could not get past "the OX" Phil Rea who was ably assisted by Lloyd Mctigue and the excellent Neil Woodhams in defence. This despite a 1st half equaliser from a set piece. In the end the versatile Steve Berry broke through to set up Lee Poulter for a typical close range winner.

This meant at their first attempt, Old Ruts had got to the final of an International Cup. Director of Football and Tour Manager, Ewemade Orobator added "I am so proud of the efforts of the squad. We wanted to win this so much for Life President, Gavin Lennard and I know he wanted to be here with the boys. But he would have been so proud too. It sets us up nicely for the season ahead."

 

Rutlishians - UMBRO Teamswear Cup

RUTLISHIANS' HOPES of matching the exploits of the Old Rutlishians were dashed within just eight seconds of the start of the Teamswear Cup campaign.

From there things only got worse. Having arrived at the ground with insufficient time to prepare, Rutlishians were behind to Stretford Victoria straightaway as - still dazed - Ewemade Orobator got lobbed a la Seaman Brazil style. After that, Rutlishians could not get back into the game especially as the referee contrived to miss a blatant handball on the line that would have made it 1-1. Instead the score finished 3-0 leaving Rutlishians with a mountain to climb already.

Back Row: Darren Knott (capt), Tom Roddiss, Mark Mohammed, Billy Brennan, Jody Connolly, Andrew Kemp, Kevin McKenzie, Peter Kamara, Scott Ryder, Ewemade Orobator (player/manager). Front Row: Theo Scott, Adam Masters, Leon Trowbridge, Matt Blomeley.
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But climb it they did led by an awesome display from Peter Kamara. He demonstrated why he is such a promising player by scoring twice in a 2-0 defeat of FC Baresi. Peter linked well with the lively Mark Mohammed. Scott Ryder was also electric and incredibly was denied a goal when, despite his effort hitting the stanchion, the officials missed it. A needless Adam Masters sending off spoilt the Victory as it meant he was banned from the rest of the tournament.

Qualification from the group stage would have been the prize if Rutlishians could have drawn with Samba. The Brazilian kitted team with a Rivaldo lookalike scored the decisive goal in the opening five minutes and defended stoutly to secure a 1-0 win and eliminate the Rutlishians at the same time. It was at least nice to see Darren Knott on the field for his first game as he was injured for the first two matches.

This left the opportunity to salvage pride with a Quarter Final Plate Match against Boyton. It was a seesaw affair and Mark Mohammed, who was unstoppable in the first half, gave Rutlishians an early 2-0 lead. Yet this was wiped out before the break as Boyton levelled. And before Rutlishians knew where they were, they were 4-2 behind as the team seemed to lose energy and conviction. A well worked move involving sub Ewemade Orobator, Kevin McKenzie and the scorer Darren Knott proved to be mere consolation as Rutlishians crashed out with a 4-3 defeat.

There were big consolations in that travelling companions, Mayfair United brought home the Teamswear Trophy to put above the achievement of Old Rutlishians in reaching the final of the International Cup. Also Billy Brennan and Will Reynolds were encouraging at times.

Who knows, if key players were not absent (including the first choice keeper and the classy James Bone) it could have been a different story instead of the empty plate that Rutlishians brought home.