The Ashtons Legal Senior Cup final, the Harrod Sport Women’s Cup final and the Norfolk Sunday Senior Cup final, in association with One Broker are the first three Norfolk County Cup finals to take place this season.

 All three finals take place this week, at theFDC in Norwich.

The Harrod Sport Women’s Cup

Either Mulbarton Wanderers FC or Norwich City FC will lift the Harrod Sport Women’s Cup this season after both reaching the final earlier this month.

Mulbarton formed as a team this season meaning they enter the final for the first time, and they achieved this feat by beating Stalham Town, Fakenham Town, Wroxham and Sprowston Athletic. Norwich will be hoping that the game doesn’t go to penalties as Mulbarton have already used spot-kicks to overcome two opponents in this year’s competition.

Mulbarton Wanderers’ Manager, Martin Francis spoke of their cup run: “It’s remarkable to be honest. When you think about the year that it’s been you definitely wouldn’t have called it. Also, when you think about us being a Norfolk Women’s & Girls League team, competing against teams from a higher level, it’s an incredible achievement for the ladies who have done brilliantly.”

Norwich City are the highest-level team that enter the Harrod Sport Women’s Cup as they compete in the FA Women's National League Division 1 South East. They will be looking forward to this year’s final as despite reaching the final last year, they will think that the pandemic put a stop to them getting their hands on the trophy for the first time since 2014. Norwich reached the final after victories against both the finalists from the 2018-19 season in the form of Wymondham Town and King’s Lynn Town.

Norwich City’s Manager, Shaun Howes spoke about his feelings towards the final: “Excited to be honest! The girls deserve the opportunity to play in this game as they are a special bunch. Everybody just assumes we will get to the Final and win it but as recent seasons have shown it’s not always the best teams on paper that get to knock out Finals so they have had to prove they deserve the opportunity to be here which they definitely do.”

• Mulbarton Wanderers FC v Norwich City FC
• theFDC, Bowthorpe
• 19/05/2021
• Kick Off 7:45pm
• Ticket Only

The Norfolk Sunday Senior Cup, in association with One Broker

The second Cup final taking place in May is the Norfolk Sunday Senior Cup, in association with One Broker which will be won by either Acle Rangers or CSKA Emneth.

Acle Rangers started their cup campaign with a 2-1 victory against Phoenix FC which set up a second round clash with lower-league AG Athletic. They progressed to the quarter-finals by scoring the only goal of the game against AG and then again only won by one goal against Easton Sundays, this time with a 4-3 scoreline. By far their most convincing win in their cup run came in the semi-finals against fellow Premiership side, Woolpack, as they scored five without reply.

When asked about the final Acle Rangers Manager, James Foreman said: “I’m excited! We’re playing a team we don’t know a great deal about, but we’ve heard they are a decent side. We missed out on the opportunity last year due to the pandemic but can’t wait to get there again. Unfortunately, we can’t play at Carrow Road but it’s a still a final and the achievement of getting there.”

After receiving two byes to reach the quarter-finals, CSKA Emneth travelled to Silver Fox and returned with a semi-final place thanks to a 3-1 victory. The west Norfolk side required a penalty shootout to overcome a strong Farmhouse team after drawing 1-1 at the full time whistle.

When asked about their cup run, CSKA Emneth Manager, Alex Street said: “After getting byes, we played Silver Fox in the Quarter Finals and that was our first game back since early October time and we were a bit rusty but had enough quality to win the game.

“In the game against Farmhouse, we were not really at it if I am honest. Farmhouse looked hungry and they worked hard, and it was a good contest. After going 1-0 down, we managed to stay in the game, knowing we have got a good bit of quality in the team and the free kick we scored came at a great time. Farmhouse probably deserved to win the game overall throughout the 90 minutes but going to a penalty shootout is a lottery and it is not nice for any team to lose on penalties but it went in our favour and we are over the moon.”

• Acle Rangers FC v CSKA Emneth FC
• theFDC, Bowthorpe
• 20/05/2021
• Kick Off 7:45pm
• Ticket Only

The Ashtons Legal Senior Cup

This season’s Ashtons Legal Senior Cup will be contested between Mulbarton Wanderers FC and Gorleston FC.

Mulbarton reached the final after a comprehensive 4-0 victory in the Semi-Finals against higher league opposition, Wroxham FC. Their other wins in this year’s competition came against Norwich CBS FC, King’s Lynn Town FC Reserves and Swaffham Town FC meaning they have beaten sides of the same, or higher, level in reaching their first Senior Cup final.

When asked about how it will feel managing Mulbarton Wanderers in the Final, Manager Ben Thompson said: “Incredibly proud. It has been quite a journey for the football club over the past few years and to progress how we have done and to find ourselves in the most prestigious Cup Final in the County is nothing short of a miracle. We now want to make our little village club proud.”

Similarly to Mulbarton, Gorleston also beat higher opposition in the Semi-Finals as they beat reigning champions, Dereham Town FC thanks to a last minute winner from Chris Henderson. The Greens entered the Quarter-Finals having not conceded a goal against Thetford Town FC or Thorpe St. Andrews FC but edged past Caister 3-2 to reach the final four. The east coast outfit will be looking to lift Norfolk’s most prestigious cup competition for the first time since 2014.

Gorleston FC joint Manager, Scott Butler said: “It would be massive for Gorleston to win any trophy. At this level you play football to win trophies, and for us to have Gorleston in this position is massive, as me and Ricci are not just managers, we are Gorleston Fans, we have always been Gorleston Players and been a part of Gorleston. We now want to deliver it for everyone involved with club."

• Mulbarton Wanderers FC v Gorleston FC
• theFDC, Bowthorpe
• 21/05/2021
• Kick Off 7:45pm
• Ticket Only

Please note: All County Cup Final fixtures are behind closed door events except for limited club allocated tickets. Tickets are not on general sale nor will they be available at the gate.