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Silvertown B produced an impressive attacking
display to secure their place in the Veterans
Plate Final, overcoming Catalunya Legends Juniors
5-1 in an entertaining semi-final. Having endured
a challenging group campaign, the English side
had the opportunity to finish their tournament
on a high, and they made a positive start by taking
the lead through Steven Starkey. The goal gave
Silvertown B an early advantage, and they soon
extended it when Tony Tanner found the net to
make it 2-0. With two goals between the teams,
Silvertown B were firmly in control, but Catalunya
Legends Juniors were determined to fight their
way back into the contest.
Catalunya
Legends Juniors gave themselves renewed hope when
David Soler scored to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The goal brought the Spanish side back within
touching distance and offered the prospect of
a tense finish, but JK Silvertown B responded
impressively. Their number 17 restored the two-goal
cushion, making it 3-1 and halting Catalunya's
momentum. Silvertown B then took control of the
tie once more, with Tanner scoring his second
of the match to extend the lead to 4-1. The English
side were now in a commanding position, and their
attacking threat continued to cause problems for
the Catalunya defence as the semi-final moved
towards its conclusion.
Tanner
had the final say, completing his hat-trick with
Silvertown B's fifth goal to seal a convincing
5-1 victory. His three-goal contribution was the
standout individual performance in a match where
the English side showed their quality in front
of goal and responded well when Catalunya Legends
Juniors threatened to make a contest of it. For
JK Silvertown B, the result secured a place in
the Veterans Plate Final and gave them a chance
to end their tournament with silverware. Catalunya
Legends Juniors, meanwhile, could be proud of
reaching the semi-final stage, even if their hopes
of lifting the Plate came to an end. They will
be disappointed with the scoreline, but Soler's
goal provided a moment of reward in an otherwise
difficult match, while Silvertown B can now look
forward to one final opportunity to finish their
campaign on a high.
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The
second Veterans Plate Semi-Final brought together
two teams with plenty of knockout experience,
although both would have been disappointed to
find themselves competing for the Plate rather
than the Cup. JK Silvertown A had lifted the Cup
in each of the previous two seasons, establishing
themselves as one of the most successful sides
on the eurofootballfives circuit. They also belonged
to a select group of teams to have won both Cup
and Plate honours, having claimed the 2023 Barcelona
Fives Plate, and would now be looking to add another
Plate title to their collection. Standing in their
way were World Pinteur, who had become regular
visitors to this stage of the competition. The
French side had reached the Plate semi-finals
in each of the previous four seasons, winning
the competition in 2023 at the Mallorca Fives
Open Age tournament. Their other appearances,
at Mallorca in 2022, the Krakow Trophy in 2024
and Barcelona Sevens in 2025, had all ended at
the semi-final stage. They were determined to
make this opportunity count and reach another
Plate Final.
JK
Silvertown A made a promising start and took the
lead through Chris Wright, giving the former Cup
winners an early advantage as they looked to continue
their impressive record in knockout football which
would set-up a JK Silvertown derby in the final.
The French team responded positively, with Anicet
Owona finding the equaliser to make it 1-1 and
bring World Pinteur right back into the game.
The goal shifted the momentum and gave the French
side renewed belief that they could overcome their
experienced opponents. With the score level, the
match was finely balanced, and the next goal would
be crucial in determining which team would take
control of the tie.
That
decisive moment went World Pinteur's way when
Marc Gouadon scored to put the French side 2-1
ahead. Having recovered from their early setback,
World Pinteur had completed the turnaround and
moved within reach of a place in the Veterans
Plate Final. World Pinteur saw out the game to
progress beyond the semi-final stage for the first
time in 3 years. For JK Silvertown A, they now
needed to see if their B team could do what they
hadn't managed and that was defeat World Pinteur
to life the Plate trophy.
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