So, onto Round 7 we go and the last attempts for the teams to stake their claim for the title, Cup, Plate or Trophy qualification. The games would kick-off more or less simultaneously so teams just had to concentrate on their own games and hope other results would be decided in their favour (if required).

Lining up on Pitch A was Giggs Boson FC against Club Esportiu Llefia. The best Giggs Boson FC could finish was 5th and although mathematically they could drop down into 7 th the fact that Mavericks had departed the tournament meant they would be guaranteed a place in the Trophy. Having lost 4 in a row it would be good to go into the knockout phase with a bounce and 5 th instead of 6 th would theoretically mean an easier Quarter-Final tie.

For Club Esportiu Llefia the dream of retaining the title was now officially over. They would finish in 3rd or 4th place after this final round of games which would mean Plate qualification. They seemed to put the disappointment of losing their crown behind them as they forged a 2-0 lead (Alberto Martin Montes & Sergi Garcia Anguile on target).

Giggs Boson FC pulled it back to 2-1 with Matt Hosier's third of the tournament but any hopes of a comeback were quashed when Alberto Martin Montes scored his second of the game to seal a 3-1 win.

On Pitch B we had an Ireland versus Ireland encounter with Smithfields OAPs playing host to Real Sosobad. Smithfields OAPs needed only a point to guarantee a place in the Cup and could even afford defeat giving their vastly superior goal difference relative to Leek High Boys in third. I am sure Smithfields OAPs were looking up the table though at the Group A win. They needed to win this, for Naranjitos to lose and a 4-goal swing in goal difference to leapfrog their Spanish opponents and take the group win.

Real Sosobad entered the game knowing this would be their last action of the tournament where they could then rest up their aching limbs in the comfort of the venue bar with a few Estrella's to console them.

With 5 wins on the bounce Smithfields OAPs were clear favourites and they didn't disappoint. Devin Connolly, goalkeeper previously, enjoyed an outfield role and showed his team-mates he was just as good on pitch as he was between the sticks. He scored all 5 goals as Smithfields OAPs raced to a 5-0 lead. He then let his team-mates join in as Darren Harrington added two more to his tally to take him to 10 for the day. He lead the way the in the top goalscorer stakes as Smithfields OAPs won 7-0.

Pitch C was left vacant as the now departed and Camp Nou bound Mavericks handed a 3-0 walkover to Ealing Expendables. We are sure Ealing Expendables would have preferred to pick-up the points on the field of play but what can you do – c'est la via?

The 3-0 win meant that Ealing Expendables moved into 6 th position and would take a berth in this afternoon's Trophy competition.

The 28th and final game of Group A was Leek High Boys versus Naranjitos. Both teams needed a result for different reasons.

Leek High Boys needed a win and a Smithfields OAPs defeat, coupled with a 12 goal swing in goal difference to make the Plate. Much more realistic was an equal or better result than Club Esportiu Llefia to clinch third position. The lowest they could finish was fourth and so they looked destined for the Plate competition.

Naranjitos only needed to avoid defeat to clinch the Group A title but if they could win this game they could go through to the Cup Semi-Finals in style with a 100% record. Given Smithfields OAPs were playing against the team at the foot of the table you felt that a defeat would mean Naranjitos miss out on the group win at the final hurdle.

It was 1st versus 3rd so this was a tricky fixture for Naranjitos but one they came through. Javier Hernandez Torres opened the scoring to put the Spanish team in the ascendency before Javier Sanchez Flores's ninth strike of the deal sealed the win. This goal was remarkable because it was the 100 th goal in Group A – the first time we have ever had 100 goals in a single group before.

The goal also ensured Narnajitos would finish on a maximum 21 points – a superb achievement. Well done to Leek High Boys as it was a very good debut to finish just a point behind the defending champions. It just showed how competitive the group was that this would mean only a fourth place finish.