Group A was shaping up very nicely and we had two clear favourites for the Cup spaces. Wtorek Veterans and Galbarnia both boasted 100% records. Wtorek Veterans would put their record to the test in game 6 of Group A as they took on Bure Park Old Boys.

Since moving up the Veterans level in 2017 we have seen their Saga Louts squad finished 5 th of 6 teams in Group A at Lisbon 2017 and the Where's Dave squad finish 4th in Group B. Where's Dave qualified for the Plate Semi-Finals but went out to Porto's Compact Records.

The 2018 Mallorca Veterans Tournament saw the Bure Park Old Boys team collect 1 win, 2 draws and just the 1 defeat in their group campaign. They finished joint second on points but fourth on goal difference and therefore qualified for the Plate. In the Semis they defeated Peebles All Stars 5-0 to set up a Plate Final versus Legends of the Vale. It was runners-up medals as they missed out on the trophy, 2-1.

Their most recent appearance was the Budapest Veterans in 2019 where Bure Park Old Boys continued to enjoy good results. Despite a 3-1 loss in their opening fixture to France's World Pinteur Veterans they recovered to be unbeaten in their final 4 group games with 3 wins (v FC Dad's Club, Peebles Nae Stars & Budapest Celtic Heroes) and a draw (0-0 v Legends of the Vale). It meant they finished second in Group A. They met 2016 Barcelona Fives champions, Elcombe Old Boys, in the Cup Semi-Finals and were eliminated 2-0.

Today they had been competitive but had not been able to turn performances into results. The trend continued here. They held the league leaders to 0-0 at half-time but couldn't quite make it to full-time. Patryk Izydorek scored the only goal of the game after the break as Wtorek Veterans kept that 100% winning run going…just!

Galbarnia were the final team to play their third fixture. They were up against Wtorek Veterans in what could well be the Group A title decider. Galbarnia had two wins from two, Wtorek Veterans had three wins from three – one (or both) of those 100% records would end here. Wtorek Veterans could seal the Group A title with victory. If Galbarnia were to win they'd still have another game to go to complete the job.

Between them, these two teams had only conceded one goal in the whole tournament so we expected this to be a close game with not much to separate the two sides and that's exactly what we got.

The first half came and went with no score but we were to get a goal in the second half but just the one. Cometh the hour, cometh the man and that man was Patryk Izydorek. Ironically, he was on loan to Wtorek Veterans from Galbarnia for the tournament as he struck the winning blow.

Special credit also goes to Georgi Bath who had completed the entire group phase without conceding a goal for Wtorek Veterans. Many congratulations to him and his defence.

8 games completed, 2 to go. We turned our attention to the lower reaches of the table as we had fourth versus fifth in action. It was Bure Park Old Boys versus Eggy Bhaji FC. This was effectively a Plate Quarter-Final as the winner would finish fourth in the table and qualify for the Plate Semi-Finals. Should the game end in a draw that honour would go to Bure Park Old Boys who boasted the superior goal difference.

The two teams served up a cracker of a game and it was Bure Park Old Boys who hit the front in the Matt Johnson show. Matt Johnson scored twice in the opening period to put his team in command. Eggy Bhaji FC now had to score 3 unanswered goals to reach the knock-out phase and they pulled one back through as Ashley Mills halved the arrears. Matt Johnson was on target again with a hat-trick goal to restore a two goal advantage.

Eggy Bhaji FC kept hanging on to the Bure Park Old Boys coat tails as Nathan Anderson reduced the lead to 3-2. Matt Johnson was again the thorn in the Eggy Bhaji side as his fourth completed the scoring to make it 4-2. A great win and Plate qualification achieved.

We had to say farewell to Eggy Bahji FC for the day. It was great to see the lads again and we thank Gaz Downs for choosing the tournament for his stag weekend. Best of luck for the wedding next year.

We went into Game 10 of Group A with the top spot plus fourth/fifth in the table decided. What was at stake was second place in the table and the second Cup qualification place. Similar to the game above, this was effectively a Quarter-Final but for the Cup. Galbarnia & Krwiodawcy both had two wins from three games so it would be winner takes all. Should the game result in a draw then it would be Galbarnia to progress to the Cup courtesy of a greater goal difference.

It was Galbarnia who took the game by the scruff of the neck and forged a 2-0 lead early on. Ian Corkill added two more goals to his tally for the day – he now had 6 in total.

In the second half Krwiodawcy hopes were dashed with every goal that went in. Michal Patula made it 3-0 before Ian Corkill completed his hat-trick. Karol Zaczek made it 5-0 before Ian Corkill grabbed a fourth of the game and an 8th of the tournament. He was very much in the hunt for a second golden boot award.

Galbarnia had secured Cup qualification in style and literally hit their opponents for six. Krwiodawcy had the consolation of Plate football to look forward to in the knock-out phase.