Group B was shaping up very nicely and we had two teams locked together at the top of the table with a 100% record at the top of the table – Alea Iacta Est and FC Dad's Club. They would meet face to face in game 6 of Group B.

Alea Iacta Est made a strong debut in our tournaments when they competed at the 2018 Gdansk Tournament. They began with a 2-2 draw against FC Foreigntina before claiming their first win (3-2) over Spider Mans & Eagle. Two more wins followed, both 1-0, over England's FC Dad and Ireland's Hotpockets. They completed the group phase with a 1-1 draw against Freshers FC that saw them finish second in the table on goal difference. They qualified for the Cup but went out 2-0 to Bulota PK at the Quarter-Final stage.

Alea Iacta Est travelled to Gdansk again in 2019. They began well with 2 wins (3-0, 8-0) but then suffered a wobble when they lost two in a row (1-2, 2-3). They regained their form and composure to complete the group phase with two more victories (5-0, 5-1). The results meant they climbed to 2nd in the table and qualify for the Cup competition again. They met Fabryka Zielini (new name for Bulota PK) but could not get their revenge as they missed out on the Cup Final, 2-1.

In 2020, Alea Iacta Est competed at home in the Warsaw Tournament. In Group A they won 3 matches, drew 1 (against the eventual champions) and 1 defeat (to the 2013 Krakow Trophy runners-up, A Team of France). It was enough to see them safely through to the Cup competition in 2nd place. In the Semi-Finals, they edged past FC Foreigntina 6-5 on pens after a 0-0 draw. In their first Cup Final they lost narrowly 1-0 to Yac Club.

Last year here in Krakow they won the Plate (see earlier in this report) but they were gunning for the Cup this time. In this game they were simply ruthless. They raced to a 3-0 lead at half-time thanks to goals from Artur Aksamit (x2) and Pedro Silveira. After the break they continued where they left off with further goals from Piotr Malenczak, Michal Sklodowski, Michal Dzugopolski and Pedro Silveira. Although they were well beaten, FC Dad's Club had the final say with Mark Ashurst scoring a consolation. Final score, 7-1.

There were now just 2 games to go and the first of those would be Poland versus Poland as Alea Iacta Est were due to take on Thursday Veterans. Alea Iacta Est were our group leaders and they needed just a draw to ensure they would be Group B champions.

It was more complicated for Thursday Veterans. A win would put them level with Alea Iacta Est on points and put them in prime position to join their opponents in the Cup (subject to FC Dad's Club's final result). A draw would be enough if FC Dad's Club failed to win but a defeat would see them vulnerable to dropping into the Plate competition.

The first half belonged to Alea Iacta Est as they took a 1-0 lead into tne break courtesy of a goal from Michal Sklodowski. As things stood they were on course for their first group win (after 3 x second places and 1 x third place).

Thursday Veterans Club were used to coming from behind in this tournament though. They were 3-0 down to FC Dad's Club before recovering to 3-3 although they did ultimately lose 4-3. Then they were 2-0 down to Bure Park Seniors before recovering to win 7-4. They were on the comeback trail again for a third time as Ruben Mendes equalised after the break.

The draw suited Alea Iacta Est but they were to slip to defeat. Momentum was now with Thursday Veterans and Joao Martins bagged a crucial winner that could well see them through to the Cup. The game finished 2-1 and both teams ended up on 9 points. FC Dad's Club still had a chance to join them.

We went into the final of Group B with Bure Park Seniors versus FC Dad's Club.

If Bure Park Seniors were to be victorious then they would climb above their opponents on goal difference. Anything less and they would be in fourth place.

If FC Dad's Club were to win they would join the two Polish teams at the top on 9 points. The two Cup qualification places would then be decided on goal difference. FC Dad's Club would need a massive 8 goal win to edge out Thursday Veterans. A smaller win or a draw would guarantee third position and in, theory, an easier Plate Semi-Final tie.

These teams had met before (under various names) with Bure Park Seniors unbeaten on all 3 occasions.

Lisbon 2017: Saga Louts 5-0 The Special Ones

Mallorca 2018: Bure Park Old Boys 1-1 The Special Ones

Budapest 2019: Bure Park Old Boys 3-0 FC Dad's Club

Mark Ashurst's opening goal put FC Dad's Club on their way to possibly securing a first win in this match-up. However, Oszkar Calusi responded not once but twice to turn this game on its head to make it 2-1 to Bure Park. Mark Ashurst scored again to make it 2-2 at half-time.

Rob Evans then scored for FC Dad's Club after half-time to put his team back in front. This topsy-turvy game took another twist as Richard Holliday made it 3-3 and Oskar Calusi's hat-trick goal put Bure Park Seniors 4-3 up. FC Dad's Club despite leading twice now needed a second equalizer and they got it. Mark Ashurst completed his hat-trick to make it 4-4.

There was still time for a 9 th and winning goal in this contest. Cometh the hour, cometh the man and that man was James Davidson. His goal ensured FC Dad's Club would secure a thrilling 5-4 win. It was a fantastic climax to the group phase (although Bure Park Seniors might not agree).