Plate Semi-Final time and things were getting interesting. We had the exciting prospect of a potential Bure Park Old Boys Plate & Cup double but there was a lot of football to play until then. We started off with Peebles All Stars versus Bure Park Old Boys.

Both Groups A & B had proved to be enthralling and very close. The close spread of points and narrow goal differences were proof of this. Peebles All Stars had won 1 and drawn 3 of their games to reach this stage. Bure Park Old Boys had 1 won and drawn 2 but from less games.

Bure Park Old Boys sister squad, Bure Park Seniors, had enjoyed a 1-0 win and fought a 0-0 draw in the group games. Could the Old Boys better or match the Seniors?

Peebles All Stars had been competitive in every one of their 6 games so far but game 7 seemed to be a game too far. Bure Park Old Boys were fresh from their first win of the day and they brought that momentum into this game. They raced to a 4-0 lead by half-time.

Dave Tyrell (2) and Matt Johnson (2) put them in full control. After the break things calmed down but there was still a fifth for Bure Park Old Boys – Simon Dearing put the icing on a 5-0 cake!

Who would meet Bure Park Old Boys in the Plate Final? The two teams looking to stake a claim were Telferscot FC and Legends of the Vale.

Telferscot FC reached this stage at the Lisbon 2017 Veterans event where they went out to the eventual winners. Could they make their first European final? Legends of the Vale were breaking new ground by reaching this stage.

Telferscot FC started slowly having lost their first game and been 2-0 down in the second. However, they recovered to from 2-0 down and were now three games unbeaten since that opening loss. Legends of the Vale had played six games so far and their record read DLDWLD.

It was Legends of the Vale who struck first in this Semi-Final as Steve Finnis scored his second goal of the tournament. The goal gave his team a 1-0 lead going into half-time. After the break Telferscot FC showed their powers of recovery again as they came from behind to equalize. Dom Stober was the man with the goal – his fourth of the tournament. It meant we finished 1-1 and needed a penalty shoot-out.

Telferscot FC were to shoot first. He was up against Ian Channing in the Legends of the Vale goal. Channing made the save to give his team an early advantage. Steve Finnis scored in the game and he scored in the shoot-out to make it 1-0. With 4 goals to his name in the tournament you'd have put money on Dom Stober levelling it up but Channing came out on top again as it stayed 1-0. Mark Eldridge had the chance to win it for Legends of the Vale but Joe Lambert, in goal for Telferscot FC, came to the fore. Telferscot FC were still alive but not for much longer. It was Marcus Landau versus Ian Channing – Channing won and kept a clean sheet in the penalty shoot-out. Legends of the Vale were through.