Going into the final round of games, we had a thrilling title race at the top of the table with 3 teams still in with a shout of winning the trophy. The other teams were all vying for positions and their final ranking in the tournament standings.

Up first was Pork Vale versus The Warriors. Pork Vale could secure a fifth place finish with a win in this game. Anything less and they could potentially be overtaken by the teams below. The Warriors had just tasted defeat for the first time in their previous game which had ended their title hopes but they could still finish in the bronze medal position with a win here and other results going their way.

With the teams next to each other in the table we expected a close match and that's exactly what we got. The first half ended 0-0. In the second half it was Pork Vale who moved into the ascendency with Paul Johnstone's third goal of the tournament. He would finish as his team's joint top scorer with Andy Cross.

The Warriors would hit back though. Mickey Davies scored his first of the day to level the scores at 1-1. Russ Weeks then put his team 2-1 up. It was his second of the day – his first was the winning goal against Bure Park Seniors, his second was the winning goal against Pork Vale. The 2-1 win meant The Warriors finished on a high and would ultimately finish in third position. For Pork Vale, it completed their debut in our tournaments and we hope it will be the first of many. It was a pleasure to host both teams.

The final game of The 2024 Porto Super Veterans tournament could not have been scripted better. Even though we use a random fixture generator, the fixture computer had meant that the final game of the tournament could still potentially see 3 different winners of the tournament depending on what happened in this final fixture.

Peebles All Stars lead the way on 13 points but they had finished. Up now was Bure Park Old Boys (10 points) and Polonia Limerick (11 points). The potential outcomes were:

Bure Park Old Boys win: They would be crowned champions courtesy of goal difference. Peebles All Stars would finish with silver and Polonia Limerick with bronze.

A draw: Peebles All Stars would win the title. Polonia Limerick would finish second with Bure Park Old Boys finishing above The Warriors in third via goal difference.

Polonia Limerick win: The title would be held in Polish hands, Peebles All Stars would finish runners-up with The Warriors in third (Bure Park Old Boys in fourth).

I don't think we could have imagined a more exciting climax to the Super Veterans competition if we'd have tried. It must have been unbearable for Peebles All Stars watching on as everything was out of their control. For Bure Park Old Boys and Polonia Limerick at least they still had the opportunity to control their destiny on the pitch.

We reached half time with the drama and the tension cranking up. We were still level 0-0 at the break and Peebles All Stars were still champions elect. Could Polonia Limerick or Bure Park Old Boys find the goal that could make them champions? With both teams needing a win you felt it would come as a 0-0 draw would suit neither of the teams on the pitch. Who would gamble first or gamble most in trying to get that crucial goal. Not just a match winning goal but a title winning goal!

Ultimately that goal would come and when it arrived it would be Bart Baranski who scored it. Polonia Limerick had done it – a famous goal and a famous victory! They finished as the only unbeaten team, the most goals scored and the least conceded so you had to say it was a very well deserved victory but they were pushed all the way.

Our commiserations go to Peeble All Stars who were just a point away from winning the title themselves. It was their best performance to date in our events and a great achievement.

Spare a thought for Bure Park Old Boys who were one goal away from winning the title but ended up finishing fourth. It shows how well matched and how competitive the teams were in the Super Veterans.

A huge thank you to all the teams for making our inaugural Super Veterans event a huge success. The Super Veterans tournament will return in 2025 and will be hosted in Barcelona on the 4th October weekend. We hope to see you there.

For now though, we leave you with our 2024 Super Veterans Tournament winners – Polonia Limerick!

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