11/05/2002: WHITLEY BAY 1 TIPTREE UTD 0
after extra time
FA Carlsberg Vase Final – at Villa Park
Whitley Bay are the FA Carlsberg Vase Winners 2002.
Ian Chandler Scores the Winner
A goal 7 minutes into the first period of extra time gave Whitley the win their performance deserved.
It looked like the game might be heading for penalties before the man they call Charlie popped up with a thumping header to send the Whitley fans wild.
The game started with both sides looking nervous, but Tiptree seemed to settle first without creating any clear cut chances, in fact John Caffrey in the Whitley goal didn’t have a save to make throughout the 120 minutes of the tie.
Michael Fenwick had Whitley’s first real chance of the afternoon, when following a Jon Sunderland cross he headed straight at Haygreen.
Haygreen saves Bowes penalty. Whitley had the majority of the ball in a good spell towards the end of the first half and just minutes into the second half they were given a great chance to take the lead just three minutes into the second half when Marc Walmsley was brought down in the box, but Andy Bowes’ weak penalty was saved by Jason Haygreen in the Tiptree goal.
The Tiptree ‘keeper was called into action again just a few minutes later when turning Kevin Walton’s excellent strike round the post for a corner.
Whitley continued to dominate but Andrew Aransibia should have put Tiptree ahead when he fluffed his close range header just after the hour mark.
Ian Dixon then had to go off for the Bay with a facial injury which required hospital treatment.
The 90 minutes ended goalless, but Whitley could take heart from a solid performance.
It was all Whitley at the start of extra time and Ian Chandler was unlucky to see his effort from the corner of the box just clear the cross bar.
But then substitute Steve Cuggy got in a superb cross which Chandler matched with an emphatic header to put Whitley 1-0 up.
The goal knocked the stuffing out of the Essex side, who had battled hard all afternoon, and Whitley comfortably held on for our first national success.
Whitley Bay: Caffrey, Sunderland, Walmsley, Dixon(Neil 64), Anderson, Locker, Middleton, Bowes(Carr 72), Chandler, Walton, Fenwick (Cuggy 78)
Not Used : Cook, Livermore
Captain Gary Middleton lifts the Vase Cup