East London side celebrate after success

There was plenty of colour, fanfare and high quality football as Luton hosted the 2016 Shires Cup involving football teams from all over the country.

Hamid Yusuf’s Hunter & Bloomfield got off to a flying start with a 1-0 win but two narrow losses and a last game draw saw the east Londoners eliminated.

Sylhet FC were potent throughout with cutting edge displays in every game often tearing up their illustrious opponents.

When the attackers were quiet, defenders like Ruhul Alam switched positions effortlessly to score as the team ground out results.

A precursor to the upcoming BFA Summer League Cup final pitted Jamal Uddin’s Shadwell against Sylhet FC in a pulsating quarter final tie.

A high-tempo game finished 1-0 to Sylhet, but it was a game that needed a moment of magic and a spectacular last minute strike from Moin Miah beat Helal Uzzaman to ensure Sylhet marched on.

In the semis, Sylhet went on to beat Abu Nasir’s very impressive LT Vets, who came together late to enter the showpiece tournament.

Again, it was another last-minute super-strike that separated the teams. Sylhet went through to meet Bradford-based Jubo Dhol in the final.

Both teams were playing their seventh game and energy reserves were low.

The game went to penalties and both teams scored their first two.

Abdul Wadud put away the third for Sylhet, putting the pressure on Jubo Dhol to score.

The spectacular Azizul Haque in the Sylhet goal saved the last penalty to crown his team Shires Cup champions.

Sylhet player-manager Kamal Chowdhury said, ‘It’s been a gruelling day and another trophy for our team. The boys were solid throughout and I think we deserved to lift the trophy based on our overall performances. We now prepare for another cup final in 24 hours.’

The referees’ unanimous choice for man of the tournament was Sylhet goalkeeper Azizul Haque.