23 Parachute Engineers Regiment scores in extra time to win Army Challenge Cup final
The 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment have won the 2025 Army Major Units cup final with a 2-0 victory over the 7 Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery.
For both teams, it was a game where it seemed the deadlock would be impossible to break, but two late goals by the Airborne Sappers in extra time was the difference maker in the end.
The Airborne Sappers applied the pressure on the gunners from the outset, pushing them back to their own goal box multiple times in the early stages of the game, but despite this, both sides were struggling to open this game up.
The likes of Franklin Fitzmaurice, Lima Silver and Callum Vincent tried to make impressions on goal for the sappers, but neither of their efforts were coming to fruition.
As the game reached thirty minutes, the gunners were struggling to make an impression, but when a huge chance came for Seb Bradford, his header sent the ball past the post and the score remained at 0-0 as half time approached.
Missed opportunities and no real chances remained the story in the final minutes of the first half, and as the half time whistle sounded, the scoreboard remained level at 0-0.
The players returned for the second half and with them came a fresh dose of motivation.
The game began to come alive with both sides creating chances, but as was the story in the first half, neither side were making the most of these opportunities.
The Sappers’ Ashley Tandy came the closest to changing the tide of this game when his shot on goal inside the box hit the post.
Minutes later, a cross by Matthew Coar found Tandy’s head inside the box once again, but he sent the ball the wrong way, in yet another agonising missed chance.
That was the story that continued throughout the second half with both teams running down the clock, and come the ninetieth minute, a 0-0 draw meant that the title race would go into extra time.
The extra thirty minutes would be all the time both teams will get to break the dead lock and avoid this title being decided on penalties.
That chance came when the Sappers were awarded a free kick that would be taken by Callum Vincent.
His free kick deflected off the black and white wall and found the foot of James Thomas who tapped in to score the opening goal of the game in extra time.
In the second half of extra time, the Sappers were on the charge once again with Mathhew Coar breaking free to run the length of the pitch with Ashley Tendy being on hand to collect the ball.
Tendy found his way inside the box to cross to Callum Vincent, who was there to finish the job for a second goal, and a goal which would seal the title for the Sappers.
At full time, the Sappers were finally victorious at the Major Units after losing the title two years ago after a game that required a lot of defensive work, but also required the players to dig deep to find a breakthrough in this game.
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