Army Super Cup: All you need to know ahead of crunch final battle
It's time to find out who are the best team in Army football as the reserve and regular champions battle in Scotland.
The Army Super Cup final sees 6 Scots take on 1 Mercian with all the action live on the BFBS Forces News YouTube channel and BFBS TV from 12:15 UK time on Sunday.
Let's dive into the history of the fixture and who are the key players to watch out for during the match.
The history of the Army Super Cup
There have been eight finals held since the cup's inception in 2015 but did you know the origins of the competition come from the 2014 Reserve Challenge Cup final?
Major General Bruce Brealey, outgoing chair of the Army FA at the time, attended the match between 71 Engineer Regiment and Sheffield University OTC as a first-time viewer of the reserve game.
He didn't have high hopes for what to expect but was blown away by the quality shown in Army reserve football after an extra-time win for 71 Engineer Regiment.
From there, the idea of a champion v champion (reserve v regular) clash was born and the Army Super Cup's first winners were 22 Signal Regiment.
4th Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment were the first winners from the reserves game when they won the final in both 2019 and 2021.
The rearranged 2022 game (played in January 2023) was the only final so far to be decided on penalties and BFBS Sport viewers watched live as 4 Regiment RLC took the trophy.
2015: 22 Signal Regiment 2-0 71 Engineer Regiment
2016: 7 Regiment RLC 5-1 71 Engineer Regiment
2017: 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment 8-0 154 (Scottish) Regiment RLC
2018: 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 152 (Northern Irish) Regiment RLC
2019: 4th Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment 7-2 21 Engineer Regiment
2021: 4th Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment 4-2 7 Regiment RLC
2022: 4 Regiment RLC 1-1 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 Regt RLC win 5-4 on penalties)
2023: 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment 4-0 4th Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment
Key players
Lance Corporal Watitemwa Mkandawire (1 Mercian)
What a performance LCpl Mkandawire, nicknamed 'MK', put in during the 2024 Major Units final.
His thrilling attacking play was too much for the Royal Tank Regiment to deal with and his two goals, in a decisive 3-0 victory, was well-deserved.
That performance will have grabbed the attention of the 6 Scots coaching team as the man to stop.
Private Craig Thomson (6 Scots)
Perhaps 6 Scots' most important cog if they are to lift the Army Super Cup.
Pte Thomson has represented the Army at corps and Army level and was part of the Army's Inter Services campaign earlier this year.
He currently plays civilian football for Glasgow United in the West of Scotland football league.
Private Henry Latimer (1 Mercian)
The captain of the reigning regular champions and an important figure in their midfield.
Pte Latimer is a controller of the central areas with a high level of fitness and, at just 22 years old, he still has room to improve.
Private Ryan Campbell (6 Scots)
Goals are what counts in big cup matches and Pte Campbell has experience scoring in the Army Super Cup final.
His well-taken long-distance strike in the final two seasons ago wasn't enough as 6 Scots lost the penalty shootout.
But can he fire them to glory this time around?
Route to the final
6 Scots
Triumph in the Army Reserves Challenge Cup was how 6 Scots booked their place in the Super Cup showpiece match.
In that competition, they recorded victories over two-time Super Cup winners 4 Lancs and 152 Regt RLC.
In the final, they defeated 3 Royal Welsh 2-1 at the Military Stadium in Aldershot.
1 Mercian
The kings of Army regular football have had an impressive 2024.
In their route to the Major Units final, they beat 5th Regiment Royal Artillery, 3 (UK) Division Signal Regiment and the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.
Their trophy charge nearly ended in the semi-final but they survived a penalty shootout to beat 8th Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
That set up a Royal Tank Regiment challenge in Aldershot and a Watitemwa Mkandawire-inspired 3-0 win saw them lift the trophy.
How to watch
You can watch the match live from Harthill, Scotland, on the BFBS Forces News YouTube channel from 12:15 UK time on Sunday 8 September.
Action will also be shown on the BFBS TV service for serving personnel only with catch-up available on both outlets.
Former Premier League assistant referee Andy Halliday will be joining the commentary team in Scotland.
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