Royal Navy beat Gosport Borough to win Portsmouth Senior Cup final

The Royal Navy senior men's team have won the Portsmouth Senior Cup after a 5-1 win against Gosport Borough in the final of the tournament.

Scoring five goals in total, including a rare goal by Navy goalkeeper Laurence McCormick, this is the second trophy the Navy have won this season after winning the Inter Services in March.

This was the first time the Royal Navy men had entered the Portsmouth Senior Cup, which along with the Hampshire Cup was used as a part of their build-up to the Inter Services.

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The Navy faced a young and spirited team from Gosport Borough who were putting the Senior Service through their paces in the first half.

A penalty awarded to the Navy however gave the military side a chance to gain the early advantage, which was taken successfully by skipper Danny Kerr.

But the young Gosport team were not to be underestimated, and they proved that when they levelled the score at 1-1 before half-time.

After a tough talk by head coach Chris James, the Navy returned for the second half extra-motivated, with Sol Roche getting the ball rolling with a strike to give the Navy back the lead.

Inter Service hero Elliott Holmes soon followed up with a goal of his own, catching the Gosport goalkeeper off-guard to extend the Navy’s lead to 3-1.

A rare event occurred when Navy goalkeeper Laurence McCormick surprised everyone when he scored from a goal kick inside his penalty area, kicking the ball across the length of the pitch into the opposite goal.

Emboldened, the Navy showed that they weren't finished as Jake Walker took his opportunity to get onto the scoresheet, striking the ball into the net to solidify a 5-1 win for the Navy.

The Navy men lift the Portsmouth Senior Cup at the first time of asking to round off a successful season for the Senior Service.

As some players turn now turn their attention to duties with the UK Armed Forces football team, the others will take a well-earned break before reconvening for the 2024/25 season.