The First Cloud Arena proudly hosted the PSUK Men’s Veterans Cup Final, which saw the West Midlands Police Veterans face off against the Lancashire Police Veterans in what turned out to be a class display of football right up until the final minutes. Both squads maintained an authoritative presence throughout the match, showing the utmost determination to claim victory.
Lancashire displayed a formidable attacking move in the 6th minute, beginning with a clean build-up from the halfway line orchestrated by Grant Clayton, who fed the ball to Ben Barnes, whose shot was deflected for a corner. From the resulting set piece, a well-timed through ball was shrewdly wedged into the West Midlands penalty box and converted with precision, putting Lancashire ahead 1–0.
A foul by Lancashire in the 18th minute forced a free kick for West Midlands, which was placed in a threatening position just metres from the target. However, the kick only narrowly missed the crossbar by a fraction.
The latter stages of the first half saw each side create a multitude of chances, with many promising attempts on goal. Ultimately, the first half ended in an evenly matched stalemate, with Lancashire holding their one-goal lead.
The second half brought with it a refreshed West Midlands side. In the 47th minute, a penalty was awarded to them, which led to a coolly composed shot into the bottom left corner, bringing West Midlands back into the game and levelling the score once again.
A brilliant attempt came for Lancashire in the 58th minute, when a corner perfectly found striker Ben Barnes, who got his head to the ball in a driving header, but was denied by goalkeeper Dean Russel in the last second, as he tipped it over the crossbar.
This was followed in quick succession by another crucial chance in the 63rd minute, when Ben Barnes received a long ball in a threatening position and took a well-timed shot on goal but drove it into the hands of the goalkeeper, once again being denied the chance to pit Lancashire in the lead.
Goalkeeper heroics worked to become a common thread during the progression of the game, as on the 79th minute, West Midlands had a formidable chance on goal with a shot taken at point blank range, which in most cases would have resulted in a gaol. However, goalkeeper Marc Armstrong caught the ball as it was crossing the line, and saved it in a miraculous manner, keeping Lancashire level and in the fight for the trophy.
Goalkeeper Armstrong conducted another world class save on the 86th minute, after a strong header directly aimed at the top right-hand corer of the goal from a corner found the keepers gloves in a spectacular on-the-line save, which prevented, once again, West Midlands from securing a late-stage lead.
Pure grit and determination from both sides seeped into the last remaining minutes of the game, with all efforts poised towards finding a late-minute winner. With both sides evenly matched, the verdict was to be decided through a penalty shootout.
The penalty shootout saw West Midlands score the winning penalty, bringing home the trophy and hailing them victors for the 2025 PSUK Men’s Veterans Cup Final.