Les Phillips Cup final
Bradford Town 1, Bridgwater Town 0

FORMER Bridgwater Town player Jake Brown came back to haunt his old club on Saturday, scoring the only goal of the Les Phillips Cup final to hand Bradford Town the silverware.

The left winger popped up with just nine minutes played at Street's Tannery Ground, to cut inside on his right foot and find the net.

Bridgwater could not find an equaliser in the remaining 80 minutes, and with the Robins having both Jordan Greenwood and Jake Llewellyn sent off, they were denied a winning end to the curtailed 2020/21 season.

It also means that their wait for a third Les Phillips Cup win - having secured the trophy in 2002/03 and 2004/05 - goes on.

Falling behind early on, the Robins took a while to create a notable chance of their own.

Sam Crumb raced clear in the 22nd minute, but saw his shot saved by Bradford goalkeeper Marko Radovanovic, and the rebound could not be turned home.

Mike Duffy had a penalty appeal waved away, and Ryan Brereton fired a free-kick straight at Radovanovic, and so it remained 1-0 at half-time.

Centre-back Tom Ellis thought he had equalised five minutes into the second half, as he headed in Tom Fry's corner, but the referee spotted a foul and disallowed it.

Bridgwater were ramping up the pressure now, and had two set-piece opportunities shortly after the hour mark.

Radovanovic was in the way, though, as he tipped over another Ellis corner and then just about prevented the subsequent corner going straight in.

But the Robins' task became that much harder when Greenwood picked up his second yellow card and was sent off on 75 minutes.

Down to 10 men, Bridgwater were grateful for their own goalkeeper - Liam Kingston - making a couple of fine saves late on to prevent Bradford adding a second goal.

Sam Towler saw a shot from a corner cleared at the other end, but their hopes well and truly fizzled out in stoppage time, with Llewellyn shown red for a last man foul.

And so the silverware went to Bradford, who now depart the Western League for the Hellenic League, as part of the FA's restructure of Non-League football.

Bridgwater Town: Liam Kingston, Dave Thorne, Jake Llewellyn, Tom Fry, Jordan Greenwood, Tom Ellis, Mike Duffy, Sam Towler, Jack Taylor (c), Sam Crumb (Josh Williams 80), Ryan Brereton (Adnan Hiroli 60). Unused subs: Mark Armstrong, Tyne Govier, George Painter.

Attendance: 520