Well done to New Salamis who achieved something we never thought possible. That is making the breakthrough of becoming the first KOPA league team to reach the the all England FA Sunday cup final.
The KOPA league is the Cypriot Football league in the UK and consists of two divisions and has both Greek and Turkish Cypriot players playing alongside each other. The league also includes Turkish Cypriot Club Cetinkaya Cinar and Maronites and also clubs named after teams in Cyprus Omonia, Anorthosis and Apoel. Teams are also named after villages in Cyprus, Komi Kebir, Livadia, Asha and Achna.
It is the second year in a row that New Salamis have played in the semi final and again the opposition was OJM at Nuneaton stadium but this time the Reds came out winners.
New Salamis got off to a slow start with OJM in command for the first fifteen minutes.
The reds finally settled and began looking good and composed at this stage Kyri Portou scored and it was ruled offside. But it was not long before Kyri was rewarded with a goal in the 30th minute and then ten minutes later Ryan Hervel scored with a blaster of a free kick in to the top corner of the net.
All the team were outstanding from the goalkeeper to the last eleven. You could now sense confidence oozing in the New Salamis team and it was highly unlikely that they were going to allow OJM back into the game.
The Reds midfield and forward line were driving forward and should have scored a hatful of goals and a goalmouth scramble allowed Harrison Georgiou to tap the ball into the back of the net making it 3-0 and the final score. A great win for New Salamis the players, manager, coach and committee have worked hard to achieve this.
Now they go on to the final to play in an all London final with the date and venue still to be arranged, the game will be played in London . The final last year was played at Ewood Park the home of Blackburn Rovers. Finals have always been held in prestigious stadiums such as Anfield the home of Liverpool.
So you never know it could be Wembley, White Hart Lane, Emirates, QPR, Watford or Barnet.
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