North End Cosmos collect first part of a potential veterans football treble by beating AFC Portchester to lift Portsmouth & District FA Cup

They survived a few scares before beating lower division AFC Portchester 2-1 in yesterday’s final at Baffins Milton Rovers.

Cosmos entered the final as red hot favourites - they are currently top of the Meon Valley Vets League Division 1 table while Portchester are third bottom in Division 2.

Cosmos led at the interval thanks to a penalty converted by Gavin Keogh following a foul on John Saunders, who was captaining the side in the absence of regular skipper Jay Carlin.

The lead was doubled after the break when Dave Holmes’ perseverance paid off by winning possession out wide and crossing for Carl Kirby to head in.

Portchester replied when Pete Sanderson set up Jim Stewart to beat keeper Dave Hughes.

Cosmos player-manager Leon Barnett said it was nowhere near a vintage display from his side.

‘I don’t think we could have played any worse to be honest,’ he summed up. ‘We certainly didn’t put in a performance, put it that way.

‘Portchester are a league below us but that doesn’t do them justice. They are better than their league status would indicate.

‘With our second goal, the ball hit our player on the top of the head and looped in. That was how our day went - we rode our luck really.

‘Our best period of the game was probably the last 15 minutes when we used our experience to see it out.’

This is the Cosmos squad’s fourth season of Meon Valley Sunday League football, but their first in the veterans section. Previously they had played in the main league, finishing runners-up twice in the Premier Division.

But once all their squad were available to play in the over-35s league, Cosmos switched to veterans football.

It appears they made a good choice. As well as pocketing the PDFA silverware, they will clinch the Meon Valley League title if they win two of their last three games.

They are also through to the semi-final of the League Cup, with a tie against Division 2 table-toppers Meonstoke to come.

Barnett added: ‘We’ve got a good squad - everyone’s played to feeder league level.

‘Sean Thurgood used to play for (AFC) Wimbledon and Phil Archbold played for Accrington.’

There are four sets of brothers in the Cosmos squad - Danny and Gary Luff, Craig and Carl Kirby, Gavin and Barry Keough and Sean and Dan Thurgood.

Other squad regulars this season - in addition to those already mentioned - are Barry McCoy, Lawrence Douglas, Lee Oliver, Mark Greenway, Mike Limburne, Aaron Fennemore, Pete Simmons, Ray Ogilvie, Wayne Hood, Scott Carter, Graeme Gillman, Jim Smalley and Neil Perkins. Barnett, 48 in October, is the squad’s oldest player.