Jets produced one of their best EVER cup results in their just a few days short of 40 years history to win the St Marys cup against Evo Stick Premier League team Hemel Hempstead Town in their own back yard to complete an amazing cup winning double ( and third final in 14 days).

Jets, smarting at being described as "Pub Cloggers" on a Hemel fans web site, needed no more motivation to take the game at Town who stand two levels higher than Jets in the FA Pyramid system.

The early pattern was tense with neither side settling down, and the first chance was a Macca header in a fairly dour opening. Jets had Ant Shepherd cautioned for a reckless tackle and the tackle was to cost the defender his shirt as he pulled his own groin and was to be replaced by Chris Killer early in the game.

Jets, with the advantage of the slope in the first half, built the edge on the game and felt a good call for a penalty was in order when the skilful Luke Beardsworth was stopped, but referee Jake Hillier, who had a good game, was not moved by the appeal,

A player from each team was cautioned for an off the ball offence but the Town striker was very lucky to stay on the pitch not long after for blasting the ball out the ground, when most other times it would have been a yellow and in this case number 2 and gone.

Jets were growing in confidence and, after a few telling balls that highlighted him as a major threat, Beardsworth was felled and the unlucky striker was to struggle to the break with a reoccurrence of a back injury and Jets second sub was on at the break. With Ingham and Macca also struggling Jets were in danger of running out of men.

The real difference was the outstanding defence of Brown and Macca, again dominant, but the star man of the match was rapidly becoming the outstanding Andy Lomas who was covering the pitch and defending one minute and setting up the goal attempts the next. Half Time 0-0

The second half was little different although the break looked on when super play fed in hot and loyal striker Lewis Putman, but the tired out striker was denied by a good save but will be disappointed with himself. A goal line scramble then denied Jets again as the pressure mounted.

Chris Ingham was withdrawn injured and young Con Keating from Jets under 18 academy came on and produced an outstanding twenty minutes far exceeding his 16 years of age.

Then the big moment came that felled the Evo Premier team, and how fitting it was that the best player on the day by a country mile got it with a truly outstanding goal. Good inter play involving half a dozen Jets players finally went to ANDY LOMAS and the ball sat up right as a thundering curling 30 yard volley went and curled into the roof of the net to set off wild celebrations for the "Blue Army".

Jets played keep ball running the clock down and a rash ball from Orlando almost cost Jets, but good defending completed by, yes, Andy Lomas snuffed out the chance and Jets got their hands on the prized trophy, one of the country’s oldest cups first played for back in 1888.

Skipper Ian Bywater proudly led his historic team to the Cup and wild celebrations as Jets game count went past 65 first team games caused by outstanding runs in the FA comps and the County and League cups.

General Manager John Elliott was ecstatic and proud of his players, management and supporters. "It's fantastic to go past our anniversary with two major cups in our hands and this fantastic cup side again proved what they can do and leaves us baffled by the poor league position. They have given their all and as tired as they are still managed to party long and hard before getting a well earned summer break. The club is very proud of them and THANK YOU does not start to sum it up!!".

 

 

Match report courtesy of Anthony Matthews at the Watford Observer:

OXHEY JETS can celebrate their 40th anniversary with silverware after overcoming South Midlands League neighbours Kings Langley 4-1 to lift the Herts Charity Shield for the second time in three years at the County Ground, Letchworth.

The victors, founded by current general manager John Elliott in 1972, had to come from behind after Craig Lynskey fired Kings into a tenth-minute lead but having levelled shortly before the break, they lifted their game during a rain-soaked second period and were deserved winners.

Paul Hobbs' side though, will perhaps rue a handful of key moments in what for the most part was a tightly contested game, not least when they should have established a two-goal lead in the first half.

On the back of a fourth-place finish in Division One, Kings made the breakthrough against their top-flight opponents when following a spell of good possession around the area, James Armstrong found strike partner Lynskey and he beat Sam Styles with a left-foot finish.

That advantage really should have been doubled in the 19th minute when the roles were reversed and Lynskey's fine cross from the right found Armstrong unmarked in the six-yard area, but he somehow headed wide.

Following that escape, Jets began to build some pressure but their opponents looked set to take their one-goal lead into the interval until five minutes before half-time when Gavin Hart's driven centre from the left was deflected past keeper Ross Hampton at his near post.

Buoyed by that equaliser, Oxhey were in front within two minutes of the restart although the manner in which the goal came about may have owed something to the deluge that arrived overhead during the break and didn't abate for the majority of the second half.

Hart found Lee Inch on the left and he played in a dangerous cross which Hampton, who was under some pressure, let squirm from his grasp. Lewis Putman tried to scramble home the loose ball but was tackled from behind by Luke Ladyman and referee Adrian Waters deemed the challenge worthy of a penalty.

After captain Gary Connolly had been booked for protesting, Lewis Putman emphatically dispatched the spot kick to score his sixth goal in County Cup finals this season.

Lynskey headed a Nathan Pooley cross over at the other end before Putman suffered a head-in-hands moment in the 59th minute. An awful mix-up at the back allowed the prolific forward a clean run in on goal but in trying to go round Hampton, his control let him down and the relieved Kings keeper was able to grab the ball.

That was a big let off for Langley and they will consider themselves unlucky not to equalise seven minutes later when a Pooley free-kick was flicked goalwards by Armstrong, only for the ball to strike a defender en route to the net.

Jets though, all but wrapped up the trophy with nine minutes remaining when Steve Brown got the better of fellow centre-half Connolly at the back post to head home Andrew Lomas' excellent set-piece delivery from the left.

Oxhey did have to withstand a few nervous moments before the end - Styles doing well to parry over an Armstrong header while the resultant corner was headed off the line - but Langley's disappointment was compounded in the last minute of normal time when Connolly picked up a second yellow card for a foul on Putman.

That ended any remote hopes of a comeback and Jets added a fine fourth in stoppage time. The winners had men over on the right when substitute Tom Inch found Ian Bywater and his cross was thumped past Hampton by the head of Luke Beardsworth.

Oxhey Jets: Styles; Rodrigues, Brown, McIntyre, Lomas; Bywater, Ingham (T Inch 90), Hart; Beardsworth, Putman (Poulton 90), L Inch (Jenkins 86). Not used: Jacks and Keating.
Kings Langley: Hampton; James (Denham 68), Ladyman, G Connolly, Wallace (Mason 78); Johnson, E Connolly (Collier 84), Noonan, Pooley; Lynskey, Armstrong. Not used: Simakovas and Rice.

Jets Review:
At last year's Gala Dinner Roy Reyland challenged the Jets players to do something special to celebrate Jets' 40th anniversary year. The players have risen to the challenge, making three cup finals and landing the trophy here in the Herts FA Charity Shield final.

Winning another County Cup is always a great achievement and the whole squad can feel proud of their performances in the final, and in all the earlier rounds as well. In fact, you could say that Jets have 'retained' the trophy. Jets won the Shield in 2010 and, as winners, were invited into the Charity Cup in 2010-11 so did not play in the Shield last season. Jets last defeat in the Shield was in 2008 against Royston!

Jets management did not award a Jets Man of the Match as they felt the award belonged to the whole team for the all round team performance. John Elliott was obviously delighted for the players, and for everyone involved with the club. A great night, and a heavy champagne bill!