Tranmere Victoria 2 Sheffield FC Futsal 5A five-star showing saw Sheffield FC clinch the FA Futsal League North with a 5-2 win in an entertaining encounter at Tranmere Victoria.
Sheffield were 4-0 up at half-time and coasting, but had to withstand a flurry of pressure and a two-goal mini-comeback from their Birkenhead opposition, before finally making sure of the three points and retaining the title.
The game began with Tranmere very much on the defensive, eager to get four men behind the ball and stifle Sheffield before hitting them on the break.
However, it became increasingly evident this tactic would prove futile for the home side, with Sheffield beginning to break down their resolve and test the goalkeeper.
Sheffield got their rewards for some enterprising and attractive early play by taking the lead in the fifth minute when the Tranmere goalkeeper, who up until then had performed well, tamely palmed a cross straight to the foot of Sheffield’s Ollie O’Neil who slotted home with ease.
Sheffield began to dominate, hitting the bar twice in quick succession, first from a rasping drive from O’Neil, and then with a header from Richard Moore.
A second goal did not seem too far away, and it came when the talismanic England international O’Neil’s incisive pass was tapped in at the back post by Adam Oldham.
Tranmere were having to resort to damage limitation as Sheffield pressed on, and the home side looked increasingly frustrated, especially with some of the referee’s decisions.
Sheffield took advantage of Tranmere’s woes to make it 3-0 three minutes before half-time when Ben Mortlock connected quickly onto a loose ball to rifle a volley past the goalkeeper, and a minute later they made it 4-0 with a brilliantly made goal.
Sheffield exquisitely shifted the ball around with consummate ease, and when O’Neil’s pinpoint pass was latched onto by Oldham, he made no mistake to cap off a great move to go into the break with a huge four goal advantage.
However, Tranmere came out after half-time with significant intent, knowing they would have to throw all and sundry behind it to get back into the game, and just two minutes after the re-start they made it 4-1 when Oldham unluckily scored an own goal.
Tranmere were inches away from grabbing a second straight after kick-off, but they did make it 4-2 when Ryan Williams latched onto a long ball to fire past goalkeeper Curtis Holmes.
Sheffield settled after this scare as they tried to take back the flow of the game, hitting the woodwork again and forcing saves from the Tranmere goalkeeper. Nevertheless, Sheffield would have their own custodian to thank in the seventh minute of the second half.
Holmes had been on England duty the day before along with fellow Sheffield teammates O’Neil and Mortlock when the national side beat Montenegro 2-1, and he showed all his international pedigree, first keeping out a vicious shot, then scrambling back and throwing himself to his left to keep out what would have been a certain goal. It was a truly monumental save.
Tranmere threw caution to the wind by taking off their goalkeeper, and it proved their downfall when Sheffield got that all important fifth and final goal when Ryon Leyshon fired into an open net.
Sheffield saw the victory out and it was smiles all round at the end, with a quick toast to their success.
But the hard work is certainly not over and the focus now goes onto when the cream of English Futsal come together to play in the Grand Finals on the 10th and 11th of June in Surrey to decide the national champions, before the FA Futsal Cup in July.
Posted by
Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com 
