South West Challenge Cup

The South West Challenge Cup was an annual pre-season football tournament, held in North Devon, England in July and hosted by various non-league clubs in the area. Twenty-four clubs participated in the tournament since its inception.

Joma South West Challenge Cup
Founded2008
RegionEngland (Devon FA)
Number of teams13

The inaugural tournament took in July 2008 and was originally sponsored by Erreà in 2008 and 2009. The first winners were Eastleigh.[1] Blackpool won the competition in July 2010, as a prelude to their debut season in the Premier League.

Rules

In the group stage matches, each half lasts 40 minutes, before reverting to the standard 45 minutes for the knockout stages.[1] The tournament features an unconventional points system through the group stages, which the tournament organisers state is "designed to encourage attacking football".[1]

  • Each winning side gets the standard three points for a win.
  • Losing teams receive one point if they lose without scoring, and two if they lose but score.
  • There are no draws; if teams are all square at full-time the game goes straight to a penalty shootout to determine the winner.

2010 Tournament

This year's tournament was sponsored by Spanish sportswear company Joma, who took over from Errea as the competition sponsor. There were five host clubs – Barnstaple Town (Mill Road, Barnstaple), Bideford (Sports Ground, Bideford), Holsworthy (Upcott Field, Holsworthy), Ilfracombe Town (Marlborough Park, Ilfracombe) and Torrington (Vicarage Field, Great Torrington).

The tournament consisted of thirteen teams playing to the usual format. All of the clubs were English, apart from Scottish side Kilmarnock. For the first time, the competition featured a Premier League club, Blackpool, who were promoted having won the 2010 Football League Championship play-off Final at the end of the season.

The thirteen teams were entered into a draw for the tournament which took place on 14 June 2010. The competition started on 19 July with the final being played on 25 July.

Group stages

Group 1
Team Pld W L GF GA GD Pts
Blackpool 2 2 0 4 3 +1 6
Kilmarnock 2 1 1 9 3 +6 5
Accrington Stanley 2 1 1 6 4 +2 5
Bideford 2 0 2 3 12 −9 4
Source:
19 July 2010 Bideford1–7KilmarnockThe Sports Ground, Bideford
20:00 BST Mudge  pen.' Report Dayton
Pascali
Kelly
Taouil
20 July 2010 Accrington Stanley1–2BlackpoolVicarage Field, Great Torrington
19:30 BST Ryan  10' Ormerod  4'
Southern  48'
21 July 2010 Bideford2–5Accrington StanleyThe Sports Ground, Bideford
20:00 BST Densham
Downing 		Putterill
Jukes
McConville
Parkinson
22 July 2010 Blackpool2–2
(5–4 p)		KilmarnockThe Sports Ground, Bideford
20:00 BST Euell  24'
Almond  71'		 Hamill  53' (pen.)
Bryson  81'
Penalties
Edwards
Southern
Evatt
Ormerod
Gilks 		Bell
Fowler
Clancy
Hamill

Group 2
Team Pld W L GF GA GD Pts
Leyton Orient 2 2 0 6 1 +5 6
Eastleigh 2 1 1 3 3 0 5
Truro City 2 0 2 1 6 −5 3
Source:
19 July 2010 Truro City1–2EastleighUpcott Field, Holsworthy
19:30 BST Pugh Slabber  pen.'
Palme
20 July 2010 Eastleigh1–2Leyton OrientHorsdon Park, Tiverton
20:00 BST Graham  1' Smith  5'
Cox  83'
22 July 2010 Leyton Orient4–0Truro CityHorsdon Park, Tiverton
19:30 BST Revell  12'
Porter  30'
Jarvis  45'
Dawson  78'

Group 3
Team Pld W L GF GA GD Pts
Shrewsbury Town 2 2 0 6 1 +5 6
Rushden & Diamonds 2 1 1 5 2 +3 4
Ilfracombe Town 2 0 2 2 10 −8 4
Source:
19 July 2010 Ilfracombe Town1–5Shrewsbury TownMarlborough Park, Ilfracombe
20:00 BST Taswell Report Sharps
Harrold
Leslie
van den Broek
Robinson
21 July 2010 Ilfracombe Town1–5Rushden & DiamondsMarlborough Park, Ilfracombe
20:00 BST Gough  pen.' Report York
Shariff
Smith
22 July 2010 Shrewsbury Town1–0Rushden & DiamondsVicarage Field, Great Torrington
20:00 BST Bradshaw  88'

Group 4
Team Pld W L GF GA GD Pts
Havant & Waterlooville 2 2 0 11 0 +11 6
Doncaster Rovers 2 1 1 10 6 +4 4
Barnstaple Town 2 0 2 1 16 −15 3
Source:
19 July 2010 Barnstaple Town1–10Doncaster RoversMill Road, Barnstaple
20:00 BST Gladwin Report (unknown)  o.g.'
Martis
Friend
Gillett
Sharp
Hayter
Pryce  o.g.'
Clark
21 July 2010 Doncaster Rovers0–5Havant & WaterloovilleUpcott Field, Holsworthy
19:30 BST Ramsey
Pearce
Tiryaki
Hinshelwood  pen.'
22 July 2010 Barnstaple Town0–6Havant & WaterloovilleMill Road, Barnstaple
20:00 BST Robson
Hopkinson
Ramsey
Tiryaki
Sewell

Semi-finals
24 July 2010 Blackpool2–1Leyton OrientMill Road, Barnstaple
15:00 BST Jeffers  23'
Evatt  90'		 McGleish  44'
24 July 2010 Shrewsbury Town2–1Havant and WaterloovilleHorsden Park, Tiverton
15:00 BST Neal  11'
Bradshaw  85'		 Tyriaki  90'

Final
  • Shrewsbury Town withdrew from the competition shortly after winning their semi final. Havant & Waterlooville took their place. However, Blackpool were named tournament winners before the game which was then played as an 80-minute friendly.[2]
25 July 2010 Blackpool3–2Havant & WaterloovilleThe Sports Ground, Bideford
15:00 BST Adam  40' (pen.)
Euell  68'
Tyrrell  72' (o.g.)		 Ramsey  17'
Tiryaki  35'

2009 tournament

The 2009 tournament took place from 13 to 19 July and was expanded to twelve sides divided into four groups. There are five host clubs – Appledore (Marshford, Appledore), Barnstaple Town (Mill Road, Barnstaple), Bideford (Sports Ground Bideford), Ilfracombe Town (Marlborough Park, Ilfracombe) and Torrington (Vicarage Field, Great Torrington.

2008 winners Eastleigh returned to defend the trophy. They were joined by five Football League sides – Championship side Blackpool; Exeter City and Wycombe Wanderers who, in the 2008–09 season, finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in League Two and won promotion to League One; fellow League One side Yeovil Town, as well as League Two outfit Grimsby Town. There were two Conference National sides – Luton Town, who finished bottom of League Two in 2008–09 and so were relegated, and Rushden & Diamonds. From North Devon, three sides – Barnstaple Town and Bideford, who took part in the 2008 tournament, were joined by Ilfracombe Town of the Western Football League Premier Division. The final entrant was Belgian lower league side, Montegnée.

The teams were divided into four groups of three with each side playing each other once in the group stage. The winners of each group then meet in the semi-finals. However, the Group A game between Exeter City and Eastleigh, and the Group C game between Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town on 17 July were cancelled due to waterlogged pitches at Bideford and Appledore, resulting in Exeter and Luton winning their groups, as there was insufficient time to re-arrange either match, with the semi-finals the next day.[3]

Grimsby refused to play in the final due to fixture congestion and safety concerns over a 6:00PM kick-off time, and no compromise with the tournament organisers could be reached. As a result, Belgian club Montegnée, originally knocked out in the group stages, were invited to play in the final at Grimsby's expense.[4] Luton went on to win the 2009 South West Challenge Cup with a 3–1 victory over Montegnée.[5]

Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D

Group stages

Group A
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Exeter City 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3 3
Eastleigh 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3
Ilfracombe Town 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 3
Source:
13 July 2009 Ilfracombe Town1–4Exeter CityMarlborough Park, Ilfracombe
18:30 BST Marinaro  ?' (pen.) Report Logan
Stansfield
Norwood
Panther 		Attendance: 220
Referee: Andy Bennett
15 July 2009 Eastleigh1–0Ilfracombe TownMarshford, Appledore
18:00 BST Taggart  35' Report Referee: Lee Swabey
17 July 2009 Exeter CityCancelledEastleighSports Ground, Bideford
20:00 BST (Waterlogged pitch) Referee: Adam Fielding

Group B
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Grimsby Town 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2 6
Yeovil Town 2 1 0 1 7 3 +4 5
Montegnée 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 2
Source:
13 July 2009 Montegnée0–5Yeovil TownMarshford, Appledore
18:00 BST Report Razak
Mason
Jones
Downes 		Attendance: 85
Referee: Marvyn Amphlett
15 July 2009 Grimsby Town1–0MontegnéeMill Road, Barnstaple
19:00 BST Clarke  75' Report Referee: John Busby
17 July 2009 Yeovil Town2–3Grimsby TownVicarage Field, Great Torrington
19:00 BST Tomlin  47'
Williams  69'		 Report Conlon  26'
North  42'
Arnold  79'		 Referee: Ron Ganfield

Group C
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Luton Town 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 3
Wycombe Wanderers 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
Bideford 2 0 0 2 0 3 −3 2
Source:
13 July 2009 Bideford0–0
(4–5 p)		Wycombe WanderersSports Ground, Bideford
20:00 BST Report Attendance: 245
Referee: Andy Rodda
Penalties
Vaughan
Barker
Brown
Downing
Densham 		Lewis
Shearer
Beavon
Phillips
Mousinho
15 July 2009 Luton Town3–0BidefordSports Ground, Bideford
20:00 BST Craddock  24', 40'
Talbot  65'		 Report Attendance: 513
Referee: Brett Huxtable
17 July 2009 Wycombe WanderersCancelledLuton TownMarshford, Appledore
18:00 BST (Waterlogged pitch) Referee: Andy Newell

Group D
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Rushden & Diamonds 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2 6
Blackpool 2 1 0 1 6 1 +5 5
Barnstaple Town 2 0 0 2 1 8 −7 3
Source:
13 July 2009 Barnstaple Town0–5BlackpoolMill Road, Barnstaple
20:00 BST Report Burgess  5'
Ormerod  11'
Clarke  23'
DeFreitas  50'
Nardiello  74'		 Attendance: 466
Referee: Ron Ganfield
15 July 2009 Blackpool1–1
(2–4 p)		Rushden & DiamondsMarlborough Park, Ilfracombe
20:00 BST Burgess  57' Report O'Connor  52' Referee: Mark Russell
Penalties


Burgess
Mitchley 		Roberts
Farrell
Corcoran
Smith
17 July 2009 Rushden & Diamonds3–1Barnstaple TownMarlborough Park, Ilfracombe
20:00 BST Smith
Farrell
O'Connor 		Report Referee: Justin Amey

Semi-finals
18 July 2009 Exeter City2–3Luton TownMill Road, Barnstaple
14:00 BST Russell  15'
McAllister  62'		 Report Hatch  38'
Craddock  45'
Talbot  64'		 Attendance: 532
Referee: Lee Swabey
18 July 2009 Grimsby Town4–1Rushden & DiamondsMarshford, Appledore
17:00 BST Forbes 13'
Akpa Akpro  32'
Arnold  60'
North  89'		 Report Cousins  22'

Final

Grimsby Town withdrew due to fixture congestion and safety issues, Montegnée were invited to take their place in the final[4]

19 July 2009 Luton Town3–1MontegnéeSports Ground, Bideford
18:00 BST Craddock  21'
Wheeldon  50' (o.g.)
Hall  75'		 Report Williams  61' Attendance: 331
Referee: Brett Huxtable

2008 tournament

There were three host clubs for the tournament – Appledore (Marshford, Appledore), Barnstaple Town (Mill Road, Barnstaple) and Bideford (Sports Ground, Bideford). Eight sides entered, and played eleven matches over the course of six days. Although there were four teams in each group, each side played only two of the other sides in the group rather than all three.

The eight clubs that entered the inaugural tournament were:

Group stages

Group 1
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Eastleigh 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 6
Crystal Palace[lower-alpha 1] 2 1 0 1 5 3 +2 5
Torquay United[lower-alpha 1] 2 1 0 1 2 0 +2 4
Bideford 2 0 0 2 2 6 −4 3
Source:
Notes:
  1. Shortly after booking their place in the semi-finals, Crystal Palace withdrew from the competition, citing injuries as the reason. They were replaced in the semi-finals by Torquay United who had finished 3rd in Group One.
22 July 2008 Bideford0–2Torquay UnitedSports Ground, Bideford
19:00 BST Carayol
Thompson 		Attendance: 550
23 July 2008 Crystal Palace1–2EastleighMarshford, Appledore
18:00 BST
24 July 2008 Eastleigh0–0
(3 – 2 p)		Torquay UnitedSports Ground, Bideford
18:00 BST
25 July 2008 Bideford2–4Crystal PalaceSports Ground, Bideford
18:00 BST

Group 2
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Yeovil Town 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5 6
Chertsey Town 2 1 0 1 3 4 −1 5
Barnstaple Town 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 4
Kidderminster Harriers 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 2
Source:
22 July 2008 Barnstaple Town0–2Chertsey TownMill Road, Barnstaple
20:00 BST
23 July 2008 Yeovil Town2–0Kidderminster HarriersSports Ground, Bideford
20:00 BST Smeekes
Owusu
24 July 2008 Yeovil Town4–1Chertsey TownMarshford, Appledore
20:00 BST Kirk
Jones
R. Turnock
25 July 2008 Barnstaple Town2–0Kidderminster HarriersMill Road, Barnstaple
20:00 BST

Semi-finals
26 July 2008 Eastleigh1–0Chertsey TownSports Ground, Bideford
18:00 BST
26 July 2008 Yeovil Town1–1
(3–5 p)		Torquay UnitedMill Road, Barnstaple
20:00 BST Schofield Benyon
Penalties
Murtagh
Schofield
Owusu
Wagenaar 		D'Sane
Adams
Nicholson
Robertson
Rice

Final
26 July 2008 Torquay United2–2
(4–5 p)		EastleighSports Ground, Bideford
20:00 BST Yeoman  83'
Carayol  84'		 Report Adeniyi  39' (pen.)
Harris  70'

References
  1. Lord, Jonathan (11 July 2009). "Pool head for Devon tournament". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  2. "Seasiders Win Cup". Blackpool F.C. 25 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  3. "Exeter and Luton through to semi-finals". North Devon Journal. 17 July 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  4. "Grimsby Town withdraw from tournament". South West Challenge Cup. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  5. "Hatters win SW Challenge Cup". Luton Town F.C. 2009-07-19. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
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