DMH Stallard are Plus Charity Football Cup champions after beating hosts Plus Accounting 2-0 in the final at Dorothy Stringer School.
On Friday, 8 teams from Brighton and beyond came together to take part in a 5-a-side football tournament with all proceeds going to The Clock Tower Sanctuary to support them in providing practical facilities, access to activities and professional support to 16-25 year olds who are homeless or insecurely housed.
The 8 teams were divided into two groups of 4. After each team had competed against the other teams in their group twice, the top two advanced to the ‘Winners’ Semi Finals, while the bottom two from each group moved to the ‘Wooden Spoon’ Semi Finals. This format ensured that each team had the opportunity to play at least 7 matches.
Here’s how DMH Stallard came out on top on an enjoyable afternoon!
Group A (Plus Accounting, Jonathan Lea Network, Dean Wilson LLP, Seed)
Jonathan Lea Network secured top spot in the group, maintaining an undefeated record in their 6 games. Advancing to the Semi Finals alongside them was Plus Accounting who progressed with the best goal difference, having scored 15 goals while conceding just 4 in their 6 matches.
Plus Accounting results;
| Plus Accounting | 0-0 | Jonathan Lea Network |
| Seed | 0-1 | Plus Accounting |
| Dean Wilson | 1-5 | Plus Accounting |
| Jonathan Lea Network | 1-0 | Plus Accounting |
| Plus Accounting | 2-2 | Seed |
| Plus Accounting | 7-0 | Dean Wilson |
| Teams | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 1. Jonathan Lea Network | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 16 |
| 2. Plus Accounting | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 11 |
| 3. Seed | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 7 |
| 4. Dean Wilson LLP | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 27 | -23 | 0 |
Group B (FRP Advisory, Quantuma, Haines Watts, DMH Stallard)
Haines Watts won Group B by achieving a flawless 100% record by winning all six of their matches. DMH Stallard progressed in 2nd, narrowly surpassing Quantuma, who finished third by a margin of three points.
| Teams | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 1. Haines Watts | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | +17 | 18 |
| 2. DMH Stallard | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 10 |
| 3. Quantuma | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 7 |
| 4. FRP Advisory | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 32 | -26 | 0 |
Wooden Spoon
Seed and Quantuma, who finished in third place in their respective groups, competed against FRP Advisory and Dean Wilson, who secured fourth place in the Wooden Spoon Semi Finals. In a series of closely contested matches and thrilling shootouts, Seed won the final to take home the Wooden Spoon, previously won by Plus Accounting in the 2022 tournament!
Semi Finals
| Jonathan Lea Network | 0-2 | DMH Stallard |
| Haines Watts | 0-0 (4-5 pens) | Plus Accounting |
The Semi Finals brought two surprising outcomes as both second-place finishers in their respective groups triumphed over the group winners.
In the first Semi Final, two newcomers to the tournament, DMH Stallard and Jonathan Lea Network, battled fiercely, with DMH Stallard narrowly defeating Jonathan Lea Network to hand them their first loss.
In the second Semi Final, Haines Watts and Plus Accounting battled away in a closely contested game with Plus Accounting standing firm in defence to take the game to penalties. Last year, Haines Watts beat Plus Accounting in the Group Stage with ease but on this occasion it was Plus Accounting who celebrated victory. Stan, Tommy, Mark and Dan all converted their penalties and after Haines Watts missed, the chance fell to James to send Plus Accounting into the final and he took that opportunity by slotting past the goalkeeper to win the penalty shootout 5-4.
Final
| Plus Accounting | 0-2 | DMH Stallard |
The thrilling grand finale saw tournament hosts Plus Accounting take on new entrants DMH Stallard for the Plus Charity Football Cup title. In what was a close game, Plus Accounting were continuously denied by the heroics of DMH’s goalkeeper whilst their attackers took their chances to seal victory and claim the title.
Congratulations to DMH Stallard!
Full Breakdown of Results & Tables
Plus Accounting Record : P8 W4 D2 L2
Goal Scorers : Stan (11), Dan (2), Tommy (1), James (1)
Thank you to everyone involved in the tournament for helping us raise £2,800 (TBC) for The Clock Tower Sanctuary.
Plus Accounting would also like to thank Jake and the team at 5s Football who managed the tournament on the day and helped us organise the event.
2022 – Cloud 9 Insight
2023 – DMH Stallard
2024 – Keep your eyes peeled to find out how you can get involved next year!