24th April 2026
The inaugural Oxfordshire Trophy final at the ASM Stadium on Tuesday night saw Thame United A meet Kidlington A to battle it out in the new competition, aimed at clubs with multiple adult teams that play at a high level, allowing them to compete in a county cup competition. Both teams play their football in the Oxfordshire Senior League. The table would suggest this could have been a one-sided match, with Thame thirty points above Kidlington, who find themselves third from bottom.
The game got under way with Thame kicking from left to right towards the ring road end, but against the odds, it was the visitors who showed greater urgency in the opening period on the counter-attack. They looked dangerous, with the pace of the number 9 and 11 causing the Thame defence a number of problems as they broke forward. It was no surprise when Kidlington took the early lead. The Kidlington number 7 played the ball to the number 9 from the centre circle, who ran in behind the Thame back four and chipped the advancing keeper, silencing the crowd. A second goal shortly followed as the visitors continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack. On 19 minutes, it was two: a route-one ball straight down the middle of the Thame defence saw the pacy number 11 run on, pick the ball up, take it into the area, and fire a right-footed shot in off the left-hand post. Thame only forced one save out of the Kidlington keeper throughout the first half, and Kidlington looked nothing like the team that had only won three games all season in the league.
The second half started with Thame responding by making three changes, and they were competing much better. But Thame were stunned on 55 minutes when Kidlington went further in front. This time, it was the pace of the number 11 again, who picked up the ball on the left, ran in on goal, and slotted past the Thame keeper. At that point, the home side looked down and out and had nothing to answer the pace and power of the visitors in the final third. It got even worse for Thame when they were reduced to ten men after a player was sent off for kicking out.
As the clock ticked into the final few minutes, everyone was expecting Kidlington to be crowned champions. Then, with two minutes to go, the home side pulled a goal back. After winning a free kick in their own half, the ball was played into the Kidlington penalty area, where James Bonwick rose to loop a header over the keeper. The home side had finally woken up and continued to press the visitors’ goal deep into injury time, and with 99 minutes on the clock, Thame got another. This time, a long ball was launched into the visitors’ box; it was headed out and fell to substitute Adam Williams, who stroked a first-time right-footed shot from the edge of the box into the top-right corner. There were real nerves in the Kidlington team at this point, and Thame sensed that, pushing forward again and, with time nearly up, scoring an equaliser. Thame had won a throw-in on the left-hand side by the corner flag; the ball was launched long into the penalty area, got a touch at the near post, and fell to full-back Max Cowling, who smashed the ball into the net. There were wild celebrations from the Thame players and fans, while Kidlington looked distraught. There was just time for one more chance to win it, and Thame came so close to doing so, with the keeper saving Luke Hurley’s shot with seconds left on the clock. The referee called time, and it went straight to penalties.
It was Kidlington who stepped up to take the first kick, scoring. Thame equalised, and the next two penalties were scored to make it 2–2. Thame’s third penalty was missed as it hit the crossbar, whilst Kidlington scored their third and fourth, making it 4–2—and leaving Thame needing to score to stay in the game.
Thame scored, followed by Kidlington missing their fifth as the ball hit the left-hand post. Kidlington’s sixth penalty was then saved by young keeper Dan Starkey in sudden death, diving to his left. Max Cowling, who had scored the equaliser, stepped up to take the sixth penalty for Thame and had a chance to win the match. He placed the ball to the left of the keeper to win the shootout five goals to four, and remarkably, Thame had come back from the dead to lift the trophy. There were wild scenes as the Thame players and management celebrated while being presented with the trophy. It was a great advert for the new competition: six goals and a penalty shootout, with Thame emerging as champions.
Goals for Thame:
James Bonwick – 88 minutes
Adam Williams – 99 minutes
Max Cowling – 101 minutes
Penalties for Thame:
Luke Hurley
Nathan Brownsword
Adam Williams
James Bonwick
Max Cowling
