Huge weekend of cup finals West Brom Powerchair and Blind teams
Albion are bidding to be the stars of this weekend's Disability FA Cup finals.
The showpiece events, across Saturday and Sunday at the England FA base of St George's Park in Burton, sees the club's Powerchair and Blind outfits competing for silverware.
The teams, which are part of the club's thriving Foundation set-up, are both looking to make it back-to-back Disability FA Cup honours to emphasise the dominance in their respective disciplines.
For Albion Blind, capping the 2024/25 campaign with FA Cup honours would complete a remarkable domestic treble.
Head coach Richard Henderson's team have already achieved Brian Aaron’s Cup and the National Blind Football League success this season and target a trio of trophies in Burton with their final against RNC - Royal National College for the Blind (3.10pm start) - screened live and globally on TNT Sports.
Henderson said: “It’s a fixture that everyone looks forward to. After doing the work to qualify for it, we’re hoping to finish the season in a really positive manner. It’s such a big fixture, and the stature of the whole day is something to look forward to.
“These guys do it all season long and they don’t always get that level of coverage. It really justifies the talent that these guys have, the level of coverage we’re going to have – hopefully that’s something we can replicate within the league system."
Albion and RNC are familiar rivals and regularly battle it out in league and domestic cup competition.
But it is the Baggies who have edged their Hereford-based rivals so far this term having been successful in the Brian Aaron's Cup final and having seen off their rivals for glory in the National Blind Football League.
Albion's Paul Iyobo netted a hat-trick as his side prevailed in last season's Disability FA Cup final, 3-2 over RNC, so the Baggies will be wary of revenge.
Twenty-goal top scorer Efe Shimwell added: "We can’t wait. I mean, it's really a focal point of our calendar every year and one of the first fixtures that you look for on the schedule.
"It's like an addiction winning the FA Disability Cup. It's one of those where you want to do it again.
“It means a lot to represent Albion for the senior team, but also what they represent within the community, it is an honour.”
Elsewhere in the finals weekend, a busy end of season for Albion Powerchair reaches its climax as the side also look to make it consecutive national wins.
It is the Baggies against long-term rivals Aspire PFC (12.20pm start) in the mouth-watering tie dubbed powerchair football's 'El Clasico'.
Albion Powerchair will be fresh for action having just landed on their return from the global FIPFA Club World Cup in Paris, where player-boss Chris Gordon's side made it all the way to the semi-final.
Albion finished an undefeated Premiership champions, four places and points ahead of Aspire, for their second title in two seasons. Aspire were victorious on penalties in last season's Champions Cup semi-final, but the Baggies hit back for revenge in the Disability FA Cup final.
Gordon said: “We’re really looking forward to it. We’re back there as reigning champs trying to defend that title.
“We’re hoping we can put on a show for the crowd and that we come away with the silverware. We've been around the block, us and Aspire, we’ve had many close games over the years and some really good games as well."
Tickets for the event in Staffordshire are sold out but each final can be watched live on TNT Sports 1.
