Albion Blind will be aiming to retain their EE Disability FA Cup title and secure a domestic treble when they head to St George’s Park on Saturday.
The Baggies are up against RNC in a huge tie for the sport, which will be broadcast live to viewers across the globe on TNT Sports.
Already this season, Albion have won the Brian Aaron’s Cup and the National Blind Football League, and are ready to claim further glory when they head to Burton this weekend.
Venue
A trip to St George’s Park National Football Centre awaits our Albion side. They’ll take to The Tony Larkin pitch; the very pitch they secured last year’s title on.
The national football venue was opened in 2012 and is the proud home to all of England's national men's, women's, and para football teams.
The opponents
Albion have plenty of history with opponents Royal National College for the Blind (RNC), the two are often found battling it out for league titles and domestic honours.
It’s fair to say the Baggies have had the edge this season so far, beating RNC in the Brian Aaron’s Cup final and condemning their Hereford-based rivals to a second-place finish in the National Blind Football League.
The two faced off in last year’s EE Disability FA Cup, as Albion once again prevailed in a tight encounter. Paul Iyobo’s hat-trick was enough to see the Baggies lift the title, despite tough opposition resistance.
After falling short of domestic silverware this season, and knowing their pedigree – RNC will surely have their say on Saturday’s showdown.
Pre-match thoughts
England international Efe Shimwell finished as the National League top scorer with 20 goals during the 12 game season. The Oxford-based forward cuts a powerful figure at the top of the field, and is often found slaloming through opposition defences before striking powerful efforts past the goalkeeper.
The forward will hope to add to his three honours already won during his two years at Albion this Saturday.
“Absolutely, we can’t wait,” Shimwell said. “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 was a very nice season. Last year I was struggling a bit with injuries and with a bit of poor performance. It's one of those seasons where I knew that I had to make a bit more of a mark, and I was able to that luckily.
“It [winning the competition previously] means nothing, ultimately. But 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.”
Captain Mo Ahmed lifted the EE Disability FA Cup last season, but not in the way he would’ve liked. The 25-year-old was forced off with an injury which kept him out for a large chunk of the season, only just returning in time for the Brian Aaron’s Cup victory in Hereford.
But with his injury demons now behind him, long-serving Ahmed has his aims firmly fixed on lifting the EE Disability FA Cup for the fourth time in Albion colours.
“I was really gutted to have to leave the pitch last Disability Cup,” Ahmed admitted. “You always want to be on the pitch contributing and being able to support the lads who are on the pitch.
“It’s been a long time out, but I’ve made sure I’m working hard on my rehabilitation to be able to come back fit and strong and hopefully it'll be a bit a different story come this Disability Cup.
“This season we've worked really hard to make sure that we do improve and we learned from last season. I feel like we have taken a lot of that on board, especially with two out of three so far with the league and Brian Aaron’s and hopefully come the Disability Cup, that’ll be the same as well.
“People who have never seen the sport before get to kind of see it, to see what blind football is about, how we play it and the talent the players have – is amazing.”
For Albion Blind Head Coach Richard Henderson, he’s not just focused on winning, but wants to see his side embrace the opportunity to play on national television and in-front of a huge crowd at the home of England teams.
“It’s a fixture that everyone looks forward to,” Henderson said. “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.
“To have a day like this to look forward to, we’re buzzing for it.”
Learn more
You can watch a full preview video of Albion Blind’s big EE Disability FA Cup final below.
How to follow
With tickets for the event sold out, supporters can watch each EE Disability FA Cup final live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage being shown across the country.
Alternatively, coverage will be provided via The Albion Foundation’s social media channels on X, Instagram and Facebook.
