Hanwell Town suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Rayners Lane in the Middlesex Senior Cup Final on Wednesday (19 March 2025) night.
First half goals from Elliott Buchanan and Marvin Sordell decided the game at Honeycroft, the home of Uxbridge FC.
The Geordies came into the game on the back of a 5-0 loss to Gloucester City and were looking to bounce back to get their hands on the trophy.
Chris Moore’s side beat Bedfont Sports on penalties to reach the final. Rayners Lane beat Harrow Borough by the same method to set up Wednesday’s showdown.
Hanwell had shouts for a penalty in the fourth minute following Alfie Pendlebury’s header, but the referee was not amused.
Ten minutes later, a Taylor Miles corner found Harry Seabrook at the front post. The Hanwell defender couldn’t get much power behind his shot and was easily saved by Endurance Johnson.
In the 22nd minute, Rayners Lane had their opener. Sordell, who played for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics, dribbled quickly down the left before crossing for Buchanan.
The striker, who had snuck between two Hanwell defenders, finished well to take control of the final.
Two minutes later, Sordell got a goal of his own. A long ball sent the former Bolton Wanders striker free down the left and he made no mistake by finishing calmly into the bottom right corner.
A rare halftime substitution by Hanwell demonstrated the level of improvement required by The Geordies in the second half. Kameron English replaced Rudi Pache.
Hanwell had more possession and spent most of the second half in Rayners Lane territory but a goal that would have brought The Geordies back into the game never arrived.
A side missing top scorer Jordan Edwards and creative youngster Ryan Cole lacked cohesion in the final third. Hanwell’s main threat came through Taylor Miles’ set pieces but even a few of them lacked quality.
A disappointing final performance shouldn’t overshadow an impressive and enjoyable run to the final from Hanwell. Big wins over Hayes & Yeading United and Enfield showed the full capabilities of Chris Moore’s squad.
The Geordies must respond quickly to the pain of a final defeat, they welcome league leaders AFC Totton to The Powerday Stadium on Saturday.
