THE GAME
- Hednesford Town v Rushall Olympic
- Staffordshire Senior Cup Semi Final
- Tuesday 17th March 2026 at 7.45pm
- Keys Park Stadium, Keys Park Road, Hednesford, Staffordshire WS12 2DZ
THE STAFFORDSHIRE SENIOR CUP
The Staffordshire Senior Cup was first contested in the 1877/78 season and the first winners were Stoke City who beat Talke Rangers 1-0 in the final. Since 2008/09 teams lower than level 9 in the English League system have not been able to compete in the competition. Stoke City are the most successful side with 19 wins and historically the non league side with the most wins are Stafford Rangers with 11 wins since the Second World War.
THE PITMEN
Hednesford arrived at the semi final stage of this season’s Staffordshire Senior Cup courtesy of a 2-0 win at Bilston Town in the second round, late goals from Lennon Brown and Jonny Edwards seeing them home. This was followed up by another away win, this time at Kidsgrove Athletic in the quarter final. Goals from Ahkeem Rose and Joss Labadie had twice been cancelled out by the home side to force the tie to a penalty shoot out which The Pitmen won 5-4, Labadie, Turner, Taylor, Johnson and Wynter converting after Xander Parke had saved Kidsgrove’s fourth penalty.
The Pitmen have won the competition three times, beating Kidderminster Harriers 3-1 in 1969/70, Stoke City 2-1 in 1973/74 and Rushall Olympic 5-1 in 2012/13. They were also finalists in 1992/93 and 2017/18.
They are currently in second place in the NPL Premier League table with 63 points from 33 games, only denied the top spot by Hebburn’s superior goal difference of +25 compared to Hednesford’s +21 although Hednesford do have a game in hand.
MANAGER’S THOUGHTS
THE OPPOSITION
Rushall of course play in the NPL Premier along with Hednesford and have taken four points off The Pitmen this season. The Pics are in 16th place in the table with 37 points from 33 games, four points above the relegation places.
Their Staffs Senior Cup campaign started in the first round with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win over Port Vale following a 2-2 stalemate after 90 minutes. The second round saw a 2-0 win at Brocton, Clayton-Phillips and Okuonghae scoring. They were awarded a walk over in the quarter final when scheduled opponents Leek Town withdrew.
Rushall have won the competition on four occasions, beating Port Vale 2-1 in 2013/14, Kidsgrove Athletic 4-1 in 2015/16 and Leek Town 1-0 in both 2022/23 and 2023/24. They were also beaten finalists in 2006/7, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2018/19 and 2024/25.
THIS YEAR’S COMPETITION
There are still two quarter finals to be played, Stafford Rangers v Wolverhampton Casuals and Eccleshall v Hanley. The final will be played on 14th April at Stoke City.
MATCHDAY INFORMATION
The turnstiles and bar will open at 6pm with admission prices for the game being £6 adults, £4 concessions/disabled (non wheelchair), £1 for under 16s with U12s free. All under 16s must be with a responsible adult. Tickets can be purchased in advance via Fanbase or from the ticket office on the day but season tickets are not valid for this game.
Parking is available at Sunflex for £5, first come first served with all takings going to charity.
Don’t forget to use the self-serve BoltBar before kick off for a chance to win £25 credit straight to your account.
Should the scores be level at full time then a penalty shoot out will settle the tie.
