Amateur soccer club Elizabeth Vale thrashes Strathalbyn 21-0 in Challenge Cup match

A northern suburbs soccer club plans to check its record books after romping to a 21-0 win. The winning team’s coach reckons his players could have scored more but has praised the opponents for “sticking at it” until the final whistle.

Elizabeth Vale’s Jimmy Greaves, pictured right, alongside Elizabeth Downs player Matt Watson, scored a hat-trick in his side’s 21-0 Challenge Cup amateur soccer thrashing of Strathalbyn on Sunday. Downs beat Hahndorf 22-0 in 2017. Picture: Mark Brake

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A northern suburbs soccer club plans to check its record books after romping to a 21-0 win.

Top-flight outfit Elizabeth Vale thumped Strathalbyn, a team three divisions below it, in a SA Amateur Soccer League Challenge Cup round one game at home on Sunday.

The Vale opened the scoring in the fourth minute and led 13-0 at half-time before piling on another eight goals after the break.

Mark Burbridge netted six goals, while four players registered hat-tricks — Jimmy Greaves, Bishal Magar, Chris Nicholls and Bailey Trussler.

Elizabeth Vale coach Steve Cook acknowledged there was a big gulf in quality between the two teams but said his side still produced something special.

Scoreline of Elizabeth Vale's 21-0 Challenge Cup amateur soccer victory over Strathalbyn.

Cook also praised Strathalbyn for battling away for the entire game.

“In all the years I’ve played and coached, I’ve never been part of anything like that — it was an incredible scoreline,” Cook said.

“It would be interesting to know if it’s a club record — it’d have to be up there.

“It was probably one of the easier half-time team talks I’ve had to give but having said that, the challenge was on because you have to maintain that and it would’ve been quite easy to take the foot off the pedal.

“It’s easy to say they weren’t a good side but you can only play what’s in front of you and I still think it was a good effort by the boys to rack up that scoreline.

Sunday’s six-goal star Mark Burbridge, pictured in the middle of Rob Groth and Elizabeth Vale chairman Steve Woodward, in 2012.

“Even though you see the odd touch up, it doesn’t happen that often to that extent.”

Vale’s final goal came in the 84th minute, leaving it one short of matching fierce rival Elizabeth Downs’ 22-0 cup triumph over Hahndorf in 2017.

“It would’ve been nice if we could’ve upped that,” Cook said.

“Maybe we could have — we had so many opportunities but you’re never going to take all of them.

“There wasn’t too much celebrating the goals and after the game it was just job done.”

Strathalbyn is winless in the fourth tier of Saturday amateur soccer, while Elizabeth Vale is fifth in Sunday division one with two victories, two losses and a draw.

Cook said his club gave a carton of beer to Strathalbyn post-game and six packs to two of the country club’s players to thank them for their efforts.

“It’s not easy getting beat at any time but that’s a pretty severe beating … and although they might have been a bit disheartened, they kept going to the final whistle,” he said.

“It’s quite admirable.”

Elizabeth Vale’s Jimmy Greaves, who scored a hat-trick on Sunday, pictured playing against Adelaide City in the FFA Cup this month. Picture: AAP/Mark Brake

Strathalbyn player/coach Sean Hames said the club’s top team had “five or six guys who were A-grade footballers and the rest come out and have a crack”, but it always entered the cup to try to learn from quality opponents.

Hames said the side was missing several regulars through injury on Sunday and he was one of five guys who featured against the Vale and also in the Bs on Saturday.

“It would’ve been easy for us to forfeit but we know what it’s like to cop forfeits against us … so we always put players out there,” said Hames, who was still playing at age 48.

“It was my job to keep morale up and tell the guys to ignore the score, develop your skills and remember the structures we’re playing.

“The guys after the game were OK with the whole thing because we knew we’d be up against it but the guys picked up some things about how Elizabeth Vale played … and the game was played in good spirit.”

Strathalbyn is hoping to notch its first league victory of the season when it plays fellow winless team Aldinga this Saturday.

“Both clubs are eyeing that one off,” Hames said.