Meltham denied in county showdown; Fullard's goal settles final.

Byline: PETE BARROW

MELTHAM Athletic's hopes of lifting the county crown were wrecked as they were beaten 1-0 by Ovenden West Riding.

An 18th minute strike from the Halifax side's striker Steve Fullard was enough to earn Ovenden the West Riding FA Challenge Cup for the first time in 25 years and put them on course for a treble, having won the Halifax FA Cup 48 hours earlier beating Brighouse Town.

Meltham struggled to make headway at the County FA ground at Woodlesford and keeper Adam Lawlor was kept busy by the West Riding strikers.

In the early stages the sides were evenly matched, but Meltham found themselves under pressure as Lawlor had to make a good save from Andy Gregory and then watched as Matt Hoyle and Steve Senior put shots wide of the target when well placed .

But Hoyle then prised open Athletic's defence on 18 minutes and Fullard was on hand to stab the ball home from close range.

Meltham tried to hit back with striker Tom Matthews keeping the Halifax outfit's defence on their toes but they struggled to make the final ball tell and West Riding keeper Chris Moroney had a relatively quiet game.

The second half was a tighter affair with few clear cut chances but Meltham could not shake Ovenden's resolve and in the end they comfortably hung on to their slender lead to take the trophy..

CAPTION(S):

TOUGH TIMES: Meltham's Adam Matthews ( yellow) faces the Ovenden defence during the County FA Challenge Cup final, while (below) Athletic keeper Adam Lawlor is kept busy. Pictures: John Rushworth (s) NOT THIS TIME: Heywood IC Paul Quinn clears the ball during the West Riding County FA Sunday Cup Final at Woodlesford, but the Irish lost 4-2 to HT Sports. (s) HEAD START: Tom Shaw beats an Ovenden player for a high ball. (s)