Sandwell chief Patel ponders Action replay
When Sandwell Action first joined the Beacon Sunday League ranks 11 years ago, they were very much an established name in grassroots football.
Having been formed in 1985 and based in the Carters Green area of West Bromwich, the club were one of the first Asian teams to compete in the local leagues, firstly playing Saturday afternoons, before competing in the Sandwell Sunday League until 2008.
It was the following year, after a short break, that leading club official Ashy Patel opted to take Sandwell into new territory and the players, who still meet up for a regular ‘kickabout’, gave him full backing.
“So we decided to join the Beacon Sunday afternoon league having heard good reports on how well it was run. I put the idea to the players and received a good response, everybody was keen on it,” said Patel.
Sandwell Action made their Beacon debut in Division Two (third tier) and after finishing a creditable fifth they also picked up their first piece of league silverware when presented with the divisional Fair Play award.
After that initial campaign, Sandwell remained loyal to the Beacon League for a further eight seasons and team boss Patel described the league as ‘the best one’ his club had competed in.
The highlight during their membership, in terms of outright success, came three years ago when they lifted the divisional Clinton Cup. That same term they narrowly missed out on league honours.
Early life in the Beacon League saw Sandwell follow up their first season with two lower-half finishes, before they began to make a big impression on the league scene.
In 2012/13, while still competing in Division Two, the club finished level on points with runners-up Bushbury Rovers, only missing out on the medals due to an inferior goal difference.
That same season also saw Sandwell battle through to the final of the Clinton Cup and again they were denied glory when old foes Bushbury took the honours with a 4-1 victory.
Sandwell had finished the final with only nine men after second-half injuries (they had already used their three substitues) to divisional top scorer Greg Philpott (55 goals) and Krishan Patel.
The Action men had secured their cup final ticket with an excellent 5-1 triumph over champions Thimblemill Recreation.
With the Beacon League reduced to two sections for the start of the 2013/14 season, Sandwell finished a very respectable fourth in Division One, following up with mid-table (2015) and fourth-placed (2016) finishes.
It was in their penultimate term that the Sandwell Action name was finally engraved on a Beacon trophy when they triumphed 2-0 after extra-time against Springvale Steelers Academy in the Clinton Cup final.
Goals from Jason Wood, who hit 33 that season, and Rickie Danton secured the silverware. There was to be one more cup final appearance for Sandwell in their final season but, after sinking league runners-up Old Cross Athletic 1-0 in extra-time thanks to a Dale Smith volley in the semi-finals, they were soundly beaten 6-0 in the final at the hands of all-conquering Dynamo Dudley.
Away from football, Patel has also helped bring his local community together, actively encouraging youth to take part in various other sports, such as netball, table tennis, volleyball, athletics and rounders.
Teams have regularly competed in the annual AMSUK Sport UK Festival, representing the local West Bromwich Shree Krishna Mandir, and emerged national champions the last two years.
Patel is also keen to follow in the footsteps of other former Beacon clubs who have been hooked by the attraction of the league’s new veterans over-30s section and has indicated a possible return next season.
