Inter Services Football: Who will be taking home the Inter Services trophy?
The final week of Inter Services football has arrived, and the men's and women's Inter Services champions will be crowned with two potentially very exciting championship deciders.
This week, the British Army will face the Royal Air Force as the women travel to Leek Town FC and the men to Shrewsbury Town FC.
The RAF will be going in as the reigning Inter Services champions with a quest to keep hold of both Inter Services trophies from a very strong Army side.
The Army women have an uphill battle on their hands if they want to win the title, following their 2-5 defeat to the Navy in Aldershot last week.
Despite their loss, Army player Imogen Fisher was the sole goal scorer for the reds last week with two goals against the Navy and a repeat of that performance could help the Army put up a strong challenge to the light blues.
But the RAF and Navy are more likely to walk away with the title after tomorrow, with the Navy's win against the Army last week and the RAF's 0-3 win against the Navy two weeks ago, meaning both are level on goal difference tomorrow.
The Navy will be watching this game with great anticipation as a narrow win for the Army means the Navy will win the Inter Services, while the RAF, who haven't conceded a goal in two years, cannot afford to concede anything in this game.
The men's championship is more straightforward, however, following the Army's 3-0 win against the Navy last week.
Because of the RAF and Navy equaliser in the opening week, the Army will only need to draw against the RAF to win the Inter Services for the first time since 2019 and the RAF will need to win against the Army if they are to retain their title.
The women's game will take place on 29 March at Leek Town FC with kick-off at 13:00 and the men's game will take place at Shrewsbury Town FC with kick-off at 19:00.
All six matches from the men's and women's tournaments will be broadcast live on the Forces News YouTube channel.
Serving personnel only can also watch on catch-up via BFBS TV.
Find out more about how you can watch here.
Key players
RAF Women: Cat Beaver
Cat Beaver will be entering the final week of the Inter Services on a high after scoring a penalty against the Navy in the opening week to contribute to the RAF's 0-3 win in Portsmouth. The RAF captain also plays for the UK Armed Forces football team as well as the civilian side Oxford United WFC.
Army Women: Imogen Fisher
Following her brace at Aldershot Town FC last week, Imogen Fisher will be the player the RAF will want to keep an eye on. The Maidenhead United WFC player will be looking to replicate her performance against the Navy in the hopes the Army can pull off a miraculous win to potentially take the Inter Services title.
RAF Men: Jake Gosling
A key player for the RAF, the UKAF player contributed to the RAF's scoring effort at last year's Inter Services, scoring a curling strike against the Army. Gosling also scored a hat-trick at last year's RAF Cup Final to help RAF Cosford win the trophy.
Army Men: Scott McCarthy
A striker who made an impact in his debut Inter Services last year with a goal against the Navy in Yeovil last year, Scott McCarthy played a crucial role in the Army's 3-0 win against the Navy last week, scoring twice for good measure. McCarthy won the Premier League U21s title with Middlesbrough at Wembley.
Did you know?
The RAF men had a dominant seven-year record wins in the Inter Services between 2007 and 2014. Their domination came to an emphatic end in 2015 after the Army beat them 4-0 in Aldershot.
The Army went on to dominate for another four years between 2015 and 2019 before the RAF took back the title in 2022 after a two-year break due to Covid.
Jon Knighton, Sports Editor, BFBS Sport, says:
So we've reached the climax of the Inter Services football season and it will be down to the two final games between the RAF and Army to decide the championship.
The women's title looks to be between the RAF and Royal Navy as the Air Force take on the Army at Leek Town FC. The Air Force only need a draw to retain their title again, after their 3-0 win over the Navy in the opener.
But the Navy's 5-2 thrashing of the Army at Aldershot means they are level on goal difference with the RAF, so the light blues cannot afford any slip-ups.
The Army will come back roaring after their heavy loss to the Navy and will feel they can get something out of the game; they will not want the wooden spoon for a second successive season. A narrow Army victory would hand the title to the Navy for the first time.
Technically the Army could still win the tournament, but they'll have to hit a rich seam of scoring form to do so against an RAF defence which has not conceded a goal in two years of inter services games.
In the men's championship, the opening 1-1 draw between the Royal Navy and the RAF meant we would always go to a final decider at Shrewsbury.
The stats are simple, a draw will be enough for the Army to win back the Constantinople Cup for the first time since 2019, after they dispatched the Navy 3-0 in Aldershot. But the RAF, who snatched a late equaliser at Fratton Park against the Navy, know they can play much better.
It could be an absolute belter of a match, as the airmen will not want to surrender bragging rights or the famous old trophy.
If you cannot get to either game, sit back and enjoy our coverage from 12:45 for the women's match, and 18:45 for the men's game, on Forces News YouTube, or our Facebook page.
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