26 Feb 09 - Division One - FC Brimington come from behind to beat the Bush

A Michael Gartlan double helped FC Brimington come from behind to beat Hollin Bush

22 Feb 09 - League Cup - Niagara falls as Lion roar, while 147 hit back and West End show rolls on

Two Chris Leek (pictured left) strikes helped Division One Red Lion roar past CBC Premier Niagara, but Division One Woodhouse Angel let a 4-1 lead slip and went out to Ecclesfield 147, while Woodhouse West End continued their progress with victory over Junior Cup semi finalists FC Brimington.

Ricky Henson took advantage of a defensive error to score his first goal for Red Lion and give them an early lead. Soon after Adrian Von Wurzbach volley a second and Chris Leek added Lion’s third before the break. Leek headed his second early in the second half, but Niagara hit back with goals from Paul Jennings and James Shepherd. That was as close as they got though as Mark Richards converted two set pieces to make sure that Tom Staniforth’s late third for Niagara was just a consolation.

Although Richard Newey’s early strike was cancelled out by a Ben Hill header, Woodhouse Angel must have thought they were on their way through when a Lee Marshall hat-trick gave them a 4-1 half time lead at Ecclesfield 147. After a half time shake up, 147 hit back through Craig Senior and they were level after Gavin Hunter had provided the passes for Jayson Reeves and Senior’s second.

Kevin Hunter then became the provider for Danny Touhey to put Ecclesfield ahead and when Senior completed his hat-trick soon after it was as good as over for Angel. Reeves then added his second from the penalty spot and a vicious Gavin Hunter strike completed the scoring.

FC Brimington had already reached the County FA Cup semi final, but an early mistake by their keeper allowed David Haley to give CBC Premier leaders Woodhouse West End the lead and with the game less than ten minutes old Dave Kippax rose at the back post to head their second. After that Brimington had plenty of the ball, but rarely looked like they would break down the West End defence until Elliott Christie spun a defender before stroking the ball home. Even after that though the West End defence never looked like being beaten again and they continued their amazing record of wins this season.

CBC Premier - Redmires late show pips Villa

Late Luke Siggs and Andy Briks goals gave Redmires victory at title rivals Hemsworth Villa and Millhouses Abacrombie came from behind to beat Pitsmoor Royal Oak, while a Chris Kelly treble gave Stocksbridge Park Steels victory over Handsworth WMC and a single Josh Ranson strike was enough for Stannington Village to win at Venue

In the CBC Premier the big game saw Redmires come from behind with two late goals to beat Hemsworth Villa and cement their second place in the table. Pete Braybrook started the move that saw Scott Moat’s shot saved by Karl Taylor, but Nick Owen snapped up the rebound to put Villa ahead with just ten minutes remaining. Redmires hit back almost immediately with Danny Lindley setting up Luke Siggs for the equaliser and although Villa keeper Jamie King made one terrific save to stop Redmires taking the lead he could do nothing to stop Andy Birks grabbing the winner after Lindley had again teased the Villa defence.

Millhouses Abacrombie also found themselves behind in the first minute of their clash with Pitsmoor Royal Oak when Tommy Fowler headed home at the second attempt, but the sides went into the break level after Danny Stewart found the bottom corner with a precision free kick. Abacrombie started to dominate the second half and when leading scorer Danny Turner was felled in the area he picked himself to rifle home the penalty. Turner then made the points safe when he grabbed his second with a bullet header.

Although Mark Carr went close with a header and Kevin Davies struck a post for Stocksbridge Park Steels and their visitors Handsworth WMC went close through Matt Sykes and Robert Pratt, the first half stayed goalless, but the second half turned into a one-man show as Steels’ Chris Kelly grabbed a hat-trick to give his side the points that saw them climb to fifth.

Another side to climb the table was Stannington Village after Josh Ranson’s second half goal proved enough to give them victory at Venue. Scott Birch grazed a post for Venue and Village also twice hit the woodwork before Sean Flynn provided the opening for Ranson, but they also needed a great save by their keeper and a goal line clearance to preserve their win.

Division 1 - Laycocks extend their lead as the clubs chasing them all drop points

With the six clubs below them failing to pick up a win between them, Division One leaders Laycock Sports opened up a five point gap at the top with a 6-1 victory at Junior Blades. Sam Read opened the scoring for Laycock’s, but they must have wondered what was going on when Sam Laycock hit an unstoppable shot to level for the Blades before half time. The second half was not so close though as Laycocks went back in front through Mick Plumtree before Read grabbed his second. John Kilcoyne then added a fourth before Read completed his hat-trick and Stavros Kontou completed the scoring.

Second place Civil Service were held to a goalless draw at seventh place Handsworth Old Boys and fourth place The Vine suffered the same fate as Terry Spencer’s display at the heart of  relegation threatened Hollin Bush’s defence earned his side a point. Third place Loxley were also held, 2-2 by sixth place Sportsman Stannington. Geoff Mayfield’s left foot connected with Neil Coyle’s corner to give Loxley the lead, but the ever dangerous Chris King cancelled it out before half time. King then produced a left foot finish to give Sportsman a second half lead, but Mayfield grabbed his second to give Loxley a share of the spoils.

Fifth place Southey Social quickly found themselves three down as a Shaun Higginbottom double and one from Paddy O’Brien gave the initiative to visitors Heeley Crown, but Southey pulled two back before the break through Matthew Hodson and Chris Roberts. It looked like Southey would then go on to win it when Ray Hudson levelled in the second half, but Crown gathered themselves together and a Ryan Smith volley followed by a second for O’Brien gave them a 5-3 victory.

After their County FA Cup exploits the week before, FC Brimington were brought abruptly back down to earth with a midweek home defeat by The Vine. It was the visitors that kept the ball well to dominate the first half and their slicker movement ended in Joe France giving them the lead. Brimington responded by making changes at half time and it brought immediate dividends when Michael Gartlan’s mazy run when he bent the ball round a defender and past the unsighted keeper to equalise. Brimington continued to push The Vine back and another Gartlan turn in their box saw him brought down and Chris Kealey slammed home the penalty to put his side in front. The Vine keeper then made a terrific save from Falconer to stop Brimington extending their lead, but soon after the Brimington keeper gave away a penalty and Ricky Davidson stepped up to equalize from the spot. That gave The Vine the initiative and a three man move in midfield created the chance for France to drill home his second and the winner.

Division 2 - Berry comes out of goal to keep leaders on course

Division Two’s top two took a stranglehold of the table with victories while the three clubs that started the day just behind them all suffered defeats. The top game saw second place Anvil come from behind to overcome Aston. Billy Evans gave the visitors the lead only to see Alistair Mitchell cancel it out before half time. Anvil had the benefit of a strong wind at their backs in the second half and they took full advantage to win it with James Wetherall and Andy Hill strikes.

Leaders Ranch had stand-in keeper Richard Berry (pictured right) to thank in more ways than one for their victory over Anston Athletic. His long clearance fell kindly for James brown to give Ranch the lead and, after a move started with a Richard Wajs one-two with Richard Honeyman, Ian Buckley headed home to double their lead, but Adam Russell’s overhead kick reduced the arrears and Simon Herberts levelled the scores by half time. With the second half clock ticking down, Ranch decided that Berry might be better utilised in his more normal role up front and he repaid their faith by finding the net twice to give the leaders the points.

After a goalless first half Bulls Head found themselves behind when Greaves put Birley Moor News in front. Bulls Head hit back to level through Matt Law, but Birley went home with the points when Pete Sheldon beat the offside trap to chip the winner over the keeper. Things looked good for Fairbank-Rhodes when Draycott put them ahead at home to Colley, but Lee Campbell levelled before half time and Ridha Miladi won it for the visitors in the second half. Brinsworth Whitehill took full advantage too leapfrog into third place with a 2-0 victory at Oughtibridge Village. Aaron Turner gave Brinsworth a first half lead and although they missed a great chance to seal the victory when Bazil Nyoni saw his penalty saved, they did get a second when a Turner shot parried by the keeper hit a defender and rolled into his own goal.

Rivelin’s revival gathered pace with a third successive victory, 2-0 at The Park. Scott Smith and Paul Ashill hit the second half goals that gave them the three points that enabled them to climb off the foot of the table for the first time this year.

Poles beaten by FC Brimington

Polish football’s current Premier League leaders, Lech Poznan sent over their Reme PLC sponsored academy to play games against some top English academies and FC Brimington was invited to be their host for their last game before they headed home to Poland. Although Portsmouth had beaten the Poles 4-0, their squad, with an average age of 18-19, had played out a 1-1 draw with the Nottingham Forest academy, so Brimington knew they would have their hands full, but Elliott Christie and Michael Gartlan strikes gave Brimington a deserved 2-1 victory praised by the watching Nottingham Forest academy director Nick Marshall.

15 Feb 09 - County FA Junior Cup - FC Brimington stage grandstand finish

A Thomas Brooke (pictured left) equaliser just three minutes from time and a Michael Gartlan (pictured right) winner in the second half of extra time saw FC Brimington just beat Meadowhall League side African Dream team and reach the semi final of the County FA Junior Cup.

The game played at Worksop first half saw FC Brimington dominate, but the African Dream Team defence were determined not to be beaten and twice cleared off the line to keep the scores level. Brimington also missed some chances they should have done better with, notably when Elliott Christie was through one-on-one with the keeper, but instead of finding the net, he skyed it over the bar.

The second half saw African Dream Team come into the game more and they took a deserved lead with just fifteen minutes remaining when they scored from an acute angle. Brimington pushed forward for an equaliser after that, but that left them in danger of being caught on the break and it needed three great saves by Lewis Naylor to stop them falling further behind.

With time running out Thomas Brooke picked the ball up just over the half way line and from about forty yards out tried his luck and his dipping shot bounced just in front of the keeper and went under his body to send the game into extra time. FC Brimington again started to dominate in extra time as their extra fitness eventually began to tell.

Florent Fadiga saw his shot saved at the near post by the keeper and Jevaise Christie thought he had given Brimington the lead in the second half of extra time, only to see his effort ruled out for offside, but soon after last season's Golden Boot winner Michael Gartlan picked the ball up just outside the area and bent a curler past the keeper to win it for Brimington and send them through to the semi finals.

For a second week in succession, all this week's League & League Cup games were postponed following the recent poor weather and, like all local leagues, we will be hoping that the conditions will have improved enough to get a full programme underway tomorrow.

FC Brimington to face Polish League Leaders Lech Poznan's Academy

FC Brimington’s reputation is spreading and they have been invited to stage a friendly with the Polish league leaders Lech Poznan’s Reme academy side. They are in the UK to play a friendly with Nottingham Forest’s academy side and Brimington have also been asked to play the Polish side.

All League & League Cup games postponed

For a second week in succession, all this week's League & League Cup games were postponed following the recent poor weather.

8 Feb 09 - All games postponed

For one of the few times in the last twenty years, all this week's games were postponed following the snowfalls during the week.

1 Feb 09 - CBC Premier - Another Owen treble sees off Ball, while Downing Street's ahead

Nick Owen (pictured left getting the better of a Blue Ball defender) hit his second treble in as many weeks as Hemsworth Villa triumphed at Blue Ball and the win saw Villa climb to third as Millhouses Abacrombie lost at a second place Redmires inspired by Shaun Downing, but, helped by a Spencer Taylor double, leaders Woodhouse West End maintained their lead at the top with victory at Stocksbridge Park Steels. A Scott Birch double helped Venue come from two down to beat Ecclesfield 147 and a Paul Jennings double helped Niagara end their poor run with a 5-0 win at Pitsmoor Royal Oak, while James Oxley's last minute equaliser saw Stannington Village grab a share of the points at Handsworth WMC .

In the CBC Premier’s game of the day, second place Redmires just withstood a second half rally by third place Millhouses Abacrombie and take all three points. Redmires took the lead when Ben Shaw’s corner was headed home at the back post by Luke Siggs and they doubled their lead before the break when man of the match Shaun Downing laid the ball into John Mellor’s path and he scored with a neat finish.

Millhouses rallied after the break and Dave France hit the bar before they eventually pulled one back when Danny Turner crossed for Simon Berry to head home. Millhouses continued to press for an equaliser, but they found Redmires’ keeper Karl Taylor (pictured right) in top form, with a last gasp save from France in particular earning his side the points. The game also saw yet another very impressive performance from referee Matt Walsh.

That defeat also saw Millhouses slip a place as a Hemsworth Villa that started the day in fourth place leapt over them with a good win at fifth place Blue Ball. The victory came as a result of Nick Owen’s second hat-trick in as many games, but he could and should have had many more. He had missed three great chances before Scott Moat and David Tollerfield combined to play Owen in for his first. A second came before the break when a Ball defender gave the ball away and man of the match Mark Hopkinson crossed for Owen to put away his second.

Ball rallied in the second half and after Joe Shaw was fouled in the area he picked himself up to reduce the arrears from the spot and Villa keeper Jamie King was called into action a few times before he launched a long clearance that fell perfectly for Owen to gallop away and complete his treble and seal the points for Villa.

Neither of those results made any headway on the leaders Woodhouse West End though as they came from behind to win 3-1 at Stocksbridge Park Steels. Veteran Andy Hibbert’s header from a corner gave Steels the lead after just five minutes and the might have had others as both Mitch Savage and Kevin Davies went close, but, five minutes before the break, West End’s veteran Spencer Taylor (pictured left) used his experience to grab his side’s equaliser.

West End had the benefit of the windy conditions in the second half and they played a big part in them going in front as Dale Fuller’s inswinging corner flew straight into the net, but their was no luck about the clincher as Taylor completed his man of the match performance with his second.

Ecclesfield 147’s chances of a top three finish took a blow when they let a two goal lead slip before losing out to Venue in a seven goal thriller. Craig Senior’s turn and finish gave 147 an early lead, but they were pegged back when keeper Andy Woodward failed to clear a corner and Scott Birch headed home despite Karl Pagden’s best efforts to stop it going in.

The game seemed to swing 147’s way right on the stroke of half time when Gavin Hunter dispossessed a defender and fired home. The second half started in much the same way with Ben Hill setting Senior up for his second and if Ryan Keeney had not missed a sitter, 147 would have been clear, but Venue kept plugging away and when Mark England-Woodcock crossed for Birch to score his second they were right back in the game. With the 147 defence having a real wobble, Ryan Cockayne grabbed an equaliser before man of the match Birch set up England-Woodcock for an unlikely winner.

Handsworth WMC looked as if they would climb out of the bottom three until a last minute equaliser saw Stannington Village go home with a share of the points. The first half saw George Barnes almost give Handsworth the lead before Stannington’s Shane Toulson headed his side in front, but Handsworth levelled before the break when Paul Renshaw got on the end of the keeper’s long clearance before finding the net.

After the break, Andy Stevens’ through ball enable Renshaw to claim his second and only the woodwork stopped him from completing his hat-trick. Stannington then had a golden opportunity to level David Cawrey saw red for handling on the line, but Liam Richardson (pictured right) produced a terrific save to deny Jack Ridge. With Ryan Lalley making a sound debut it looked as if the ten men would hold on to the three points, but in the final minute Jack Mylnek crossed for James Oxley to head home the equaliser.

Division 1 - Service leave it late to deny Laycocks, while Hollin Bush shock Sportsman

Two goals in the last ten minutes saw second place Civil Service grab a draw at home to leaders Laycock Sports, while Sportsman Stannington's promotion bid was hit by a Hollin Bush side that came from 3-1 down to win 4-3. Loxley's promotion bid stayed on track as Richard Lester kept his hot streak going with a hat-trick in their victory over Southey Social, while The Vine also got back on track as a Ricky Gregory double helped them to a 5-0 victory over Red Lion.

Division One’s big game saw leaders Laycock Sports let a two goal lead slip in the last ten minutes and let second place Civil Service take a share of the points. The first half saw Civil Service have more of the ball but without really threatening to score except for one effort that was brilliantly saved by Laycock keeper Grant Parkin. Parkin’s work seemed to have paid off in the second half when John Kilcoyne and Service manager Richard Smith changes after that goal looked to have backfired when Stavros Contou gave Laycocks a two goal lead with little more than ten minutes remaining. Service knew they had to get something to keep their title hopes alive and sub Danny Fowler found space to set up Wes Bamford to give them a chance and then Andy Bath (pictured left) refused to give up on a back pas and nipped in to grab the equaliser.

Third place Loxley kept their promotion bid going with a convincing 5-2 victory over a Southey Social that started the day just one place behind them. Richard Lester kept his hot streak in front of goal going with Loxley’s first only to see it cancelled out by a Nicky Danks penalty. It was Loxley’s turn to get a penalty next when Lester was fouled in the area and Mick Smith restored Loxley’s lead from the spot, but Southey responded and Richard Spencer levelled again.

Loxley stepped up a gear and Lester restored their lead with his second, before Simon Mirfin put his name on the scoresheet. Lester was then pushed in the area and he stepped up to complete his hat-trick with the game’s third penalty.

The Vine climbed over Southey with a 5-0 thrashing of Red Lion. Ricky Gregory started and finished the scoring and in between Jon Riley netted with his head, Ricky Davidson lobbed the keeper and Steve Wilkinson found the net with a terrific twenty five yard volley.

Sportsman Stannington’s promotion hopes suffered a blow when Hollin Bush twice came from two goals down to claim only their second win of the season. Chris Kings double had Sportsman two up before Craig Whalley slammed home a thirty yard strike for Bush, but Matt Jessermino soon restored the home side’s two goal advantage. Bush hit back as Arif reduced the arrears and they were level before the break when Sean ward found the net. The second half saw both defences a lot tighter, but Bush were showing a greater desire and they were rewarded when Daniel Cooper fired home their winner.

Division 2 - Bermingham shocks Fairbank-Rhodes, while top two both win

To late Josh Bermingham strikes saw bottom place Rivelin come from behind to beat Fairbank-Rhodes and that defeat allowed Bulls Head to take third place with the point they gained at Aston. The top two, Ranch and Anvil both had good away wins and Brinsworth Whitehill renewed their promotion bid with a hard fought victory over Anston Athletic, while Crookes & District and Oughtibridge Village shared the points.

Division Two leaders Ranch kept firmly on the title track with a 4-1 victory at Colley although they had a bit of luck to send them on their way as their opener came from a Tom Hartley corner that flew straight into the net after ten minutes. Five minutes later Steve Batty’s perfect cross was met by Richard Berry (pictured right) and although Adam Jackson pulled one back for Colley, Berry restored Ranch’s two goal lead when he fastened onto keeper Christian Bale’s long clearance before rounding the keeper to score. The second half was more even until Berry nutmegged the keeper to complete his hat-trick.

Second place Anvil also had a hat-trick hero in Alistair Mitchell as they went one better by winning 5-0 at local rivals The Park. Mitchell scored his first two before the break and one after, which was then followed by Matt Asher and Dean Jepson strikes.

Fairbank-Rhodes started the day in third, but suffered a shock defeat as bottom club Rivelin completed their second successive victory. Fairbank even took the lead on the hour when John Tomlinson crossed for his skipper Andy Baxter to head home, but Rivelin hit back to win it with two Josh Bermingham strikes.

That result allowed Bulls Head to take third place, but only just as they had to come from behind to claim a point at Aston. Scott McKenna lobbed the keeper after just seven minutes to give Aston the lead, but it was cancelled out after a handball in the area allowed Nick Ash to score from the spot. After that the nearest either side came to winning it was another Nick Ash effort that brought a terrific save from Aston keeper Scott Hall.

Despite finding themselves on the back foot for much of the game, Brinsworth Whitehill revived their promotion bid with a 3-1 victory over Anston Athletic. Danny Marsden put Brinsworth in front and Carl Fleming doubled the lead before Adam Russell pulled one back from the edge of the area. Marsden restored Brinsworth’s two goal advantage before the break and in the second half it took some real backs to the wall defending by them to keep Anston at bay.

Oughtibridge Village lost the chance to narrow the gap above the bottom three when they had to settle for a share of the points at next to bottom Crookes & District. Ben Thomas put Village ahead after just five minutes, but they couldn’t add to it and in the second half Crookes fought back to level with a Matt Hartley penalty.

League Cup - Crown fail to stem the Flo

The last of the League Cup Round Two ties was finally played and it was FC Brimington that overcame their fellow Division One rivals Heeley Crown 3-0. Brimington took the lead when a nine passes saw Andy Crossland cross for Elliott Christie to flick on to his brother Jevaise Christie and he held off a defender’s challenge before firing home. They doubled their advantage before half time when they hit Heeley with a lightening fast break. Heeley had a corner, but Dave Simpson cleared it to Jevaise Christie and his pass found Thomas Brooke in space to run through and score. Heeley tried to respond after the break, but rarely looked likely to threaten and it was left to Brimington’s sub Florent Fadiga to pick the ball up on the right and beat two defenders before curling the ball past the keeper for his side’s third. Brimington now entertain League champions Woodhouse West End in Round Three on 22 Feb.