28 Feb - CBC Premier -  Service too good for leaders, while West End and Village close up

Leaders Ecclesfield 147 came a cropper at Civil Service, while both Woodhouse West End and Stannington Village took full advantage to close the gap with good wins. Things started to go wrong for Ecclesfield when John Charles netted his first goal for Civil Service from the edge of the area. This prompted a furious response from the leaders and right on the stroke of half time Gavin Hunter drew them level.

The second half started with Ecclesfield having a strong claim for a penalty turned down and with Alex Booker going close, but with Service keeper Karl Whitby again producing a string of terrific saves, when a goal came it went Service's way with Wes Bamford netting his second goal of the season. The leaders tried to respond by throwing men forward, but they were inevitably caught on the break and Gareth Griffiths made the points safe for Service with their third.

Laycock Sports had been one of the few teams to take points off Woodhouse West End, but as soon as Jason Short volleyed into the top corner to give West End a first minute lead, a repeat looked unlikely. Joel Lee doubled the visitors lead after twenty minutes and the contest was over after two further strikes by Short in a minute. Lee added his second just before the interval and although Laycocks did much better in the second half, West End made it six with a Lee Dolan free kick.

Stannington Village were also quick off the mark against Yew Tree when Lee Johnstone's free kick was met at the near post by Tom Morton and they made it two before half time when Jack Mylnek's cross was headed home by the unmarked Johnstone. Scott Birch and Matt Jessermino had Tree's two best chances, but the Stannington defence stood firm and they secured the points when Lewis Nicholson made a forty yard run before squaring for Ali Mitchell to score.

Liam Simmonite (pictured right) scored for the ninth successive game as Handsworth WMC beat The Vine to maintain their challenge. Kieran Gallagher provided the cross for Andy Sykes to head Handsworth in front, before Andy Stevens crossed for Simmonite to score his now customary goal. Tom Crosby made it three and after Gallagher headed on for Sean Simmonite to net Handsworth's fourth before the break, the contest was as good as over. The Vine did much better after the break and pulled one back when Danny Seaman's shot was deflected home by Scott Abramski, but they never really looked as if they would get back into the game.

Division 1 -  Davis saver for leaders, but they still drop points, while Crown and Anvil both slip up

Only a last gasp Gavin Davis (pictured left) strike saved leaders Pitsmoor Royal Oak from defeat at Anston Athletic, but two of their rivals did lose as Loxley came from behind to beat Anvil and Heeley Crown were beaten by a Bulls Head fighting to avoid the drop. The bottom two, Brinsworth Whitehill and Niagara fought out a goalless draw that didn't help either of them too much.

After two successive defeats, Pitsmoor looked to be getting their title bid back on track when Luke Parwana produced a good finish to give them a half time lead, but soon after the break William Hutchison marked his Anston debut with a goal at the back post. Although Scott Spzajer restored Pitsmoor's lead, they couldn't hold on to it and full back Alan Mason grabbed a second equaliser for Anston. With Adam Russell producing a real man of the match performance, Anston looked to be on their way to inflicting a third successive defeat on Pitsmoor when Ryan Taff provided the opportunity for Simon Herberts to score, but Pitsmoor went home with a point thanks to Davis's last gasp strike.

Anvil must have thought they were going to make up some ground on the others when Matt Asher showed his pace to give them the lead at home to Loxley and with a little more steadiness in front of goal he might have added two more, but Loxley are beginning to mount a late bid for promotion and levelled before the break when Anthony Marshall set Josh Delaney up. Marshall continued to cause problems for Anvil and it was no surprise when his pass allowed Delaney to give Loxley the lead. Loxley then made the points safe when Marshall crossed for Andy Tressler to mark his debut with a goal.

Heeley Crown knew they were up against it early on when Mark Bryant's free kick gave Bulls Head the lead. Although Paddy O'Brien levelled for Crown, they were soon behind again as Greg Broomhead put Bulls Head back in front and they extended their lead after the break when Jordan Barton crossed for Kerry Dixon to score. Worse followed for Crown when Matt Evans netted Bulls fourth from the penalty spot after handball in the area. Crown finally pulled themselves together and Shaun Higginbottom pulled one back and it looked as if they might pinch a point when O'Brien netted his second, but the Bulls Head defence managed to hold on.

At the foot of the table, defences were almost completely in control in the game between the bottom two, Brinsworth Whitehill and Niagara. The nearest either side came was when Brinsworth's Nathan Anderson hit the bar and the game ended in the goalless draw that doesn't do much for either side's survival hopes.

Division 2 -  Southey and Colley extend the gap at the top

Leaders Southey Social and second place Colley both won to widen the gap beneath them, while Karl Fox continued his scoring spree to help Crookes & District overcome fellow promotion hopefuls Red Lion. Junior Blades stayed in promotion contention by coming from behind to beat a Birley Moor News that slipped back to the bottom after Old Harrow gained a point at Oughtibridge Village.

Chris Roberts gave Southey Social the lead against fellow promotion hopefuls Aston Mayerton and although Aston hit back to level through David Sills, Southey went into the break in front after Gareth Lindley's corner was forced home by Todd Guest. Aston's cause was hampered when they lost keeper Ben Cutts after a collision with one of his own players and although his replacement worked wonders to keep Aston in the game, Southey finally wrapped up the points with a third from Marcus Pass.

Lee Campbell took his tally to nineteen for the season with two more in Colley's 5-0 victory over third bottom Highfield Old Crown. Lee Grocock, Sheridan Wiles and Nick Glover grabbed their others and only stubborn resistance by the visitors stopped a much heavier defeat. It was a much closer call for Junior Blades though and they fell behind when Brett Turton put visitors Birley Moor News ahead. The Blades fought back to level through Joe Grapes and they took the points that lifted them up to fourth with a Chris Jones strike.

Right behind them is Crookes & District after they won a real thriller against fellow promotion hopefuls Red Lion. Darren Jarvis grabbed a scrappy opener for Lion, but Tom Griffiths gave a penalty away and Karl Fox kept his remarkable scoring sequence going by levelling from the spot. Worse followed for Lion when an error by their keeper allowed Matt Reay to put Crookes ahead before the break. Lion hit back to level with Jarvis's second and had it not been for an inspired performance by Crookes keeper Mark Young, Lion would have gone on to win it comfortably. Just when a draw seemed certain Fox popped up to hit his second and push Crookes to their highest ever position.

Old Harrow looked as if they might collect a rare away win when they took the lead at Oughtibridge Village with a Pat Lynch penalty and it again looked as if it might be their day when Village player manager David Hudson missed from the penalty spot, but they had to settle for a point when Hudson made amends for his miss with an equaliser.

21 Feb - All games postponed & the meeting cancelled

Every game was postponed due to the heavy overnight snow. With further heavy snow forecast for many parts, the League has decided to cancel the General League Meeting at Bramall Lane on Monday 22 Feb. Clubs must therefore get their fixtures and referees for March from the website - these should be shown during the next few days. The next meeting will be Monday 29 March.

14 Feb - Macron Cup -  Holders on course for return to Bramall Lane

After a goalless first half, Macron Cup holders Stannington Village stayed on course for a return to Bramall Lane with three second half goals against fellow CBC Premier side Redmires. Lee Johnstone set up Tom Morton to score at the back post before Joe Barker got free down the left and crossed for Ali Mitchell to score at the near post. Sub Jack Ridge completed the scoring with a real cracker into the top corner and Stannington will now travel to Division Two Rivelin in the quarter final.

CBC Premier -  Gardiner digs in to end West End's unbeaten record, while Sim-on Marc to save leaders

A twenty fifth minute strike by Tom Gardiner (pictured left) was the games only goal as Millhouses Thermolast ended Woodhouse West End's unbeaten record and improved Millhouses chances of avoiding the drop. After not playing for two months West End looked a bit rusty and it was Millhouses that started much the better. They were quickly rewarded when Jordan Stewart's crossfield pass picked out Rob Gardiner and he then sent in a wicked cross that the West End keeper could only parry straight to Tom Gardiner, who blasted his side into the lead.

West End look set to equalise when man of the match Carl Claxton was penalised for a push on Dave Kippax, but West End's leading scorer Joel Lee put the spot kick wide. After that Dan Johnson and Danny Turner playing an unaccustomed central defence role were rock solid and anything that did get past them was dealt with by keeper Mark Davies. The longer the game went Millhouses looked the more likely to score again and Ted Wylie, Rob Gardiner and Adam Sturch all went close in a performance that Millhouses manager Ash Gordon described as their best ever.

Only a last gasp Simon Marcus strike saved leaders Ecclesfield 147 from a similar fate by Stocksbridge Park Steels. Good work by Craig Senior gave Gavin Hunter the chance to give 147 a half time lead and Danny Touhey was denied a second by the keeper. After the break Steels hit back to level with an Adam Todd penalty and they shook the leaders rigid when John Ward then gave them the lead. They looked as if they had held on to an unexpected away win, but with just seconds remaining sub Marcus popped up to hit an equaliser that could prove crucial in the title race.

Handsworth WMC kept their good run going by pipping Yew Tree in a seven goal thriller. Robert Pratt's free kick found Liam Simmonite and his knock back into the danger area was met by his brother Sean to give Handsworth a half time lead. After the interval Kieran Gallagher combined with Sean to send Liam away and his cross was volleyed home by Mark Ashton and when Pratt dispossessed a defender and crossed for Ashton to head his second the game looked over.

Yew Tree had other ideas though and Scott Birch and Mark Dobbs both found the net to put them right back in it, but they shot themselves in the foot when a weak backpass by Tree's man of the match Phil Cookson was intercepted by Liam Simmonite to score Handsworth's fourth. Tree hit back again through Matt Jessermino and had it not been for two terrific saves by Handsworth keeper Steve Booth they would have got something out of the game.

Hemsworth Villa also kept their good run going with a hard earned win at Laycock Sports who will now be looking over their shoulders at the clubs behind them. Villa took the lead after just ten minutes when Nick Owen was brought down in the area by Scott Wesney and Owen picked himself up to blast the spot kick home (see pictures left). With Stefan Harris outstanding for Villa and Andy Register starring for Laycocks, it was close after that and in the second half Laycocks levelled when Tom Register's cross was headed home by John Kilcoyne, but Villa grabbed the points when Russ Westby's corner was met by David Tollerfield's glancing header. More action from the game is below.

Civil Service knew they had to start putting points on the table if they wanted to get out of the bottom three and they got the perfect start when Matt Meaney put them ahead against visitors The Vine, but they couldn't hold on to it and Rikki Davidson hit a deserved equaliser for the visitors. After the break both teams had chances and The Vines Danny Seaman hit the bar before Service's keeper made two great saves, but a first home victory of the season went to Service when they were awarded a penalty that Danny Fowler (picture left) put away.

Division 1 -  Angel fly again to beat leaders, while Niagara win at last

A Karl Colley double proved crucial as Woodhouse Angel moved into second by inflicting a second successive defeat on leaders Pitsmoor Royal Oak. Chris Towey headed home to give Angel a half time lead and after the break new signing Karl Colley hit a real scorcher into the top corner to double their lead. Craig Graham pulled one back for Oak, but Colley headed his second to restore Angel's two goal advantage. Leon Stocks was then brought down in the area and Graham stepped up to hit his second from the spot and Oak threw everything at their hosts, but Angel held on to climb back into second place.

It was a real red-letter day for Niagara as they claimed their first win of the season at home against Anston Athletic. Two goals in the first fifteen minutes set the tone for a terrific performance by Niagara, with first Craig Foster (pictured right) glancing home a header after good work by Tom Staniforth, followed by a second goal in as many games for Simon Staniforth after a good cross from Ben Dronfield.

A terrific save by Niagara’s veteran keeper Andy Luff midway through the first half kept the visitors at bay and he was called upon again early in the second half after Niagara had taken their foot off the pedal. Niagara needed a third goal to kill the game off and it duly arrived with ten minutes remaining when Chris Smith scored the goal of the game with a ferocious left foot strike.

Fourth place Heeley Crown scored a crucial 5-1 win at an Anvil side that finished with just eight men after a sending off and injury. Mick Eason gave Crown the lead in a first half that saw Anvil have a player dismissed and after Anvil lost a second player at half time, Gary Sidebottom doubled Crown's lead. Crown then missed a penalty before injury reduced Anvil to eight men, but amazingly the eight men began to take the game to Crown and deservedly pulled one back through Matt Asher. They continued to cause Crown problems but they inevitably began to tire and goals by Paddy O'Brien and subs Dale Furniss and Matt Roebuck made sure Crown went home with the points.

After Shaun Turner had given Brinsworth Whitehill the lead a Rees Williams double helped Handsworth Old Boys come from behind to take the points. Kieran Fairchild added Handsworth's third and although Brinsworth grabbed a second through Jamie Radford, they held on for their second away win of the season.

Loxley's bid to get into the promotion reckoning took a blow when they twice had to come from behind to get just a point at Bulls Head. Hesitancy in the Loxley defence was punished when Jordan Barton volleyed Bulls Head in front and although John Denton headed an equaliser from a corner, Loxley were behind again before half time when Kerry Dixon headed a corner home. Loxley stepped up the pressure after the break, but when their equaliser came it had an element of luck as Anthony Marshall's shot took a wicked deflection of a defender past his own keeper. Josh Delaney thought he had won it for Loxley, only for his shot to come back off a post, but it would have been cruel on Bulls Head.

Division 2 -  Top three all win, while Rivelin & Junior Blades get back on track

John Mellor and Simon Jebson both hit doubles as Division Two leaders Southey Social stayed on course for the title with victory over an under strength Red Lion. Man of the match Danny Lindley had started the scoring  and Rob Womack and Chris Roberts also added their names to the score sheet before Thomas Forte grabbed a consolation for Lion.

Although Lee Campbell grabbed a hat-trick the star of the show as second place Colley thrashed Birley Moor News 5-0 was Colley's Adam Jackson. The pace of Lee Campbell saw him give Colley a half time lead and that pace was to cause Birley further problems as he added two more, but it was Jackson that was orchestrating events as Paul Smith and Nick Glover added two more for Colley.

Centre half Paul Horton was the star as Fairbank-Rhodes stayed third by coming from behind to get a crucial victory over fourth place Aston Mayerton. Josh Bell headed back for Scott Hall to give Aston the lead, but their injury hit squad began to tire towards the end and although Fairbank-Rhodes missed a penalty they took the points when first Scott Whittington equalised from close range before Hilton Stratford volleyed a late winner.

Rivelin's promotion challenge had suffered some setbacks of late and another looked on the cards when Dave Whittingham found the top corner to their hosts Highfield Old Crown the lead, but two penalties either side of half time were both put away by Thomas Bermingham to get Rivelin's promotion bid back on track. It was a similar story for Junior Blades who also had to come from behind after Martin Shaw had given the visiting Old Harrow a first half lead. The Blades got on top after the break and won it with strikes from Joe Grapes and Andrew Brookfield.

In an entertaining game where the goalkeepers were the stars of the show, The Park's bid to get into the promotion reckoning suffered a setback as they were held at Oughtibridge Village. It could have been even worse as Lee Smith and Paul Hawksworth strikes gave Oughtibridge a two goal lead with just fifteen minutes remaining, but Shannon Marsland crossed for Ben Lee to reduce the arrears and Lee was again on target to earn his side a share of the spoils.

7 Feb - Sunday Cups -  Gallant Service fall in extra time, while Anston are Dominoed

Although it was the end of the road for our clubs in the County FA Cups, both can be very proud of their efforts. Civil Service’s dream of a semi final place in the Senior Cup looked on when Adam Firth put them ahead, but Arbourthorne EA levelled before they won it in extra time. In the Junior Cup, after Domino had taken a two goal lead, a James Lawton strike briefly gave Anston Athletic a chance, but the visitors grabbed two more before the break and two more after the break to end the youngsters from Anston’s run.

Macron Cup -  The Vine are Birched by Yew Tree

At the end of what was a traumatic week for The Vine it was perhaps no surprise that they ran out of steam and were beaten in extra time of their Macron Cup tie by Yew Tree. Before the game the teams lined up for a minute’s silence to remember The Vine’s Liam Riley and when the game got underway, both sides squandered chances to take a first half lead.

More chances came and went in the second half before Scott Birch finally broke the deadlock, but soon after Steve Wilkinson won a penalty for The Vine which he converted to take the game into extra time. Yew Tree began to look stronger as the game went on and Birch took Richard Gill’s pass in his stride before slamming home to restore Tree’s lead (see picture right) and he clinched his side’s first ever appearance in the semi finals by completing his hat-trick from Adam Myers cross. More action from the game is below.

CBC Premier -  Stannington close on leaders, while Handsworth and Villa both climb

In the CBC Premier, with the game between the top two postponed, third place Stannington Village took full advantage to close the gap on them with a narrow win at Stocksbridge Park Steels. It was a game of few chances, but when Joe Barker’s cross found Ali Mitchell he showed his strikers instinct to head home the game’s only goal.

Handsworth WMC continued their good run to climb up to fourth with a 5-2 win at Redmires. Handsworth took the lead when Robert Pratt’s free kick was cheekily backheeled home by Liam Simmonite and they doubled their lead before the break when Mark Ashton beat the offside trap before rounding the Redmires keeper to score.

After the break, Dale White pulled one back for Redmires, but when Danny Leesley was fouled in the area he picked himself up to score from the spot and restore Handsworth’s two goal lead. Ben Shaw again pulled one back for Redmires, but Handsworth made the result safe when Scott Ambramski put Simmonite through for his second and Carl Eaton met Ashton’s cross for their fifth.

Hemsworth Villa also continued their climb as hat-tricks from Nick Owen and Robert Gorman gave them a 6-3 win over Millhouses Thermolast. Despite their being nine goals in the game it was the keepers that caught the eye. Millhouses keeper Mark Davies had made several terrific saves before he was finally beaten by Owen (pictured right) and Gorman in the first half, but at the start of the second half it was Villa’s keeper Jamie King’s turn to take the spotlight when he saved a penalty.

Millhouses did pull one back though when Mark Hopkinson was caught in possession and Ali Berry fired home, but soon after Owen cut inside to score his second before Gorman headed home his second from a corner. Rob Gardiner then passed for his brother Tom to hit Millhouses second, but Owen completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot before Gorman completed his treble. Danny Turner then marked his return after three months out by scoring Millhouses third from the penalty spot, but the result was hard on both keepers. More action from the game is below.

Division 1 -  Anvil hammer leaders, while Niagara stage a stunning fightback

Division One leaders Pitsmoor Royal Oak saw their unbeaten home record shattered by an Anvil side that could now overtake them if they win their games in hand. Matt Asher gave Anvil the lead when he smashed home from an impossible angle before Nathan Hanson headed home James Hirst’s cross to double the lead. Asher hit his second before the interval and when Hanson headed down for Dean Jepson to hit Anvil’s fourth, the leaders knew the home record was gone, but they kept plugging away and pulled one back when Paul Hinde crossed for Gavin Davis to score with a spectacular overhead kick.

One team that did let a four goal lead slip was Bulls Head. They must have thought they were on their way to a second away win of the season when a Kerry Dixon treble and one from Mark Ryan put them four up at Niagara midway through the second half, but the home side suddenly found a cutting edge that has been missing all season and they grabbed a deserved share of the spoils with two from Tom Staniforth, one from Simon Staniforth and one from Josh Annerson on his debut.

Second place Ranch maintained their perfect home record with a 3-0 victory over Heeley Crown. It had been a tight game for the first half hour, but the game swung Ranch’s way when Crown had a man dismissed. The game stayed goalless until the second half, but Ranch eventually made the extra man count when Richard Berry headed home from a corner and Berry added his second from the penalty spot after Ben Hartley had been  felled in the area. Tom Hartley then passed for Breon Hartley to hit Ranch’s third and they have won all their home games so far without conceding a goal.

Woodhouse Angel re-kindled their promotion challenge when they came from behind to beat local rivals Handsworth Old Boys 4-1. Kieran Fairchild’s deflected shot gave Handsworth a half time lead, but soon after the break Adam Dickinson levelled before Kirk Briddon put Angel ahead. Kirk Smith soon extended Angel’s lead and Briddon added his second to complete the scoring.

Loxley’s improvement continued with a 4-1 home win over Brinsworth Whitehill. The visitors looked the more likely to score early on, but Loxley held firm and took the lead when Josh Delaney met Steve Mayfield’s chip to score. Ed Wickett soon hit a left foot volley to double their lead and the game was as good as over when Geoff Mayfield’s shot was deflected past his own keeper by a defender. Shaun Turner managed to pull one back for Brinsworth after the break, but Mick Smith completed the scoring with Loxley’s fourth.

Division 2 -  Campbell at the double to help Colley claim second place

The big game in Division Two saw Colley end Aston Mayerton’s unbeaten home record and leapfrog over them to claim second place. An explosive start saw Lee Campbell (pictured left) score with a rare header before he grabbed a more conventional second. Faisal Maladi netted Colley’s third with just eight minutes gone, but Aston kept their composure and David Sills and Scott McKenna both found the net to make it five goals in the first twenty minutes. Aston pushed hard for an equaliser but the game’s outstanding performer Adam Jackson made it safe for Colley from the penalty spot.

Fairbank-Rhodes re-claimed third place as both Hilton Stratford and leading scorer Joe Knight both hit doubles in a 6-1 win at Old Harrow. Scott Whittington and Mark Draycott hit their others before Luke Jones netted a consolation for the home side.

Crookes & District continued their climb with a narrow 2-1 home win over Oughtibridge Village. After a goalless first half it was Village that took the lead through Lee Smith, but Crookes hit back to level when Karl Fox netted his fifth goal in three games before man of the match David Fearnley grabbed their winner.

Rivelin’s promotion challenge suffered a blow as they suffered a third home defeat at the hands of The Park. Ben Lee headed home Shannon Marsland’s cross to put The Park ahead and just before the break Lee Adnett (pictured right) doubled their lead. The second half was barely five minutes old when Lee Bridges was brought down in the area allowing Lee to net his second from the spot, but Rivelin didn’t give up and after Thomas Bermingham had pulled one back with another penalty, Ben Pickup grabbed a second to leave The Park to defend desperately for the last ten minutes. They held on though in a game where referee Brent Marsh received praise from both sides.

Red Lion’s bid to get among the promotion candidates also hit a snag when they were held at home by Junior Blades. After a goalless first half Joe Mothersole gave Lion the lead, but Andy Brookfield crossed for Joe Grapes to grab the Blades’ equaliser and they looked the more likely winners as Brookfield hit the bar with another effort.

Off the bottom for almost the first time this season is Birley Moor News as Rees Betts and Thomas Brightmore both hit doubles in a 6-3 home win over Highfield Old Crown. Carl Naylor and Brett Turton netted Birley’s others, while two from Andy Theakston and one from Alex Melia kept Crown in the game.

3 Feb - The Vine mourn the loss of Liam

The League was saddened to hear about the death of The Vine's Liam Riley, killed in by a roadside bomb blast while on duty in Afghanistan.

Over the past few years, before joining The Army, Liam had played for The Vine on numerous occasions as a goalkeeper. His Dad, Mick, is The Vine's Assistant Manager and Liam’s brother, Jonathan, has also played for The Vine for many years.

Liam always came to support the team whenever he came home and he was well known and liked by all the team.

The League would like to pass on it's condolences to Liam's family and friends at what must be a very sad & hard time for them.