26 Feb - DIV 1 - Loxley hit six to climb out of the relegation zone - The Steel City derby at Hillsborough decimated Sunday football, but one game that went ahead was the Blades Super Draw Division One relegation clash between Loxley and Brinsworth Whitehill. It was a real six-pointer as Loxley knew that a win for them would lift them out of the relegation zone, while Brinsworth knew that anything less than three points would leave them with more than a mountain to climb.
Despite their early kick-off both teams started brightly, but it was Loxley that got the breakthrough when Steve Mayfield continued his recent good form by cutting in from the left and drilling the ball into the bottom corner. Rocked by that Brinsworth were pushed back again and after Brinsworth keeper Jamie Rooney pushed Anthony Marshall’s shot for a corner, quick thinking by Marshall saw him exchange passes with Mick Smith before Marshall crossed for Loxley skipper Richard Dale to tap-in his first of the season to double Loxley’s lead.
Brinsworth rallied and Lee Davies beat two defenders before seeing his shot saved by Loxley keeper John Denton, but when Davies made a quick break in the Loxley half his measured pass found his strike partner Ryan Stevenson and his pace took him away before he produced a calm finish to reduce the arrears. Despite a stand-out display by youngster James Nettleship, the Brinsworth defence still looked vulnerable and when Mick Smith received the ball his dribble took him past two defenders before he slid the ball past the advancing keeper to restore Loxley’s two goal lead.
Brinsworth were also causing the Loxley defence problems and from a Davies corner Danny Hallett headed home their second at the back post to put them right back into the game. Loxley were then given a great chance to restore their two goal lead again when Ben Cutts fouled Richard Dale in the area, but keeper Rooney brilliantly saved Steve Mayfield’s spot kick. Worse still for Loxley was that Dale had to give way to the injury sustained by the challenge, with Lee Struggles taking over.
Loxley always looked likely to score again though and a fourth goal came before the break when a Josh Delaney’s quick throw in to Joe Furey gave him space to cross for an unmarked Mayfield to bring the ball down and produce a calm finish past Rooney. Brinsworth tried to respond but two narrow offside calls stopped them in their tracks.
The second half saw Loxley quickly establish their superiority by hitting two quick goals. The first came from a corner, volleyed home by leading scorer Anthony Marshall for his ninth of the season and Loxley’s sixth goal came soon after as full back Nick Cardin beat the offside trap and after ignoring the call to pass to the unmarked Dominic Ambler he beat the keeper for his first of the season. Loxley keeper John Denton later produced a fingertip save to push over a Davies shot from the edge of the area, but Loxley never looked likely to lose the three points that lifted them out of the relegation zone.
LOXLEY: John Denton, Alex Armstrong, Nick Carding, Richard Lester, Geoff Mayfield, Mick Smith, Joe Furey, Richard Dale, Steve Mayfield, Anthony Marshall, Josh Delaney Subs: Lee Struggles, Dominic Ambler, Matt Milnes, Jason Jones
BRINSWORTH WHITEHILL: Jamie Rooney, Mitchell Kissack, Ben Cutts, James Nettleship, Ryan Carpenter, Danny Hallett, Brett Pryde, Jamie Radford, Martin Rodgers, Lee Davies, Ryan Stevenson, Subs: Andy Hinchcliffe, Scott Hinchcliffe,
REFEREE: Dennis Williams
23 Feb - Draper and James lead the way in the twentytwo goalscoring charts - Division One Aston Swallownest's Ian Draper and Division Two Handsworth Old Boys' Chris James lead the way in the twentytwo goalscoring charts with twenty four goals each. They have a healthy cushion of over third place Nick Owen who has netted 16 in the CBC Premier - 13 for Laycock Sports and 3 for Hemsworth Villa. Full details of the leading scorers, sponsored by twentytwo, can be found in the Results section.
19
Feb - CBC PREM - Danny boy
is back to boost The Vine, but top two both win -
It was a goal-den weekend as teams tried to make up for lost time after the big freeze of the two previous weeks as the league’s fifteen games produced no fewer than eighty four goals. Rikki Davidson hit three of them in The Vine’s 5-2 CBC Premier victory over Laycock Sports, but it wasn’t enough to earn him the man-of-the-match vote though as that went to Danny Seaman (pictured left) for his sparkling display on his return from injury. After Laycock’s had taken the lead through Will Earle, Seaman provided the through ball for Davidson to hit a real cracker to level things up, but a Nick Owen strike on the stroke of half time saw Laycock’s back in front. After the break, Seaman combined with Will Blakeney to give Davidson his second and The Vine took the lead when Seaman’s shot was too hot to handle for the Laycock’s keeper and Jamie Moore crashed home the rebound. Dan Bateman then set Davidson up to complete his hat-trick, before Bateman then provided the opportunity for Moore to score his second to end The Vine’s five match run without a win.
It didn’t take them any nearer the two sides above them though as both leaders Civil Service and second place Stannington Village won. Service took a first half lead against Pitsmoor Royal Oak when the wind got hold of Gavin Wills cross and took it beyond the Pitsmoor keeper and into the net. There was nothing fortunate about their second though as Wes Bamford volleyed home in the second half and they could even afford a penalty miss after Adam Firth had been brought down, with the normally reliable Paul Billard hitting a post with his spot kick. The defeat for Pitsmoor meant they slid into the second relegation place.
Stannington Village took the lead at Southey Social when Jon Wall and
John Alcock combined to give Dean Jepson the chance to score at the back
post and they doubled their lead before half time when Wall’s free kick
was glanced home by John Saville. Jepson gave Wall the opportunity to
make it three in the second half and although John Mellor pulled one
back for the home side, Sami Eric scrambled.jpg)
home a fourth to complete an emphatic win for Stannington.
At the other end of the table it’s looking very bleak for Hemsworth Villa after yet another defeat, but the battle to avoid the other relegation place is getting really tight and just three points separate the four clubs above Villa. Handsworth Turf climbed out of the second relegation place with victory over Hemsworth Villa, but it didn’t look too likely after a goalless first half. Both keepers had made saves in the first half, but after the break Turf broke the deadlock when Danny Leesley sent Joe France through to beat the keeper.
They doubled the lead when France’s cross was met by Liam Simmonite and although the keeper saved his effort, the ball fell kindly for Gallagher to smash home. Villa responded when Russ Westby beat Handsworth’s former Villa keeper Jamie King with a delightful free kick, but they then shot themselves in the foot when a defender turn Gallagher’s cross into his own net. Robert Pratt then saw action at both ends, first clearing off his own line (see picture right) before setting Gallagher up to hit Turf’s fourth. Westby scored a second for Villa after Luke Hughes brought Nathan Platt down in the penalty area, but that was as close as they got. More action from the game is shown below.
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Ecclesfield Players Lounge did their survival hopes a power of good and dragged Redmires back into the mix by beating them 5-3 in a real thriller. Dave France put Ecclesfield ahead with a terrific free kick, but Redmires levelled before half time when Heggel Moubissie scored from close range. After the break it was Ecclesfield that regained the lead with another superb free kick, this time from Ryan Keeney and yet another free kick led to the unmarked Craig Senior grabbing their third. Redmires struck back when Dave Knaggs scored with a great strike and when he grabbed his second to level the scores it looked as if Redmires might go on to win it, but Ecclesfield pulled themselves together and Gavin Hunter set Danny Turner up to put them back in front and their victory was confirmed when Matt Clarke scrambled home their fifth.
DIV 1 - Simple for four goal Simon, but Bull stay on course for the title - Bulls Head extended their lead at the top of Division One to nine points with a 6-1 victory at bottom club Brinsworth Whitehill. Nick Ash opened the scoring and Phil Jenkins hit a second in off a post. Alan Mowforth made it three and the game was over after just twenty minutes when Ash set Joe Titterton up to tap home Bull’s fourth. Facing a very heavy defeat, Brinsworth pulled themselves together and as well as plugging their leaky defence they pulled one back through Russell Sheridan. Brinsworth maintained that improvement in the second half until late on when Kerry Dixon and Mowforth added two more for Bull.
With second place Fairbank-Rhodes not playing, Aston Swallownest grabbed the opportunity to close the gap on them to just two points with a 4-1 win at Loxley. It didn’t start too well as Loxley’s man-of-the-match Steve Mayfield put his side ahead and Josh Delaney missed a good chance to increase it, but Ian Draper, despite carrying an injury levelled for Aston before half time and put his side ahead in the second half. David Sills extended the lead before clinching the three points with a delicate chip over the keeper.
Niagara pulled away from the danger zone with a 4-1 victory at
Throstles. Simon Staniforth
(pictured left)
scored all four, including two penalties, while
Throstles only reply came from Liam Bonnick. Ranch and Anston Athletic
both missed the chance to put some distance between them and the clubs
below when they could only draw with each other. Dan Livett’s deflected
shot put Ranch ahead with a goal that involved just about every member
of the team, but James Saxilby set Daniel Nelson up to equalise with a
low shot past the keeper. There wasn’t too many chances after that, the
best of Anston’s falling to Matt Roebuck who fired straight at the
keeper, while Ian Cooper missed Ranch’s best chance to win it.
Woodhouse Angel missed a great chance to close the gap on the teams above them when they let a two goal lead slip before drawing at Colley FC. Chris Towey’s header and a Luke Browse shot seemed to have put Angel in command, but Lee Campbell crucially pulled one back for Colley just before the break and Colley’s improved second half performance was rewarded with a Daniel Ferguson equaliser.
DIV 2 - The Park go to Town and James boosts Handsworth - Division Two’s top two both recorded big wins to crank up the pressure on the teams chasing them, but Oughtibridge Village managed a late winner at Players Lounge Athletic to keep pace with them. Oughtibridge took the lead when Ali Mitchell fired home from the penalty spot after a foul by Simon Marcus, but things started to go wrong when referee Gemma Gale dismissed Jordan Hauge and Athletic levelled when Antony Holmes headed in the rebound after his intial shot had been saved by the keeper. Oughtibridge kept plugging away though and managed to take all three points when Keith Hauge spared his brothers blushes with a late winner.
Mark
Townsend was the four goal hero as leaders The Park gained revenge for
their only defeat of the season by thrashing Junior Blades 7-1. The game
was goalless until seven minutes before the break when Townsend
converted Ricardo Stewart’s cross and Townsend netted his second before
half time. Good work by Scott Dunkerley paved the way for Townsend to
complete his hat-trick after the break and Tony Gurnhill intercepted a
back pass to make it four. Gurnhill then added his second before
Townsend hit his fourth and although
Adam Caywood netted for Junior Blades, Daniel Robinson netted The Park’s
seventh following David Nash’s long throw.
Chris James was another four goal hero for Handsworth Old Boys as they thrashed Crookes & District 8-2. Greg Burgin, Mario Esposito, Liam Parnell and David Turner hit Handsworth’s others, while Chris Cottyn and Johnnie Butler hit Crookes’ consolations. Hollin Bush returned to form with their best win of the season, 6-0 at Chapeltown RBL, with Owen Clarke (pictured right) hitting a hat-trick, Wayne Royal grabbing two and Stuart McGregor the other. Sharrow Vale also had their best win of the season, 5-1 over an out of sorts Highfield Old Crown. Although Mike Shaw’s early goal for Sharrow was cancelled out by Stuart Underwood, Tom Wray had Sharrow back in front before the break. The second half was one-way traffic and Sharrow added three more through Andy Foster, Wray’s second and Jamie Wyles.
TAYLOR & EMMET SUNDAY JUNIOR CUP - Its the end of the road for both Ball & Queens - The League’s interest in the Taylor & Emmet Sunday Junior Cup came to an end for this season as both Division Two Old Blue Ball and Division One Queens Ground went out at the quarter final stage. Goals in each half saw Wincobank Forum take a two goal lead against Ball and although Reece McAndless pulled one back late on, Ball became Forum’s third Division Two scalp. Queens found themselves three down at half time against Rotherham’s Wheatley Hotel and although Ada Tomlin pulled one back after the break, the home side made their semi final place safe with a fourth almost straight after.
12 Feb - CBC PREM -
Ecclesfield and Southey beat the
cold with a six goal thriller -
Ecclesfield Players Lounge’s 3G all-weather pitch at Concord
Park made sure that
their
game with Southey Social would be the only Blades Super Draw League CBC
Premier game played this weekend and a game full of incident provided a
six goal thriller for the many people that came along to watch.
Southey Social are no strangers to the pitch as they share it
with Ecclesfield and despite Southey having played just once in the last
month, they started the better and when Ecclesfield’s Danny Turner
played a loose ball it was pounced on by Rob Womack. He quickly saw the
options in front of him and played the ball into Danny Lindley’s
(pictured left) path for him to confidently slot the ball home.
Ecclesfield, who started the day in one of the relegation places were struggling to respond, but when Todd Guest gave away a needless free kick in a dangerous position, before the cross could reach leading scorer Craig Senior, he was pushed over in the area and referee Lee Hible awarded a penalty which was confidently put away by Ryan Keeney.
Southey were still having the better of the game and they deservedly regained the lead when Danny Lindley crossed for Rob Womack to score and soon after matters looked even worse for the home side when Gavin Hunter saw red for an incident with Southey’s Gareth Lindley. It turned out to be a turning point in the other direction though, as it only seemed to inspire Ecclesfield to step up a gear and after that it was they that pushed their opponents backwards and took control of the game.
With
Matt Clarke and Mark Groves providing a solid base in the middle of
their back four, Ecclesfield continued to be on top after the half time
break and they equalised with a move started by keeper Scott Touhey. He
played the ball out to Clarke, who then found Ryan Keeney. He played the
ball on for Keiron Webb and his cross was perfect for Danny Turner
(pictured right) to make amends for his earlier error by tapping the
ball home.
It soon got even better for Ecclesfield when Turner scored one of the goals of the season. When a ball was played up to him on the edge of the Southey penalty area, his first touch was immaculate and when he saw Southey keeper Andy Guest slightly off his line, Turner produced a delicate chip over him and past a defender scrambling back to try and stop it going into the net.
It nearly got worse for the visitors when Ecclesfield’s seventeen year old sub Tom Batholomew hit a shot that looked destined to find the corner, but Guest pulled off a great save to deny him. It looked as if Ecclesfield would still win it though until, with five minutes remaining, a quick break out of defence saw John Mellor (pictured left) burst into the area and some desperate defending sent him flying to give the referee little alternative than to award a penalty.
Mellor picked himself up to score from the spot and with time almost up Southey looked set to win it for when a cross to the back post was headed down for what looked a certain goal until Ecclesfield keeper Scott Touhey (pictured right) produced the sort of save Gordon Banks would have been proud of to earn his side the point that saw them climb out of the relegation places.
ECCLESFIELD PLAYERS LOUNGE: Scott Touhey, Dale Hurst, Matt Clarke, Liam Wilkinson, Mark Groves, Keiron Webb, Gavin Hunter, Ryan Keeney, Craig Senior, Danny Turner, Scott Johnson Subs: Tom Bartholomew, Gerrard Collins, Mark Upton, Paul Bashforth.
SOUTHEY SOCIAL: Andy Guest, Gavin Pitts, Craig Poulton, David Maw, Mohammed Sabo, Todd Guest, Danny Lindley, Gareth Lindley, Rob Womack, John Mellor, Vaughan Burgess Subs: Simon Jebson, Chris Roberts, Jacob Harris, Matt Hanwell.
DIV 1 - All Division One games postponed
DIV 2 - Ball leave it late to go into top three - Old Blue Ball have a Taylor & Emmet Sunday Junior Cup quarter final tomorrow, so when their original game was postponed last weekend they quickly re-arranged a game at Players Lounge Athletic on their 3G all-weather pitch at Hillsborough College after Players Lounge’s original game away from home had also fallen to the freezing conditions, and Ball were rewarded with some much needed practice and three points that lifted them into the automatic promotion places.
It
didn’t start too well for Ball as their hosts looked more like the side
going for promotion and it was Players Lounge that took the lead just
before half time. Dan Potts played a ball up to Aaron Parker in the
corner of the Ball penalty area and he turned a defender before hooking
the ball over the advancing keeper. The home side nearly doubled their
lead in the second half when Potts was brought down just outside the
penalty area, but Danny Marcus’s free kick brought a terrific save out
of Ball keeper Adam Martin.
Athletic’s debutant keeper Akim Mizrak made good saves from Callum Chambers and Christian Rowe and with him looking solid it seemed as if the one goal might be enough, but with Marcus O’Malley and Josh Jones prominent, Ball were beginning to push their hosts back and they finally levelled with just five minutes remaining. Martin’s long clearance upfield should have been dealt with by Anthony Holmes and Simon Marcus and Chambers took advantage of their hesitancy to score from close range.
That gave Ball all the impetus they needed and when Reece McAndless played the ball to his fellow sub Rob Harris, Harris cut in from the left to hit the winner. The result was a little harsh on Players Lounge, but they could console themselves in the fact that their young side had shown they could compete with the top sides and both sides performance earned a great deal of praise from referee Mick Firth (pictured right), who in turn had earned the praise of both sides.
Players Lounge Athletic: 1 Akin Mizrak; 2 Louis Barnes; 3 Lee Ball; 4 Tom Vickers; 5 Simon Marcus; 6 Dan Potts; 7 David Ibbotson; 8 Danny Marcus; 9 Aaron Parker; 10 Scott Marcus; 11 Antony Holmes; Subs: 12 Robert Russell; 14 Ben Shaw; 15 David Abel; 16 Lee Pilkington; 19 Reuben Wood
Old Blue Ball: 1 Adam Martin; 2 Alex Wright; 3 TomGoodison; 4 Josh Jones; 5 John Heritage; 6 Marcus O’Malley; 7 Daniel Dunkerley; 8 John Morgan; 9 Callum Chambers; 10 Christian Rowe; 11 Sean Frawley Subs: 12 Liam Ryan; 14 Reece McAndless; 15 Rob Harris
7
Feb 2012 -
Fixture changes due to last weekend's
postponed games -
All clubs should re-check their
fixtures from 5 April onwards as changes have had to be made to
accommodate last weekend's postponed games. All the changes are shown in
red with the dates the games were moved from. All clubs must make sure
they now confirm these games with their pitch managers and confirm to
Keith that they are OK for the new dates shown, or let him know if there
are any problems with any of the dates listed.
5 Feb 2012 - All games postponed - The freezing conditions and snow meant all the League's games were postponed.