28-Feb 2015 – Spartans to go International - This summer the Spartans will undertake a short tour to Malaga, Spain, where they will play some games and get the chance to meet counterparts in Spain. To help them on their way, the Blades Super Draw League has made a small donation towards their costs. Pictured handing over the cheque to some of the Spartans squad is the Blades Super Draw League Chairman, Keith Firminger.

22-Feb 2015 – SENIOR SUNDAY CUP - Redmires reach the semi finals - Redmires became the fourth Blades Super Draw League side to reach the semi finals of the Senior Sunday Cup when the came from behind to beat the much fancied Swinton WMC. Despite that early setback, Redmires became the dominant side and their pressure told when a Dale White cross was headed home by Ben Graney just before half time (first picture below). The second half saw Redmires continually put their visitors under pressure and just as it looked like Swinton might weather the storm a great team move ended with Andy Bath squaring the ball for Jon Wall to apply the finish and deservedly win the tie for Redmires (second picture below). They will now entertain Meadowhall side High Noon in the semi final on 15 March in an effort to become the first Blades Super Draw side to reach the Senior Sunday Cup Final. Action from the game is below - all pictures by Mick Moat.

JUNIOR SUNDAY CUP - Hallam crash out - In the Junior Sunday Cup, Hallam FC failed to set-up an all Blades Super Draw semi final with Handsworth Turf when they crashed to a 4-1 home defeat by Wilton Athletic. Harley Scholey’s goal on his debut for Hallam was just a consolation as they were already four down. Wilton will now entertain Handsworth Turf in the semi finals on 15 March.

CBC PREMIER - Steels almost end Oughtibridge's record, while Angel are also held by Brinsworth - CBC Premier leaders Oughtibridge WM twice had to come from behind to rescue their unbeaten record with a 2-2 draw at local rivals Stocksbridge Park Steels. Steels took the lead when a flowing move ended with a cross by Callum Brown for Jo Clowes to finish from close range. Oughtibridge levelled when a Strachan Sampson cross was headed home by Jamie Smith. After that Joe Appleyard volleyed over and Smith went close to grabbing a second, but Steels went closest to adding a second before the break when a Mitch Savage shot was tipped onto the bar by the Oughtibridge keeper.

The second half saw Steels regain the lead when Tony Todd’s run into the box saw him brought down by Dodd and Tony’s namesake Adam Todd hit the penalty into the bottom corner. It looked as if Oughtibridge’s thirty four game run was coming to an end, but when the Steels keeper spilled a shot, Danny Clinton (right) was first to the ball to put Oughtibridge level again. Strachan Sampson nearly won it for the visitors when his shot was saved, but Steels went equally close through Warren.

Another of the title challengers Woodhouse Angel also dropped points when they were held to a 3-3 draw by relegation threatened Brinsworth Whitehill, a result that did little to help either team. Angel took an early lead when Michael Towey’s flicked volley found the bottom corner, but Brinsworth levelled when Tom Coker took advantage of Jed McGowan’s through ball to score on his debut. Brinsworth created more chances and only good goalkeeping kept them at bay, but they did take the lead when McGowan and Coker combined again for Coker to hit his second of the game.

After the break Joe McGuiness went close to increasing Brinsworth’s lead before Angel grabbed an equaliser. Gareth Simons’ slide rule pass was perfect for Towey and he gave the Brinsworth keeper no chance. They were level for just a matter of seconds though as virtually straight from the kick-off McGuiness slipped a defender before coolly placing the ball into the bottom corner. Angel hit back again and when Dave Kippax worked the ball to Tom Goodhall, his cross wasn’t dealt with properly and under pressure from Gareth Simons the Brinsworth keeper turned the ball into his own net. Angel threw everthying at their visitors to try to get a winner, but it was Brinsworth that came nearest when Cory Goodwin blasted over when it looked easier to score. Despite their performance the point wasn’t enough to stop Brinswqorth slipping to the foot of the table.

Stannington Village got their title bid back on track though with as both Jack Mylnek (left) and Gavin Davies helped themselves to doubles in a 5-0 victory over The Vine. The home side took the lead when a Lee Johnstone corner was flicked on by Bill Green and Mylnek volleyed home at the back post and it was Mylnek again to double Stannington’s lead before half time as he took Aaron Worsfold’s pass into his path before beating the keeper at the near post. With Ben Cook dominant on his return from a ten week injury lay-off Stannington increased their lead just after the break when Rob Shelley pulled the ball back for Davies to tap home and Davies grabbed his second when he beat the keeper to a back-pass and headed over him. The victory was completed when Josh Coulson’s slide rule pass allowed Cory Manns to slide the ball past the keeper for his first goal for Stannington.

Bulls Head climbed off the foot of the table with a dominant 4-1 victory at fellow relegation threatened Riverside and had it not been for some good goalkeeping and wayward finishing the margin of victory might have been much higher. Bulls Head were gifted the lead when a cross was headed into his own goal by a defender, but their was nothing lucky about the second as John Kentzer his an absolute beauty from twenty five yards. The third was from much closer range as Rob Dawber tapped home and Sam Britton wasn’t too far out when he met a cross to make it four. Jake Rodley managed to get a goal for Riverside, but it waqs little consolation to them.

DIVISION 1 - Norton pip Southey, while Intake dip at The Pheasant and Loxley slip up against Aston - Southey Social’s Division One title hopes were dealt a hammer blow when they let a 3-1 lead slip at fellow promotion chasers Norton Oaks A, who completed their comeback to win a real thriller 4-3. Before the game, Southey were rocked by the news that their inspirational midfielder Danny Lindley could be out for the rest of the season and with captain and centre half Lee Wilson in New Zealand, along with other injuries, their numbers were limited.

Right from the start the game flowed from end to end with both sides creating half chances, but it was Norton that took the lead when Alex Hughes sent Robbie Aspinall away and he went past a Southey defender before placing his shot past Southey keeper Andy Guest. Norton's Danny Reet (right) was proving to be a handful, but Southey's leading scorer John Mellor gave Norton a warning when he went past a couple of defenders before shooting just wide.

Mellor soon did better to get a deserved equaliser for Southey. Chris Roberts fastened onto Guest’s long clearance and left a Norton defender in his wake before supplying the perfect cross for Mellor to tap home. With Joel Askham pulling the strings, Southey were causing Norton problems and when he swung in a corner at pace it was met with a great flicked header from Todd Guest to give Southey a half time lead.

Southey started the second half well, closing Norton down and forcing them into mistakes, at it was from this pressure that a defender was dispossessed and Mellor slotted home his second to give his side a 3-1 lead. Southey were now in total control of the game went to make the game safe, and only two saves by Norton keeper Steve Booth stopped Askham extending Southey’s lead. Roberts then shot straight at Booth and Askham spurned a good chance.

Those missed chances came back to haunt Southey in ten minutes of pure defensive madness. First Reet was allowed to bring the ball down and hit a shot from thirty yards which was badly misjudged by Southey keeper Andy Guest and the shot dropped over him into the net, This woke Norton up and after Reet had hit a post, a scramble in the box  saw Aspinall upended in the box and Reet stepped up to equalise from the spot. Norton began to dominate now and Reet again hit the foot of a post from thirty yards and Billy Ireland headed against the bar. In a tight game which neither team deserved to lose, Dale Kay swung a cross from deep and a Southey defender headed the ball back over his keeper and into the net and Norton took all the points.

Norton Oaks A: Steve Booth, Nick Glossop, Dale Kay, Andy Dawson, Kenny Brakes, Dave Elliott, Alex Hughes, Ste Scott, Sam Ireland, Danny Reet, Robbie Aspinall. Sub: Billy Ireland.

Southey Social: Andy Guest, David Wheeler, Matt Betts, Mark Tyler, Adam Danks, Todd Guest, Joel Askham, Rob Womack, Chris Roberts, John Mellor, Ashley Matthews, Sub: Mitchel Osbourne. 

Referee: Lee Freeman 

In addition to second place Southey Social’s defeat, third place Intake Old Boys also suffered defeat at a The Pheasant side looking to make a late bid to get into the promotion places. The Pheasant went ahead when Dylan Parrott put Josh Statham through for him to apply a cool finish past the keeper, but it was then their keeper Sam Barker that they had to thank for preserving their lead. They took a firm grip on the game just before the break with a Carl Andrews (left) strike. With Scott Bingley outstanding for The Pheasant, they rarely looked like conceding in the second half and they ran out 2-0 winners.

Loxley started the day in fourth, but they slipped a place after also going down 3-2 at home to an Aston Swallownest that could yet make a late promotion bid. It started well for Loxley when Anthony Marshall put them ahead, but Aston levelled before half time when Scott MacCormac tapped in at the back post. There was more than an element of luck about the goal that put Aston in front as the ball struck Billy Evans in the face and landed perfectly for David Sills to score from inside the six yard box. Loxley hit back to level with Bobby Rust’s first goal for the club, but it was Aston that went home with the points when Sills headed his second of the game from Adam Smith’s pin-point cross.

DIVISION 2 - Laycocks hit back to share the spoils with City Taxis – In Division Two, City Taxis title hopes suffered a blow when they let a two goal lead slip before they were surprisingly held to a 3-3 draw at fourth bottom Laycock Sports. Ricky Williamson hit a twenty five yard shot to give Laycocks an early advantage, but it looked as if it would be Taxis that drove home with the points when two headers by Ben Birtles and a Richard Ellin strike gave them a 3-1 interval lead. With Scott Green in inspired form in the Laycock’s goal the score stayed the same until just six minutes to go when full back Paul Adams put Laycocks back in it with his sixth goal of the season and they grabbed a share of the spoils as Luke Glaves struck his fifth of the season.

Chapeltown RBL climbed to the fringes of the promotion places with a 2-0 victory at Fox & Hounds Rangers and had it not been for an outstanding performance by Fox keeper Callum Cutts the winning margin would have been much higher. Cutts had helped to keep the scores level going into the second half, but he was finally beaten when recent signing Scott Whittington (right) combined with fellow winger Joe Moorhouse to score his second goal in as many games. Whittington was again involved in the second as he was brought down in the area and Will Jones stepped up to score from the spot.

Norton Oaks B moved away from the bottom three with a 4-0 win at Crookes & District. Crookes were up against it right from the start as their understrength side had to include manager Michael Cottyn coming out of retirement and going into the net alongside his sons Chris and Richard. Cottyn senior didn’t disgrace himself too much though as he was beaten by a deflected acrobatic volley by Tim Dearing following good work by Joe Lawson. Cottyn’s one black mark came with Norton’s second when he allowed Mark Turton’s speculative shot to trickle over the line, but he could do nothing to stop Steve Reynalds tapping home John Bates cross for Norton’s third, or their fourth when Renalds was again on hand to tap home a cross by Chris Piggott.

Cobden View also climbed a place at the expense of visitors Sharrow Vale after beating them 3-2. It didn’t start well for Sharrow when they were effectively reduced to nine fit players after bother leading scorer John Matterson and centre back Richard Cooper suffered hamstring strains. Sharrow defended well though and when Cobden’s opener came it was an unfortunate headed own goal from an in-swinging Dave Hunt corner. Sharrow soon levelled though when a push in the box was spotted by the referee and Joe Lovatt scored from the spot. Cobden went bvack in front in the second half when their best move of the game ended with a smart finish by Hunt and a good solo run and finish by Jim Cottingham on his debut quickly made it 3-1, but Sharrow gave them selves hope that they could get something out of the game when a scramble in the box saw Matterson hobble to the ball first and smash it past the keeper. There was no fairytale ending though and Cobden View held on to the three points, but both teams can be proud of a game that only produced four fouls and an excellent attitude of fair play and sportsmanship from both sets of players.

20-Feb 2015 – The Fixtures for MARCH & APRIL are now shown - Home teams MUST make sure that their home pitch is available on all the dates shown PARTICULARLY FOR 22 & 29 MARCH AND ALL OF APRIL AS THE GRID ENDED ON 15 MARCH SO IF YOU SHARE WITH A TEAM, THEY MIGHT ALSO HAVE BEEN GIVEN A HOME GAME ON SOME OF THE DATES. Please email Keith immediately if your pitch is not available on a date shown.

All home clubs must also confirm the details with your opponents and referees for all MARCH dates shown IMMEDIATELY.

Please email Keith immediately if any of the referees tell you they cannot do the fixture listed.

Referees for APRIL will be added towards the end of March.

All Fixtures on 15 March are subject to change as that is a County FA Sunday Cups date, but Fixtures on other dates in March could also be subject to change if any County FA Cup ties are delayed, particularly games involving Redmires, Handsworth Turf and Hallam FC. This means that teams currently shown as SPARE in the fixtures might be able to play a game on the date they are spare if there has to be a change due to a County FA Cup tie.

Fixtures in April could change if we have any further postponements. I will try to add any postponed games to Sundays, but please bear in mind that they could inevitably have to be played in midweek.

19-Feb 2015 – The Park resign - The League has regrettably had to accept the immediate resignation of CBC Premier club The Park. All points / goals etc from their games will be expunged from the 2014-15 records. The League wishes to place on record the outstanding work carried out for the club over very many years by Wendy Stevens, Trevor Hill and Andy Chafer. WWithout them involved, local football will be a poorer place and we hope that we will see them back in the league at some point in the future.

CBC PREMIER - Tomlin wins it for 'Bridge, while Simons is Angel's hero - The big game in the league saw the CBC Premier's top two, Oughtibridge WM and Civil Service meet head on and it was Oughtibridge that came out on top thanks to a single Adi Tomlin strike in the second half (pictured right). Oughtibridge shaded the first half, but other than chances for Jamie Smith and Danny Clinton they found the Civil keeper, Luke Herriott in dominant form and their defence too hard a nut to crack.

The second half continued in a similar vein, with both defences outstanding, but Oughtibridge grabbed their winner when a slick move ended with Justin Westoby stabbing the ball into Tomlin’s path for him to turn on the six yard box and find the corner of the net. Civil tried to respond and Gary Eades and Wes Bamford both went close with headers and Oughtibridge keeper Lamb did well to tip a Paul Billard effort over the bar. It wasn’t all Civil though and both Jamie Smith and Tom Fletcher went close for them as they made it thirty four league games unbeaten.

Two more title challengers that met were third place Woodhouse Angel at fourth place Redmires and it was Angel that came out on top, 2-1, as a Gareth Simons winner saw them end Redmires unbeaten home record. Angel almost scored straight from the kick-off as a swift move ended with Johno Williams’ shot going just over the bar. Angel continued to be on the front foot for the first fifteen minutes, but they couldn’t take any of the chances they created. Redmires came more into the game after that, but both defences stayed on top.

Redmires began the second half strongly, but like Angel in the first half they couldn’t take any of the chances they created and as the visitors grew more into the game, it took a great save by the Redmires keeper to tip a Kirk Briddon effort onto the bar. It was Angel that drew first blood when a Nick Haywood free kick eluded everyone in the box and flew into the bottom corner. Redmires made changes to try to get back into it, but when their equaliser came it was a gift when Andy Bath disposed the keeper before tapping the ball into the empty net. The game was flowing from end to end at this stage and it was from a Redmires corner that Angel broke quickly to get the winner. Michael Towey found Gareth Simons (left) and he spun his defender before advancing to put the winner into the bottom corner.

Stocksbridge Park Steels kept in title contention with a 3-1 victory at Riverside. The first half saw Steels just have the better of things, but the nearest they came to a goal was a Scott Birch shot cleared off the line. Steels stepped up a gear after the break and young full back Callum Brown beat two players before playing a one-two and finishing expertly to give his side the lead. They doubled their lead when Joe Cloves set up Mitch Savage (right) to score with a cool finish, but with skipper Josh Jones pushing them forward, Riverside hit back when a Luke Broadbent corner was glanced home by Callum Chambers. Steels made it safe though when a Savage cross enabled Birch to score his tenth of the season.

DIVISION 1 - Turf see off The Pheasant, as Southey & Intake draw - Division One leaders Handsworth Turf came from behind to beat The Pheasant 4-1 and open up a two point lead after second place Southey Social drew 2-2 with third place Intake Old Boys. Carl Andrews gave The Pheasant a fifth minute lead and with a bit more calmness in front of goal they may well have added to it, but the game changed when The Pheasant were reduced to ten men and just before half time man of the match James Leesley’s long range shot was spilled by The Pheasant keeper and Mario Esposito nipped in to score. After the break Turf began to make their man advantage tell and when Carl Bowler fed Tom Crosby (left), his cross was sidefooted home by Ben Shackshaft to put Turf ahead. Turf’s third came when Kieran Gallagher found James Leesley and he raced away to score into the bottom corner. Esposito then sent Danny Leesley through, but he was pulled back by the last defender just outside the area and referee Nick Mason had no alternative than to show his second red card to a The Pheasant player. To add insult to injury Crosby curled the free kick round the wall into the bottom corner for Turf’s fourth.

Third place Intake old Boys took the lead at second place Southey Social when Ryan Shephard’s long kick found Paul Turner and after linking up with Liam Parnell, Turner spun to find the bottom corner. The first half was end to end, but the nearest to another goal came when Southey’s Ash Matthews smashed the ball over the bar from the edge of the six yard box. With Todd Guest beginning to dominate midfield, Southey started the second half on top and deservedly levelled when a Rob Womack corner was headed home by veteran Mark Tyler. Only a fantastic safe by the Intake keeper stopped John Mellor giving Southey the lead and instead it was Intake that got their noses back in front when a John Higgins corner was headed home by Russell Hobson. Southey then found it hard to break down a solid Intake defence until the final minute when Higgins chested a cross down for his keeper, but Joel Askham had read the move and nipped in to give Southey a deserved point.

Norton Oaks A got back into promotion contention with a 3-0 victory at Dam House Bar. Andy Dawson gave Norton a half time lead and after the break it was doubled by a Danny Reet penalty. Steve Scott added a third from a corner to confirm Norton’s third away win of the season. Ecclesfield Players Lounge eased any relegation fears as Craig Senior and Gavin Hunter (right) doubles gave them a 4-2 victory at Aston Swallownest. Aston, who were missing seven of their squad had a first half lead thanks to a David Sills strike. After the break Senior drew Ecclesfield level before Hunter’s first put them ahead. Sills second of the game pulled Aston level, but Hunter’s second from the edge of the area restored Ecclesfield’s lead before Senior rounded of the scoring with his eighth of the season.

DIVISION 2 - Shaw rescues the leaders, while Colley can't stem the Flo as Taxis leave it late – Division Two leaders Phoenix needed two Nicky Shaw goals to come from two down to rescue a point from a 2-2 draw with Chapeltown RBL. RBL suffered an early blow when Danny Cardwell suffered a thigh strain, but it was his replacement, new signing Scott Whittington that capitalised on good build up play by Ben Palmer and Joe Moorhouse to put his side in front. Moorhouse then put Palmer through for him to unleash a left foot drive pas the keeper to double RBL’s lead. Phoenix were handed a lifeline when Neil Boote needlessly gave a penalty away and Shaw sent keeper Nick Dennis the wrong way. It was RBL that still looked the more likely to score, but they couldn’t make the most of their chances and they paid for it when Shaw headed home from a Josh Aston corner to give Phoenix a share of the points.

The day’s most dramatic game came at Colley where the third place home team was beaten by second place City Taxis in a nine goal thriller that saw all Taxis goals scored by Flo Fadiga (left). A mix-up between Neil Whitworth and Colley keeper Karl Taylor allowed Fadiga to nip in and put Taxis in front, but when a Brendan Drew shot could only be parried by the Taxis keeper Matt Meaney pounced on the loose ball to make it all square at half time. Colley took the lead when a Neil Whitworth header from a Richie Whitworth free kick was blocked by the keeper and this time Chris Fowler was first to the ball for his seventeenth goal of the season. It looked like Colley would go on to win it when Fowler's through ball allowed Meaney to rifle home his thirteenth of the season to put Colley 3-1 in front, but Fadiga grabbed two quick goals to bring his side level. With just five minutes remaining it again looked as if Colley had won it when Paul Antcliffes through ball was finished superbly by Carl Lomas from the edge of the area, but Fadiga grabbed another equaliser with normal time just about up before he grabbed an astonishing winner deep into added time to complete an amazing finish to a game played in a fantastic spirit by both sides sides and superbly refereed by Ken Nicholson.

A Blake Owen (right) hat-trick helped Steelers came from behind to beat Crookes & District. Owen gave Steelers a two minute lead, but after some Crookes pressure they levelled when Tom Kinlin scored from a tight angle. Ten minutes later Owen netted his second to put Steelers ahead again and that’s how it stayed until the second half. Crookes levelled a second time when an under pressure Steelers defender turned the ball into his own net and after having an earlier shot blocked Chris Cottyn got his reward from a second attempt to put Crookes ahead. It started to go wrong for Crookes after that though as injury to Jonathan Cross reduced them to ten men and Steelers took full advantage. Liam Garret and Kaiden Simpson both found the net along with Owen’s third to give Steelers a 5-3 victory.

Sharrow Vale earned their first home point of the season with a 1-1 draw against Norton Oaks B. After a goalless first half it was Sharrow that took the lead when Matt Bowyer met a Bede McMillan cross with a header that sneaked past the Oaks keeper. Norton hit back strongly, but it didn’t look as if they would break the Sharrow defence down until the final minute when a Steve Reynalds cross was played back across goal by Nick West and Joe Lawson slid in to give Oaks a deserved equaliser.

15-Feb 2015 – JUNIOR SUNDAY CUP - Hallam outwit the Fox - Joe Howsham hit all Hallam's goals as they won their all-Blades Super Draw tie with fellow Division Two side Fox & Hounds. Howsham grabbed his first after just ten minutes, but Hallam couldn’t build on that lead in the first half. The second half saw Hallam take control as Howsham grabbed three more to take his season's tally in all competitions to thirty eight and although John Ward grabbed to late goals for Fox they never really threatened to get back into the game. Hallam will now face Wilton Athletic in the quarter finals. Action from the game is below - pictures by Mick Moat.

8-Feb 2015 – JUNIOR SUNDAY CUP - Peet double sends Fox through at last - An Ash Peet double helped Fox & Hounds Rangers (left) to a 5-3 victory over Longcar Inn in their much delayed Round Four tie. A Craig Begbie free kick put Fox in front and they doubled their advantage when Ash Peet put the finish to the best move of the game. If they thought it would be palin sailing after that they were very much mistaked as Longcar grabbed two goals to go into half time level and shortly after the break they stunned Fox by taking the lead. Fox shook themselves and began to dominated and they were rewarded with a John Ward equaliser. They continued to put their opponents on the back foot and got their noses back in front with Peet’s second of the game, before Adam Skelton made the tie safe. Fox will now travel to fellow Division Two side Hallam FC next Sunday in Round 5.

CBC PREMIER - It's Eadesy for Civil, but Oughtibridge make it 33 unbeaten - Oughtibridge WM stay top of the CBC Premier after Mark Townsend and Ollie Black doubles saw them make it 33 games unbeaten with a 7-1 victory at Brinsworth Whitehill. Townsend put Oughtibridge ahead when he tapped home a loose ball and Justin Westoby soon made it two when he cut in and fired home from the edge of the box. Good work by Jamie Smith and Ross Brown then set Townsend up for his second, before Brown scored to make it 4-0 at the break. Oughtibridge continued to boss the game in the second half and added more goals from an Ollie Black double and one from Josh Ransom. Brinsworth’s consolation came from Joe McGuiness.

Civil Service can still overtake Oughtibridge though after they exactly matched the leaders scoreline with a 7-1 victory over Bulls Head. Gary Eades was Civil’s star with a hat-trick as they maintained their perfect home record. Eades got the scoring underway when he met an Andrzej Gordon-Hides cross and soon after Stacy Sharif was the provider for Gordon-Hides to get his name on the scoresheet. Sharif then showed his bravery to score Civil’s third, but he was injured in the process and had to be replaced. After the break Eades second goal came when a shot from Danny Fowler cannoned off him past the keeper, but there was no luck about his hat-trick goal when he produced a clinical finish after being put through by Danny Wattam. Bulls Head’s goal came next when Adam Jackson felled Nick Ash in the area and Ash picked himself up to score from the spot, but Jackson soon made up for his mistake with a good strike to make it 6-1. The scoring was completed when Tommy Fowler was brought down in the area and Calvin Thomas stepped up to stroke home the penalty.

DIVISION 1 - Southey miss the chance to go top as Norton Nick it - Southey Social missed the chance to go back to the top of Division One after Nick Glossop headed what turned out to be the winner on his debut for Norton Oaks A to put his side back into the promotion race. Norton started much the quicker of the two and when Danny Reet turned his marker, he crossed for Steve Scott to tap the ball home and they deservedly doubled their lead when Glossop headed home Dom Jolly’s cross. Southey started to get into the game and leading scorer John Mellor had a shot tipped over the bar and from the resulting corner, Rob Womack shot just wide. They got back into it just before the break when Chris Roberts headed home. Southey pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half and moved Ash Matthews up front, and the move almost did the trick when he met a Danny Lindley cross with his head, but the Norton keeper produced a great save to make sure his side went home with the points.

The teams immediately below Southey made no mistake though, with a Paul Turner double helping Intake Old Boys to a 4-0 victory over Ecclesfield Players Lounge, while Loxley also kept their promotion bid going with a narrow 4-3 victory at Ranch. Intake went ahead when a cross by Russell Hobson wasn’t cleared and Turner volleyed home. Turner then played a one two with Liam Parnell (right) for Parnell to produce a great finish with the outside of his foot to give Intake a two goal lead at the break. Ecclesfield came storming back at them in the second half and Joe Knight hit a post before then having a shot cleared off the line. Knight then brought out a good save from the keeper before missing a free header at the back post. Gavin Hunter then hit the bar and Intake then had to clear another effort off the line. After defending so well, Intake broke quickly and Parnell and Hobson combined to give Turner the chance to volley his second and Intake completed the scoring when a defender handled in the area and Hobson stepped up to chip the ball past the stranded keeper.

Loxley skipper Steve Mayfield gave his side the lead with a well placed finish from outside the box, but Ranch began to control proceedings and deservedly equalised before half time when Jakon Burgin and Tom Evans combined for Burgin to score from twelve yards. Loxley refocused after the break and they went back in front when Tom Storey capitalised on a defensive error to drive the ball home. Loxley then looked to have the game under control when an Anthony Marshall cross was superbly volleyed home by the left foot of Jon Rhodes, but sub Joe Woodhouse put Ranch back into the game when he curled the ball home from the edge of the box. Ranch then conceded a needless penalty which Lewis Vessey put away twice after being told to re-take it. Ranch refused to lie down though and Chris Wajs headed home to give them hope, but Loxley held on to keep their promotion hopes alive

DIVISION 2 - Karl is Phoenix's Fox in the box – Phoenix extended their lead at the top of Division Two to six points as a Karl Fox double helped them to a 3-1 victory at Steelers. A possible shock looked on when Kaiden Simpson (third picture below) gave Steelers the lead, but Phoenix got back on level terms when they were awarded a penalty and Fox scored with ease. Man of the match Josh Aston then put Fox through for him to hit his second through the keepers legs to give Phoenix a half time lead. The second half saw Phoenix awarded a second penalty, but Fox missed the chance to get a hat-trick when he tried a cheeky chip which the keeper read and easily caught (first picture below). Steelers were having plenty of the game and might well have equalised before Nicky Shaw made it safe for the leaders when Aston put him through for him to produce a Van Basten type volley that left the keeper with no chance (second picture below). More action from the game is below - all pictures by Mick Moat.

Matt Meaney and Chris Fowler doubles helped Colley back into the top three with a 4-0 home victory against Laycock Sports. There was nothing in the game until Colley opened the scoring just before the break, but after they added a second immediately after the break there was only ever going to be one winner and they deservedly added two more goals as well as keeping their sixth clean sheet of the season.

Chapeltown RBL look on course for their highest ever finish after a Neil Boote double helped them to a 4-2 victory over Sharrow Vale. It was Sharrow that struck first when John Matterson won and scored a penalty, but their lead was short-lived when a corner saw Boote rise highest to equalise. Ten minutes into the second half Chapeltown took the lead when Boote produced an acrobatic volley that squeezed the ball just beyond the keeper, but Sharrow were back on level terms when the best move of the game allowed Matterson to net his second. Chapeltown hit back and when Joe Moorhouse was brought down in the area, Danny Cardwell marked his debut with a goal from the penalty spot and they finally confirmed the points when Ben Palmer chipped the ball over the keeper from the corner of the penalty area.

Norton Oaks B moved out of the bottom three with a 3-1 victory at fellow strugglers Cobden View. Nick West set up Steve Reynalds to give Norton the lead and they doubled it when Jamie Marshall (right) headed home a deep Tim Dearing cross. Reynalds then turned provider to cross for Richard Pearson to head home Norton’s third and despite their keeper allowing a weak Ben Bell shot to squeeze past him, Norton held on comfortably.