13th January – Results & Scorers Round-Up

Kelly Read Cup: Round One

Newton United 2-3  HBW United

33 places separated Newton United (Division 1) and their opponents HBW United today (Division 4) when the two sides met at South Clifton. A second half penalty from Good and goals 2 goals from Brown produced one of the shocks in recent Seasons to see the Branston based team through to the next round. Shaw and Rowley scored for Newton but their goals could not deny HBW their day and their reward now is a trip to the current Competition holders and treble winning Premier Division Champions Anglers FC in the next round.

FVA Jerusalem 5-1  Metheringham FC

This game always looked to have the potential of an upset when studying the form of both team’s throughout the current Season. FVA are well placed in Division One, currently sitting in second place having lost only one League game to date. Metheringham, despite their lowly League position in the Premier Division, have a good pedigree in this Competition having won the trophy several times in recent Seasons. Despite a poor start to the Season Meg have picked up with results recently and I feel sure that they would have been very keen to avoid a potential banana skin when they visited Monson Park today. Stanney, for FVA, was in good form and his hat-trick today underlined that fact. Russell and Frecklington (from the penalty spot) ensured that it was the lower ranked team that progressed with Metheringham having just one goal from Greenfield to show for their efforts on the day. FVA Jerusalem will now host The Ferryboat FC in the next round of the Competition.

The Ferryboat FC  4-1  Cherry Willingham FC

This game threw out another shock on the day with a Division Four side comfortably defeating a team that play their football two Divisions higher in the League. Lig, Burrell, Kogut, and Flintham were the men to inflict the damage on the visitors whose solitary goal came from Shucksmith.

Plough Sturton  1-2  Anglers FC

With the home side playing in the second Division of the League it was always going to be a tough ask to defeat the side that were the Premier Division triple winning Champions of last Season, however a score line of 1-2 suggests, on paper at least, that the game was a contest that was never one sided. Indeed Blanchard’s first half  goal for Sturton sent the teams in at the break all square at one apiece with Anglers’ goal coming from Boulton. It proved to be a Bridge too far for Sturton in the second half when Craig Bridge scored what proved to be the winner for Anglers to ensure that the visitors and current Cup holders kept one hand firmly on the trophy.

Welton Sports AFC 3-3 Waddington United (after extra time). Welton won 3-2 on pens

From the reports that I have received this game had it all and was described as a cracker by both teams. Despite a gap of two Divisions between them both teams have enjoyed a solid start to the campaign with Waddington reaching the dizzy heights of top spot in their Division early on and Welton, to their credit after their promotion last Season back to the top flight, have lost just 2 games so far, the most recent of which was only last week. This was a tie between two Clubs who have won this Competition 10 times between them. Ultimately it will be seen that it would be the paint on the penalty spots that  were to make the headlines in determining the victors in this game. Furness scored for Welton during the opening 90 minutes from the penalty spot with the fist penalty of the day. Clifford tapped in for their second goal following a good move. Waddington replied with goals from Harrison and Foxcroft, who was returning to football after a serious health scare, to see the regulation time concluded with the scores locked at 2-2. A thunderbolt from Biggs for the home side from 25 yards put the hosts ahead before a goal from Melladay for the visitors saw the game end 3-3 to give the locals present, and the players, the dreaded penalties to endure, depending on your outlook of resolving the deadlock in these situations! Waddington then went 2-0 ahead on penalties but that proved to be all they could muster as Biggs, Smith, and penalty hero Sharpe scored the penalties for Welton which, together with three saves from McGann in the Welton goal, saw the home side progress from a game in what both camps described as a “proper Cup tie”. Welton Sports now host Bassingham Bugle Horn FC in Round Two.

Ruskington Lions 3-4 Nettleham FC

It was the visitors who raced into a 3-0 first half lead which seemingly would put the tie beyond the home side you would think? Not so. Ruskington applied good pressure on their opponents goal but found their keeper in excellent form as he pulled off a string of impressive saves. Jackson, Fixter, and Cooper did score for the home side but a brace of goals from Kerrigan plus goals from Park and Sievwright saw the Nettleham side over the line to set up an interesting looking tie away at first Division side Wishing Well Cherry FC in the next round.

Wishing Well Cherry FC  6-2  Old Boys United

Two goals each from D’Rasario and Barnes and further goals from Szostak and a Holmes penalty ensured Wishing Well’s safe passage into the next round despite goals from Gardiner and Hobson proving to be no more than consolation goals for their opponents.

Bassingham Bugle Horn FC  7-1 Dunston FC

This game always looked to be a tough ask on Dunston who currently sit bottom of Division Two with just one League win to their name this Season. Bassingham have also endured a difficult Season in Division One and as we all know in football you never know what will happen on the day, particularly in Cup football. Dunston’s cause was not helped from the start when they could manage only 10 players and by the end they had only 9 players to complete the game. It was perhaps no surprise in the end that it was the Division One side who came out winners by a comfortable score line courtesy of goals from Walker, who hit a hat-trick, Osbourne (2), Richardson, and Swales, whilst Hill notched the goal for Dunston in the first half of a game that saw the home side leading by just 3-1 at the interval. The second half simply proved too big a step for the young Dunston side who continue to find the Season tough after a large scale turn round of players within the last 12 months.

Premier Division

AFC Golden Eagle  1-2  Hykeham Memorial

Within five minutes of publishing the results on the website today I have received four texts asking if this result was correct, emphasising the surprise amongst some people at the result. Well done to Memorial for providing that surprise by notching only their second League win of the Season thanks to goals from Cooper and Barrass. The prolific Higginson got the goal for Eagle which proved no more than a consolation in a game that will be celebrated with relief and enjoyment for some time to come by the boys from Hykeham, I am certain of that!

Hykeham Town TRFC  2-0  Rustons United

Hykeham Town TRFC underlined their title aspirations when goals from Anderson and Chapman against challenging Rustons United saw the home side extend their  lead by a further 3 points over their nearest rivals.

Division One

Trent Valley  5-3 St Helens FC

A hat-trick from Holmes and a brace from Hewitt extended Trent Valley’s lead at the top of the table against the third placed team. Two goals from Reburn and a goal from Millar were the scorers for St Helens.

Division Two

Hykeham Social FC 0-1 Witham St Hughs

A single goal from Barratt was the difference between the two sides which settled this derby game in favour of the visiting side. Having collated the information provided by both teams it appears to ask the question “How have Witham won this? Hykeham Social FC peppered the Witham goal throughout and had four shots hit the woodwork and a further three shots cleared off the line but as we all know its only goals that win matches and it was Barratt who provided the only one when he scored following a corner kick. This result sees Witham edge closer towards the mid-table teams on points and puts a brief halt to Hykeham Social’s good run of form in recent matches. They remain in fifth place with the teams around them in the table being without a League fixture today.

Division Three

Morning Star  2-1  Ruston Sports FC

Morning Star opened up a five point lead over their nearest rivals after second half goals from Reynolds and Marshall earned them a maximum haul of points from their game against mid-table Ruston Sports FC. Following a blank first half from both sides the visitors were well in the game at the end thanks to their goal from Norris but in the end it was the leaders who had enough to get the score line which enables them to enjoy a bit more breathing space from the second placed team as a result.

Queen Athletic  1-1  Horncastle Town

Both sides remain well placed in the table after a share of the spoils between two of the top five sides in the table today. Queen move up to third place thanks to their goal from Sturgess whilst Horncastle sit fifth after Cheetham’s goal ensured that the points were shared.

Shakespeare Imps 0-3 Broadley FC

Two goals from Bowman and a goal from Bromfield secured the points for the visitors as they are now starting to show some consistency after a slow start to the Season by their standards.

Stacey West FC  3-0  Nosey FC

These two sides occupied the bottom two positions in the League table at the start of play with Stacey West having been marooned in the bottom spot since the start of the Season.  A first half goal and two further goals after the break for the home side saw the two sides change places leaving Nosey FC as the team now propping up all the other teams in the Division.

Division Four

Swanpool FC  3-0  AFC West End

Swanpool have had a tremendous run of late and have surged into second place in the table as a result. Two first half goals from Stokes and a goal from Bentley put the hosts firmly in control at the break. With neither side adding to the goals in the second half of the game Swanpool now sit just 4 points behind leaders Crown & Arrows who were without a fixture today.

Railway Inn United  6-1  Green Dragon

Two goals apiece from  Lilley and Markham and goals from Zablockyj and Smith secured the points against a Green Dragon side who themselves have found wins difficult to come by this Season. A goal from Stephenson reduced the deficit but the Railway’s momentum is keeping them on track to be challenging at the top of this Division at the end of the Season.

M.H.Blue Lion 6-2 The Shed

On almost the anniversary of the sad loss of their Assistant Player Manager, Michael Hull, the Lions went into this game enjoying their best ever Season with a very comfortable mid-table position in the League. Goals from their Captain (Carter), Wilkinson, Hirons and Wood saw them go into the half time interval leading 4-1 after Dowsett pulled a goal back for the visitors. Second half goals from  McCarthy and Hirons rounded off an excellent day for the Lions despite Dowsett reducing the winning margin with his second goal of the game for The Shed. This now sees Blue Lion occupying a top half placing in the League for the first time in their 3 year history with the League.

Metheringham Reserves 1-3 FVA Jerusalem Reserves

I have not received any goal scorers from either side so the result is all I can report.

Ian Stephenson