Week ending 27th April by Mason Norton

The last Saturday of April is traditionally the point where the curtain comes down on the season in local non-league football. This year, much of the action has already been concluded, with Everards Brewery Division Two having finished two weeks ago, and the Everards Brewery Premier Division finished this weekend as well. Only Everards Brewery Division One, and a handful of games, carries on into May and injury time this season.


In the event, there was only one game played on Saturday, which came in the Prem, where Ellistown welcomed Burbage & Huncote for the final game of the season. B&H threatened to cause an upset and were on top in the first half. Though the scores were level at the break, it came as no surprise when Andy Wooldridge fired the visitors in front five minutes after the interval. That goal sparked Ellistown into a little bit of life, and they got back onto level terms when a Burbage defender was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box, and Tom Vyce stepped up to convert the penalty on 55 minutes to put the hosts back on level terms, and it was Vyce who popped up again two minutes later with the winner, as his run caused problems amongst the defence and he let rip with a shot that took a wicked deflection and looped in past the stranded keeper. Ellistown held on to win 2-1, and finish the season in fifth place, whilst B&H wind up slap bang in mid-table, 8th out of the 15 finishers. 


That pretty much wraps up the Premier Division for this season- the only result still awaiting to be resolved relates to the game between Magna 73 and FC Khalsa which was abandoned three weeks ago, the outcome of which will be decided by the League's Management Committee in due course. However, failing a big turnround in goal difference, it looks like Magna will finish 12th and Khalsa one place behind in 13th. Sponsor prize monies go to champions Allexton & New Parks and runners-up Hathern. 


Div1 was supposed to see two games on Saturday, but Ingles Development's game at home to Dunton & Broughton was rearranged for next Thursday, and the title party at Beaumont Park was spoiled slightly as Champions Anstey Town's game against Sutton Bonington was postponed on Friday when SB were unable to raise a side. That game will also be referred to the League's Mangement Committee, which will confirm whether or not Anstey Town have indeed managed to go the full season unbeaten in the League. 


Instead, all the Div1 action came in midweek. Tuesday night saw Sutton come from behind twice in the second half away at Holwell Sports Reserves to draw 2-2. Louis Marriott had given Holwell an early lead, only for Jacob Lawrence to equalise for SB. Tom Concar looked to have won it for Holwell when he scored eight minutes from time, but as regulation time began to tick out, Sutton won a free-kick which Joe Brown struck over the wall and into the back of the net on 89 minutes to earn a share of the spoils. That brings Holwell's season to a close- having spent the first half of the season looking like they would be in the relegation dogfight, a stronger second half of the campaign sees them comfortably in mid-table. Also on Tuesday night, Ingles Development won 2-0 away at Birstall United Reserves, Michael Tuck and Oliver Unwin both scoring in the first period. Birstall finish their season in 9th, bottom but one of the finishers, whilst two wins from their last three games will gives Ingles fourth spot. 


Wednesday night saw Hinckley LR Reserves finish their League campaign at home to Dunton & Broughton United. A sluggish first half finished goalless, and it looked like DBU, who have been desperately out of form since the winter break, might find something to cheer about. That was before Road ran riot in the second half, Harry Smith breaking the deadlock early on in the second period, before Stan Rossell scored soon after, and Harry Warner made it 3-0 just after the hour mark to end the game as a contest. Road's reinforcements then finished off the job, as Brogan Greenwood came on and made it 4-0, before fellow sub Jack Warner said 'evening all' and made it 5-0 in the final minutes. Road finish their season in third, a point behind runners-up Leicester Atletico, though Atletico have a game left next Saturday at Ingles Development, and the Leicester Road development team look as though they may finish by rueing the last-minute missed penalty at home to Atletico the night before Christmas Eve when they lost 2-1. 


The midweek action settled the one remaining prize in Div1- with his rival Tallen Burt drawing a blank on Tuesday night, Brogan Greenwood's goal on Wednesday sees him lift the Div1 top scorer award as he went clear at the top of the table with 20 goals for the season.


Road will be hoping that Greenwood and his team-mates score a few more times in their next few games. With the Prem & Div2 now finished, and only four games left in Div1 as the season goes into injury time, none of which affecting either title, promotion or relegation prospects, the main attention now turns to the cup finals. The first of three cup finals comes up on Tuesday night, when Hinckley LR Reserves take on Loughborough Students Development in the Chairman's Trophy Final at Barrow Town's Riverside Park. Ramble Round the Chairman's Trophy Final is our next installment later in the week, as we hit the business end of the business end of the season. See you then.