On a day that had the league on the edge of their seats, the two front-runners of the Premier Division ensured that the trophy for the winners of the Premier Division remained on standby as it could have gone to Rowton Park, or to Furniss Vales COGS Field where Dove Holes were completing their final fixture of the season.
The Dore Shield was also played in midweek, which saw Hayfield cement their place in the final after an impressive win against their title rivals Dove Holes Firsts. A close game was played out, but Hayfield secured their place in the final scheduled to go ahead this Thursday at the home of New Mills Football Club, Church Lane. Hayfield and Dove battled well, with Ben Bagshaw providing Dove with their goal to keep the tie tense up until the final whistle. Hayfield had the last laugh however, with Joseph Wyatt and Elliot Brownsword’s goals enough to see them win the fixture. Their opponent in the final will be confirmed in due course pending an internal enquiry. Dependant on the result of the enquiry, Hayfield will face either Bamford FC or Chapel Town FC.
The task was simple for Dove Holes and Chapel Town, win. Both sides entered the day level on points and only separated by Chapel’s superior goal difference. Dove Holes faced the task of beating Dronfield FC (Baslow) who have shown promising signs throughout this season and possess the ability to pull big performances out the hat. Dove knew that a win was the only option, and that if Chapel dropped any points in their fixture against Furness Vale that they would be crowned champions. The job was done in style, as Dove won the game 4-2. Ben Bagshaw, Tom Forder, James Gemmell and Adam Sircar provided Dove with the goals, with the squad awaiting news from Furness Vale at full-time to see if they would be lifting the trophy a little later on.
Chapel Town arrived at Furness with a spring in their step. Furness Vale have found good form towards the latter stages of the season, and Chapel knew that the game wouldn’t be an easy one. Jimmy Wood gave Furness a boost with his goal scoring ability, but Chapel were determined to lift the trophy after the heartbreak they endured in the Derbyshire Divisional Cup North Final. A yellow and blue tornado hit Furness Vale, with Chapel scoring 4 goals to confirm their status as Premier Division champions for the 2024/2025 season.
With the league fixtures in both divisions now concluded, only the Dore Shield is left to be played for. The golden boot race for the A Division is now concluded, and the front runner for what seemed like the entire season, Calver’s Ayr Barker, has taken the crown with a fantastic 18 goals in 18 games. Second spot also went to a Calver player, with Rob Littlewood just 1 goal shy of drawing level with his teammate as he scored 17 goals in 18 appearances. The bronze prize for the A Division golden boot stands with Dove Holes Reserves Ryan Bradd, who notched 16 goals in just 15 games. The Premier Divisions golden boot will be decided after the commencement of the Dore Shield.