The top of the Premier Division is hotter than it’s ever been and results this weekend will only excite neutrals further prior to the season end in a few weeks. Only 1 point separated the top 3 prior to this weekend, with Hayfield Firsts, Chapel Town Firsts and Dove Holes Firsts all in contention to lift the ultimate prize.
Chapel Town Firsts started the day off a point behind leaders Hayfield with a game in hand. Bamford were their next challenge, who arrived at Rowton Park fresh off an away victory over the 19th Hole last weekend. The Derbyshire Divisional Cup North Final looms over Chapel, and with Bamford possessing the ability to beat anyone on their day, a tense game was anticipated. Bamford stole the spoils on the day by defeating Chapel 2-1. Josh Edwards goal wasn’t enough to take anything away from the game from Chapel.
Dove Holes Firsts were next up, and a win would put them ahead of Chapel Town by 3 points. Dove entered the fixture undefeated in the league since October when Dronfield FC (Baslow) beat them 5-2, a loss that drove Dove into sensational form. Another display of utter dominance was shown by Dove, as they defeated Tideswell United 8-0 to move into 2nd place. Ben Bagshaw scored another 2 goals, as did Adam Sircar. Joel Donnelly got his name on the scoresheet, but the headlines were stolen by Dan Gilbride who netted an impressive hattrick, taking his total goal record for the season up to 14 goals in just 12 games. Chapel do have a game in hand over Dove, and if they are victorious in this fixture they would move level on points in the Premier Division table.
Furness Vale faced off against Dronfield FC (Baslow) in the third fixture of the weekend. They entered the weekend in the relegation zone but do have 4 games in hand over 7th placed 19th Hole. A win was needed and delivered in style as they got the 3 points with a 4-1 victory. Benjamin Lomas scored his 3rd goal of the season, with Dylan Moore grabbing his 4th. The victory was sealed with Patrick O’Brien’s double, which will no doubt provide Furness with some good confidence as they look to climb the table and build momentum going into next season.
League leaders Hayfield concluded the Premier Division fixtures for the day, knowing a win would send them 4 points clear of Chapel Town and 1 point clear of Dove Holes. The 19th Hole are fighting for their Premier Division status, and knew a top performance would be needed to overcome Hayfield. Champions are made in games where a single moment scrapes you 3 vital points, as seen at all levels of the game around the world. The 19th Hole took Hayfield all the way and looked like they were about to earn an epic point with a goalless draw! However, the best teams find a way, which Hayfield did in the 82nd minute courtesy of Joshua Marchington. The win provides a bit of breathing space for Hayfield for another week, but Chapel do have a game in hand that would see them close the gap to just 1 point if victorious. Hayfield and Chapel are set to meet on the 16th of April, which could ultimately decide who will be champions.
The A Division saw the return of the Roden Cup, with only 2 fixtures going ahead as Dove Holes Reserves received an automatic win over Blazing Rag. Dove will be looking to complete a league and cup treble after winning the A Division and most recently the Cliff Ellis Memorial Trophy.
Buxworth Reserves and Calver kicked the day off in style with a 5-goal thriller on display for all in attendance. Western Lane is a groundhopper hotspot, so anyone lucky enough to attend yesterday would not have been disappointed. Calver eventually got the job done, winning the tie 3-2 on the day thanks to goals from Oscar Dobson, Joe Wragg and Ayr Barker. Buggy’s goals came from Benjamin Stanton and William Goodwin, but this wasn’t enough to overcome Calver who have been very impressive this campaign.
Hathersage and Hayfield Reserves completed the leagues fixtures for the day, with the 2nd Roden Cup game of the season being played out at the Leadmill Ground. Hathersage have also impressed this season, and Hayfield Reserves hit some good form towards the end of their campaign, indicating that more is to come next season from this young side. Hayfield displayed maturity on the day and won the game 2-0, thanks to goals from Max Hudson and Jake Walsh.