Weekly Round Up: Goals, Drama, and Standout Performances Define Local Football Action
Premiership
In a thrilling Premiership encounter, Newburgh Harrock faced a tough 3-5 defeat against Preston Wanderers, with Newburgh’s scorers yet to be revealed. Preston showcased their attacking prowess with goals from Connor Bell and Lewis Scanlon, who netted twice, along with contributions from substitutes Amir Bagas and Arrondale Richards.
Meanwhile, Walmer Bridge and Highgrove battled to a 1-1 draw, with Liam Goggin securing the lone goal for Walmer and Highgrove’s equalizer coming from substitute Jake Wicks.
The focus this weekend as the season draws to a close was on Divisions 1 and 2 where Championships and promotions were at stage.
Division One
In Division One, top of the table Broughton Amateurs knew that a win away at Southport & Ainsdale Amateurs Reserves would mean they were Division 1 champions. The game was a 9 goal thriller and Southport pushed them all the way. Broughton took the lead early on but Southport pegged them back with 2 goals to take the lead before Broughton equalised with a penalty just before half time. In the second half, Broughton took the lead twice only for Southport to fight back and make it 4-4. The winning goal for Broughton came with ten minutes to go to make it 5-4 but it was a nervy finish with two excellent saves from their goalkeeper in the last 5 minutes.
Goalscorers for Southport & Ainsdale remaining unknown. James Charlson bagging a hat trick for Broughton, supported by two goals from Liam Bell.
Broughton have been through some tough times in recent years and every credit must go to Doug Birch, the Broughton secretary, and this team for keeping going and deserving their success. Alan Stuttard, the league secretary, presented the Division 1 winners trophy to captain Kevin Cummins at the end of the game.
Appley Bridge and Fleetwood Hesketh played out a goalless draw, showcasing a defensive standoff.
Hoole United secured a convincing 4-2 victory over Sir Tom Finney, with Alfie Parker, Ben Rooke, and a brace from Adam Thomas fueling their win, while Sir Tom Finney managed to respond through Adrian Barbu and substitute Michael Jukka.
Standish St Wilfrid’s dominated their match against Norcross, clinching a convincing 4-1 victory, with James Harrison finding the net and Samir Sobeih scoring a hat trick, further solidifying his status as the third top scorer with an impressive 29 goals in 20 appearances across the firsts and reserves squads. The lone scorer for Norcross remains undisclosed.
Division Two
In Division Two, the big game was the match between the teams in 2nd and 3rd place, Astley Reserves vs Gables and Gables came out on top with a 4-2 win which puts them in 2nd place. However, they can still be caught for the runners up spot by Cube FC who won 8-0 at Shevington Reserves during their mid-week match and did take second place, on goal difference, when they won their final game of the season when Ribchester Rovers Reserves faced a 2-9 defeat against the., with goals from Jack Billington and Stirling Winder for Ribchester, while Cube FC’s scorers are yet to be confirmed.
Broughton Amateurs AFC Reserves were unable to field a team, resulting in Bickerstaffe Reservesreceiving an away walkover.
Finally, Middleton & Overton Sports FC secured a narrow 2-1 victory against AFC Ainsdale, with goals from Michael Jones and Matthew Thomson 5 minutes apart shortly after the second half kicked off. The specific goal scorers for Ainsdale yet to be confirmed.