Week ending 13th January by Mason Norton

A Happy New Year to everyone. But the New Year looks similar to the old one in the Everards Brewery Premier Division where, after this Saturday, it's now clear that leaders Allexton & New Parks aren't so much clear of all their rivals, but are now galloping them into the ground. They travelled to nearest challengers Desford & Caterpillar on Saturday, and came away with a 4-2 win, having gone in 3-1 up at half-time. Ryan Charles (2), Matt Dennis and Josh Gough scored for ANP, Mac Parnell and Jamie York for Desford. That leaves ANP 11 points clear of second-placed Aylestone Park Reserves, with three games in hand on Park, and 12 points clear of Desford, with a game in hand on Desford. As the teams at the top now enter the final third of their campaigns, the only realistic question is when ANP will seal the deal.


Allexton & New Parks have also applied for promotion to Step 6, and have passed the ground-grading in previous years, so the promotion challenge seems to also have been tied up early this term. Ellistown are the only other applicants from the LSL for promotion to Step 6, and they sit in fourth spot, 16 points behind ANP having played a game more. They closed the gap to the sidelined Aylestone Park and the defeated Desford on Saturday after a 4-0 win at FC Khalsa, Daniel Yadav and Shea Bates scoring in the first half, before Ronnie Morley added a third early on in the second period with a counter-attacking goal and Tom Vyce added a fourth late on. 


In the bustle for the sponsored places can be added both Hathern and Burbage & Huncote. It threatened to be a massacre at Pasture Lane, as braces from Liam Walton and Tom Insley put Hathern 4-0 up after 24 minutes at home to Friar Lane & Epworth, with Lee Ward scoring a penalty on the half-hour to make it five, before Jake Davies scored just before the break to send Hathern 6-0 up at the break. Hathern had chances to score again after the oranges, but in truth lost some direction, and Gaz Warren scored a brace in the final quarter of an hour as Lane finished the game on a more positive note, final score being 6-2 to Hathern. Meanwhile, Burbage & Huncote put bottom side Ashby Ivanhoe Knights to the sword 5-2, Cam Atkinson (2), Liam Pescott (2) and Jordan Pickering the scorers for B & H, Will Pickering and Ashden Shortland for Knights. 


At the bottom, Knights remain the side propping up the table, but Barrow Town closed the gap a little bit after they snatched a 1-1 draw away at Cottesmore. Mark Tinsley scored for Cotts in the first half, but Barrow kept on and Callum Key snatched an equaliser for Barrow five minutes from the end, with Barrow now seven points adrift of Khalsa and safety. Magna 73 and Thurnby Rangers both continued to nudge up the table after they shared a 1-1 draw at the Meadows, Callum Morris for Magna, Ephraim Williams for Thurnby. The only other game played saw Highfield Rangers and Sileby Town swap places in mid-table after Rangers won 4-0 away at Sileby, Tyrell Brady, Evan Mansfield, Raijaun Morris-Laing and Charles Thomas for Highfield.