I thought the big hat was going to be put away for 6 months or so when the sun came out on Sunday, but it was back on by Wednesday……

LEAGUE NEWS

Whisper it, but at this precise moment in time we are FULL! But that doesn’t mean we aren’t still on the lookout for new teams……..

With the 11’s season approaching it’s conclusion, we want to get the SUNDAY LEAGUE up to 5 DIVISIONS for the summer (at least). We don’t actually know how we’d fit all these in, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it……

While there are no spaces on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, there isn’t a massive waiting list of teams, so if you want to register your interest we can try and get you some friendlies on the go while we wait for a slot to become available.

For any information on the above, complete a form on the ‘JOIN A LEAGUE’ section of the homepage, call or text 07809252658, or email [email protected].

SUNDAY LEAGUE

We unfortunately (and hopefully temporarily) lost Dench FC from the Ballers league this week, partly as a result of the struggles of being in the top flight, but fortunately we had a new team all set and ready to take on the challenge. Firstly though, leaders Insole were looking to consolidate their lead at the top as they took on struggling Team Tom. That struggle continued for another week as Insole poured forward relentlessly from the off, and two goals each from Jack Atkinson and Kyle Clarke, along with one each for Brad Street, Jordan Cunningham and Matthew Atkinson gave the leaders a 7-0 lead at the break. They didn’t let up much in a second half that provided a level of symmetry as Street, Clarke and Cunningham added further doubles and Jack Atkinson another as they ran out 14-0 winners. Such was their dominance, the man of the match was actually given to Tommers keeper Rob Longworth, who did his best to keep the scoreline that low. Kinky Slipper needed a win over Kipsta Cobras to keep themselves in touching distance at the top, but after a slow start they fell behind to Wayne Reeves 8th minute opener. They turned it around by the quarter hour mark as Joe Lailey and James Radcliffe scored to put Kinky in front, but it was all square again with a minute as Warren Yeo made it Desmond. Jordan Hutchinson scored two minutes before the break to send Kinky in with a half time lead, and two more from the same player either side of Lailey’s second put them firmly in control half way through the second period. Yeo grabbed his second to give Kipsta a glimmer of hope at 6-3 with 11 to play, but Kinky eased to victory through a goal from unnamed scorer and a third from Lailey. We were joined by Bangers & Pash this week, and they were thrown in fairly deep as they took on the third of the title contenders in Duno. They held their own for the opening quarter of an hour before Liam Watson put the challengers in front, but they swiftly leveled things up as Chris Carroll scored the Pash’s first Ballers goal. Duno went into the break with a narrow lead as Jack Cope scored a minute before the break, but Bangers were level again three minutes after the restart as Matt Sheehan drew them level for a second time. Stevie Whetham put Duno in front for the third time a minute later, and they had a two goal lead for the first time two minutes after as Cope got his second. There was no looking back from this point as Duno finished the stronger with Watson and Calvin Alexander adding two more each in the final 10 minutes to give Duno a comfortable looking victory.

Real Maskid had played in, and won the Reddish North End fundraising tournament during the day, and went straight into their league game with The McMuffin Men still confident of maintaining their 100% record so far this season. That looked to be on the cards as Kieran O’Connell and Jack McConnell gave them a two goal lead in the opening 8 minutes with the only two goals of the half. In the reverse fixture earlier in the season Maskid had run away with it in the second half, but it looked less likely this time around and Sam Delgado pulled one back for McMuffins with 19 minutes left to play. The 100% record looked in real danger when Jack Searle leveled up for McMuffin 8 minutes from time, but McConnell got his second of the game 60 seconds later and Maskid held on to record their 6th straight win. Inter Row Z and El Caliente went into this week’s game level on points in the race for second place, with a superior goal difference placing Inter in that prized position at start of play. This one was a topsy turvy game from start to finish, and it began with Ray Donnelly giving Inter the lead in the 4th minute before Nathaniel Odysseus-Kingsley leveled up three minutes later. Callum Donnelly restored the Inter lead on 10 minutes, but this time they only held the lead for a minute as O-K drew Caliente level for a second time. Caliente went in front for the first time as Jay Berrisford scored in the 15th, and again in the 17th after Brandon Byers-Wilkes had briefly drawn Inter level again in the 16th. We were level at 4-4 at the break as Byers-Wilkes got his second on the stroke of half time, and we remained level when Callum Donnelly and Berrisford scored within a minute of each other 9 minutes after the restart. Jack McDonagh nudged Inter in front again, but again this lead didn’t last long as Berrisford scored again to make it 6-6 with 13 minutes left. All that was left was two late goals in the dying seconds, and fittingly it was one for either side as Ray Donneelly got his second and Berrisford his 5th as a pulsating game ended in a 7-7 draw.

A full house of game in League One, in stark contrast to last week’s none, meant things were shaken up at the top of the table again in a tight looking league. Stockport Eagles took on Polish Army for the 401st time in what must be the most played Ballers game in Ballers history. This chapter started with the poles getting off to the better start as Piotr and Mateusz gave them a two goal lead in the opening 11 minutes, but that lead was gone within 6 minutes as Paul Waugh grabbed himself a double. His third meant that Eagles went into the break in front, and in a tight second half his 4th of the game eased the Eagles two goals up with 13 minutes left. Ryan McAndrew grabbed himself a goal 4 minutes from time to confirm the result in Eagles favour, and they soar to the top of the table as we reach the half way point of the season. Pat’s Giants, under their previous guise of SK Dons had thrown away a 3-0 half time lead in their first game of the season against this week’s opposition The Veterans, so they were looking to right those early season wrongs. While The Veterans finished that game strongly, they started this one as they ended that one, as goals from Paul Atherton and Steve Wally gave them a two goal lead in the first 4 minutes. Paddy Bannister pulled one back for the Giants on 9 minutes, and two goals in three minutes from Danny Brookes and Jack Emmerson gave Pat’s the lead 9 minutes before the break. Bannister got his second in the 21st minute, but The Vets remained in contention at the break as Atherton got his second to make it 4-3 at half time. Emmerson got his second early in the second period to ease Pat’s two goals up again, but Ben Mercer and Dean Minshull scored two quick goals to make things level again with 19 minutes to play. Pat’s looked to have made the decisive move when Bannister added two more either side of Emmerson’s third to move them three goals up for the first time, but Wally got his second 4 minutes from time to make sure it wasn’t cut and dried just yet. Bannster and Max Bradwell ended any doubts with a goal apiece in the last minute to give the Giants a 10-6 win that sees them take second spot. Murder On Zidane’s Floor join us for the second half of the season, replacing Deportivo Lack Of Talent who’ve dropped back into the bottom division, and they faced an FC AOTS team who had struggled for numbers this week. That didn’t stop them from taking the lead here as Scott Robinson put AOTS in front in the 12th minute, but Murder turned it around before the break as Sam Delgado, Josh Flynn and Logan Sherer gave them a 3-1 half time lead. Zidane killed the game off in the opening 12 minutes of the second half as Flynn added two, Dan Havern and Delgado others to move them into a 7-1 lead. Charlie Hutchinson pulled one back for AOTS, but Ellis Stelfox and Flynn added to the Murder total before Adam Duty scored a late consolation for an AOTS team that will be hoping to be back to full strength next week.

Deportivo Lack Of Talent looked to continue their Ballers recuperation this week, but it was a tough task against table toppers FC Stront Bakken. It looked like being even tougher as Declan Matthews gave the Bucket Boys the lead in the first minute, but in a tight first half Brad Peet’s leveler for Deportivo was the only other goal. The second half was equally tight, and we headed into the final 10 minutes still level at 1-1, but Matthews second of the game restored the Bakken lead with 9 minutes left to play, and Lukas Voveris completed a hard fought win for the leaders with their third 4 minutes from time. Inter Your Sister needed a win against Beercalona to remain in contention for the title, but that didn’t look likely at half time in this one. It started off looking like being a close game as Callum Jones and Scott Williams twice gave Beercalona the lead, only for Brandon Byers-Wilkes and Max Liversedge to peg them back both times. When Williams gave Beercalona the lead for the third time they pulled clear with three more before the break, two more from Williams and another from Jones. Liversedge pulled one back for Inter three minutes after the break, but Ste Bowler and Williams ensured that Beercalona went into the final 20 with a 5 goal lead. Byers-Wilkes and Matt Kealy reduced that to three with 14 to play, but Williams 6th of the game with 10 minutes left looked to have eased any concerns of an unlikely comeback. Gaz Sumner and Liversedge scored in the final 5 minutes, but it was too little too late for Inter, and they fall 9 points behind the leaders. For Beercalona, this was their first Ballers win since joining!

THE 4 DIVISIONS OF THE SUNDAY LEAGUE ARE FULL. JUST THE 5TH DIVISION TO GO NOW……   

MONDAY LEAGUE

It seems like forever since we had an actual full house of games on a Monday evening, but the introduction of a new side playing their first game with us meant we had 6 games to cover this week. Things are already done and dusted in terms of a title race in the top division, but Expected Toulouse had one final game against a Phantom Brazilians team who’ve found things to be a struggle recently but picked up a win a couple of weeks ago in a friendly with another of our new teams. They started well in this one as Mike Jennison and Ryan Clayton put them two up inside the opening 10 minutes. Toulouse aren’t the champs for nothing though, and they pulled one back through Jordan Milne 4 minutes before the break. Barely a minute had passed before Matt Barton restored the Phantom two goal lead, and they held onto that at the break. Things changed in the blink of an eye at the start of the second period as Milne got his second before Liam Mottram and Jack Grundy scored to put Expected in front for the first time just 8 minutes into the period. Surprisingly, and despite the best efforts of both teams, this was the final goal of the game as Expected finish the season with a perfect 10. AC MIlmanchester will be looking to take back the title they have just lost next season, and they faced a potentially tricky final game of the season against a Not A Chance team who’d run them close in the reverse fixture at the start of the season. This one didn’t look like being anywhere near as close when Simon Hackney and Martin Gordon put them two up in the first 6 minutes, and despite Phil Carroll pulling one back on 8 minutes it was 6-1 at the break as Hackney added two more, Gordon his second and the ironically named Sunny scoring his first Ballers goal in the pouring rain. The second half didn’t get much better for the Chancers, but the half was scoreless for the first 11 minutes before a late flurry of goals from Gordon (2), Billy Gallagher, James Elmore and debutant Daniel Flyer eased the runners up to a comfortable 11-1 win.

Jeremy Cheadle have been a little hit and miss since they singed back up, but they took their 100% record (from one game) into a fascinating looking game with FC Rhino Ket who look set for a spot in the top division next season. They also started the better here as rustiness may have been a factor for Cheadle who hadn’t played for the last couple of weeks, and Louis Moore put Rhino Ket two up in the first 6 minutes. Cheadle pulled themselves together and were back on level terms at the break when Phil Monaghan scored twice in the last 5 minutes of the half, and they went in front for the first time when Jack (just Jack) scored (probably) his first Ballers goal 6 minutes after the restart. When Jack Whelan scored with 10 minutes to go the result looked in the bag, but Moore quickly pulled one back for the promotion chasers. In a frantic final 10 minutes there was time for two more goals, and Alex Whelan’s goal for Cheadle gave them the win despite Moore’s 4th of the game meaning they had to hang on for the final few minutes. Netsix & Chill were looking to join Cheadle on 6 points as they went into their game with Pathetico Madrid as heavy favourites. The tag of favourites was justified as Connor Harding’s opening goal on 4 minutes was followed by two each from Matty Aked, Matthew Atkinson and Warren Yeo. with Joe Bates scoring the solitary Pathetico goal of the half. Pathetico put up a bit more of a fight in the second half but Netsix remained well in control despite Craig Moss scoring for Pathetico in the first minute of the half. They quickly regained control with two more from Atkinson and Harding, and one from Mike Pinder before Pathetico rallied with three unanswered goals of their own, one from Bates and two from Nathan Thomson. Netsix finished this one with a flourish with 4 more goals in the final 5 minutes, two each again from Atkinson and Harding to make it two straight wins. Pique Blinders haven’t picked up a win since their opening day victory over Netsix (granted they had only played one game since then), and if they were to hold out any hopes of promotion they really needed to pick up a win over Nice Buns, who we think will settle for a full season in the Championship as they continue to adapt to the 6’s game. Charlie Williamson put Buns in front in the first couple of minutes, and they doubled the lead through Dale Kirkham’s 14th minute goal. Kieran Norris pulled a goal back for Pique two minutes later, but Williamson scored a crucial double, one either side of the break to give Buns a 4-1 lead. Nathaniel Odysseus-Kingsley reduced the deficit with 17 to play, but it was Buns night as Jimmy Williamson scored their 5th and final goal of the game 6 minutes from time. We now have 4 teams on 6 points heading into the final couple of games.

We welcomed potential new team Red Hands FC down for their first game this week, with the always keen Wellspring stepping in to give them a game. It’s always nice when a new team can start with a win (always makes them more likely to come back!), and that’s what Red Hands got as three goals from Connor Morrissey and two from Mike Dolan gave them a comfortable 5-0 win. Hopefully they will be back again next week!

THE MONDAY LEAGUE IS NOW FULL! WE EVEN HAVE A TEAM ON STANDBY! FEEL FREE TO ENQUIRE ABOUT SIGNING UP BUT FOR A MORE IMMEDIATE START SUNDAY WILL BE THE NIGHT TO GO FOR 

TUESDAY LEAGUE

While every Ballers league, including Tuesday, maybe full, it doesn’t mean that big Champions League night’s involving Manchester clubs isn’t going to affect turnout. Just one game survived this week on what was the big opening night of the new season, with Stroke Titty taking on Wellspring in the first game of the new Championship campaign. Unfortunately the score card from this game has gone awol, so all we can say is that three pot shots from Conor Dolan, two from Jay Willingham and one each from Ryan Prestwich and Ryan Stevens were enough to see off Wellspring for this week despite three goals from Callum Walmsley, who was proud to tell us that he hadn’t scored a Ballers goal since last summer! Hopefully everything will be back to normal next week.

THE TUESDAY LEAGUE IS ALSO FULL. GET IN TOUCH ABOUT SIGNING UP FOR SUNDAY IF THAT’S OF ANY GOOD TO YOU!

WEDNESDAY LEAGUE

The returning Magpie FC were the final piece of the jigsaw in terms of league spaces, so it was back to a normal Wednesday night of three games. Duno doubled up and joined the Wednesday league, with a first game against some familiar faces in Stockport Eagles lineup. Goals from Calvin Alexander and Connor Harding saw us all square at 1-1 after the first 10 minutes. Jack Cope edged Duno in front and ‘Danny’ made it 3-1 before Ben Waugh and Warren Yeo scored a couple of quick goals to bring Eagles back level again. Duno were in front again by the break as Alexander got his second, and they were two goals up again when Cope also got his second two minutes into the second period. Harding’s second kept Eagles in contention, but three goals in 6 minutes from Stevie Whetham, Liam Watson and Michael Winn put Duno well in control. Waugh got his second half way through the period, but a shared flurry of 4 goals in as many minutes, an own goal and Winn’s second for Duno, Waugh and Harding for Eagles, were the final goals of the game as Duno start their Wednesday league campaign with a win. Polish Army picked up an impressive win on opening night against a recently improved Exeter Gently, but they faced two time winners Michu At De Gea Ba this week. It was a Michu side missing a couple of regulars, and the Army got the first goal through Slawek’s 6th minute finish. One of the Michu debutants got their leveler on 13 minutes as Nathan Brammer got his first Ballers goal, and despite Dominik restoring the the Army’s lead a minute before the break they couldn’t make it to half time in front as Brammer scored within seconds to make it 2-2 at half time. Matt Barton put Michu in front for the first time 9 minutes after the break, but Mateusz’ leveler 10 minutes from time had us looking set for a point apiece. Michael Jennison ensured that all three points headed Michu’s way with the winner in the last minute as Michu carry on where they left off last season. Magpie’s return started against Exeter Gently, but their form didn’t look like improving from where they left off as Mehrad Torkian and Mike Belshaw gave Exeter a two goal lead inside the first 10 minutes. Another Ballers debutant Adrian Hulicki pulled one back for Magpie, but Belshaw and Brad Robison added two more for Exeter to put them 4-1 up. Another new boy, Karol (no surname as yet) pulled one back for Magpie, but Exeter added two more before the break through Robison and Tom Harrison. Magpie did pull another back three minutes after the break, but despite there still being 22 minutes remaining there were no more goals as Exeter pick up a first win of the season at the second attempt.

THE WEDNESDAY LEAGUE, LIKE ALL OTHER LEAGUES, IS FULL! SUNDAY IS CURRENTLY THE ONLY NIGHT WHERE WE CAN FIND SPACE FOR NEW TEAMS.