League: Sunday League

Sunday leagues

El Caliente vs Insole

Having nicked a couple of players from Mid Life Crisis, meaning the end of that particular team, El Caliente could go on to become a force in the Sunday Premiership, but a tough task faced them this week as Insole needed to keep winning and hope for a slip up from leaders Kinky Slipper.

It was one of those players, Jay Berrisford, who put Caliente in front in the 13th minute, but in an otherwise tight first half it was goals from Kyle Clarke and Connor Harding in the latter stages that gave Insole a 2-1 half time lead.

Berrisford’s second of the game with 15 minutes left left us with the possibility of a surprise Caliente win (or point), but they were level for just two minutes before Kyle Clarke restored the Insole lead. Two more in the final 10 minutes for Harding put the seal on the win for Insole as they look to chase down the leaders.

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Kinky Slipper vs Step Brothers

Having slipped to a 13-0 defeat to Insole a few weeks ago, this was another night to forget for Step Brothers against the Champions-elect in Kinky Slipper.

The Brotherhood actually started quite brightly, and hit the woodwork on a couple of occasions before Danny Parkinson gave Kinky the lead on 6 minutes. The floodgates quickly opened and two more from Parkinson, two for Wesley Harney and one each for Jordan Hutchinson, Joe Lailey and Rob Cresswell meant it was 8-0 at the break.

This was the same score that they were behind at half time in their game with Insole, but things got worse for Step Brothers in the second period as Hutchinson, Lailey, Cresswell and Parkinson all grabbed two apiece, and ‘keeper Luke Braden one as Kinky ran out 18-0 winners. The season can’t really end quickly enough for Step Brothers…….

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Exeter Gently vs Team Tom

Team Tom’s mission to survive another season in the Championship saw them taking on a much changed Exeter Gently team to the one that has had an upturn in form themselves in recent weeks.

They went in front in this one as Rob Jordan scored first in the 7th minute, but within three minutes Exeter had turned it around thanks to two goals from debutant Scott Milne. Maison Owen gave Exeter a two goal lead 5 minutes before the break, but a quick fire brace from Matt McNulty saw us go into the break at 3-3.

The second period was as tight and tense as you’d expect from a relegation 6 pointer, but it was Team Tom who went back in front 7 minutes from time as McNulty got his second of the game. Milne’s third of the game three minutes from time looked like it had rescued a point for Exeter, but McNulty also got his third a minute later to nick a second straight win for Team Tom as they escape the Championship bottom two.

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Dench FC vs Kipsta Cobras

Dench have had an alarming drop off since they won their opening two games of the season, and relegation seemed like more of a prospect than promotion as they went into this week’s game with top of the table Kipsta Cobras, who look set for a return to the Premiership.

It was Dench who took a surprise lead in the third minute through Phil Carroll’s goal, as Dench looked to repeat their win over Kipsta from earlier in the season. It took 9 minutes for Kipsta to claw themselves level, and it was Kieran Doherty that did the honours, and as we looked to be drifting towards the half time break at 1-1, Matthew Sheehan scored Kipsta’s second to give them a 2-1 half time lead.

That lead became 3-1 6 minutes after the restart as Josh Schofield added to the Kipsta total, but Carroll’s second with 13 minutes left had us all set for a grandstand finish. Schofield’s second of the game three minutes from time secured the result for Kipsta, who then went on to score another couple of goals to give the scoreline a slightly flattering look, Jack Horgan and Schofield with the final two. Kipsta now have a 5 point lead at the top and a game in hand on second placed Caliente B, surely it’s a matter of when they confirm their place back in the top flight, not if.

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El Caliente B vs The Veterans

Having stumbled to a couple of narrow defeats in the last couple of weeks, The Veterans ‘hopes’ of promotion to the top flight had started looking less likely. We could still be in a tricky situation if Caliente B keep picking up points, as a top two finish for them could make things pretty awkward…….

Their hopes of finishing in the promotion spots looked like being dented this week as The Veterans opened up a 5 goal first half lead. Simon Grainger opened the scoring in the second minute, before Paul Atherton made it 2-0 inside the opening 10 minutes. Another couple for Grainger and a Dean Minshull strike meant that Caliente had it all to do in the second period.

They got the first goal of the half through Maison Owen, but Grainger’s 4th of the game 7 minutes from time killed off the slim hope of a comeback. Matty Aked and Owen scored a couple of late consolation goals to make the scoreline a little more respectable, but The Vets are now just a point off second spot, and edge closer to an awkward conversation about not wanting to go into the top division…….

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Team GM vs SK Dons

We welcomed new boys Team GM (new name still be be decided) to the Sunday league as they joined League Two in the closing stages of the season, just soon enough to play all of the remaining teams to keep things nice and fair. SK Dons were their first opponents, and as an unknown quantity they could have stepped in and caused the promotion chasers some problems.

It certainly didn’t happen for them in the first half, and the Dons were 4-0 inside the first 4 minutes as Kyle Norris grabbed probably the quickest hat trick we’ve ever had, and Michael Winn got the other. After a break of a couple of minute Norris made it 5-0, and this game looked like it could be any score. It took until the 15th minute for the 6th to go in, Norris yet again with the goal, and a minute later Winn made it 7. Ryan McAndrew got the new teams first goal a minute later, but Matthew Richardson and an own goal made it 9-1 approaching the half time whistle. McAndrew got his second before the break, as the new team struggled to adapt to the Ballers game in a first half they will be looking to forget.

The Dons were first off the mark in the second period as Richardson got his second, but the major plus point for the new boys was their strong finish as Matt Kealy got a couple, Gaz Sumner another, and Huzzy Mustafa another two to make the score 10-7. That was the end of the scoring as the Dons stick around the promotion slots, while the new boys at least made the final scoreline more respectable. There’s always next week……

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FC Stront Bakken vs Pathetico Madrid

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Stockport Eagles vs The McMuffin Men

The McMuffin Men will be playing at a higher level next season, and it’s probably a case of when they clinch the League Two title. They faced a tricky game this week against a Stockport Eagles team who can give most teams a game on their day.

4 goals flew in in a three minute spell early in the first period as Charley Eyre’s opener was quickly wiped out by Ben Waugh’s leveller. Two more quick goals from Juwon Hamzat and Joe Murphy established a level of control for The McMuffin’s, but Ryan McAndrew scored two goals for the Eagles either side of Eyre’s second to make it 4-3 with just 13 minutes on the clock. Waugh’s second of the game made it 4-4 5 minutes before the break, but crucially Murphy and Calan Sherer scored two more for McMuffin before the break to give them a 6-4 half time lead.

Murphy’s third of the game 7 minutes into the second period looked to have given the leaders the cushion they needed, and though Alex Patterson pulled one back for the Eagles 9 minutes from time, an own goal a minute later looked to have ended any hope of an unlikely comeback. Two goals in a minute from Waugh and Michael Winn reignited those comeback hopes, but Hamzat’s second of the game again looked to have eased any concerns the McMuffin’s might have had. They had to hold on when Patterson’s second of the game in the last minute reduced the lead back to one, but they held on to stay top.

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