Week ending 28th September by Mason Norton

Everards Brewery Division One is already seeing the promotion race kick away from the rest. After just eight games, Loughborough Students Development already have a goal difference of +53, and we are only a quarter of the way into the League campaign. The latest side to be swept out of sight was Barrow Town on Saturday. The countryside to the south of Barrow's ground, namely the field between Barrow, Sileby, Mountsorrel and Quorn, look more like a lake at the moment, but the torrents of the week before were nothing to the goalfest at Riverside Park, as the Students won 11-0. Scorers were Freddy Webb (4), Josh Brodella (3), Adam McCormack (2), Archie Harding and sub Luke Abdy.

Three points behind the Students are Hinckley Leicester Road Development, who avenged last week's cup exit at Saffron by beating the same opponents 4-2 on Saturday. Kerry Adu and Mason Williams had their feet on the gas in the first half to send Saffron in 2-1 up at half-time, but Road hit back after the oranges, Calum Sumner with the sting of a hat-trick, and Tom Brody rounding off the scoring. Lutterworth Athletic Reserves are third, two points off the promotion places, after winning 6-3 at home to Sileby Town Reserves, Callum Harris, Barnes Gladman, Oliver Whiting and subs Alex Rhodes, Dominic Ivens and Callum James scoring for Lutterworth, Harry Bradley, Finley Jones and Morgan Newby for Sileby. Ingles Development round off the top four, a point behind Lutterworth, after winning 5-1 on Tuesday night at home to Holwell Sports Reserves, Louis Clarke with a hat-trick, Vinni Bexon and Conor Bennett also scoring, Max Fisher for Holwell.

Those four pulled clear as the chasers lost more ground. St Patricks came unstuck 3-0 at Heather St John Reserves, Sam Hankin, Jimmy Chandler and Freddie Brooks for Heather, whilst Loughborough Dynamo fell to a 4-2 defeat at home to Mountsorrel Amateurs, Liam Turner scoring a hat-trick, Drew Gibbons also scoring, Will Burton and Jasper Clarke for Dynamo.

Also losing ground were Kirby Muxloe Reserves, in what was the shock result of the weekend in the LSL, as they lost 7-0 at Birstall United Reserves. Ashley Jordan scored a brace, and Niall Stafford, Jake Robertson, Mylo Walker, plus subs Plamedi Kambulu and Frazer McManus scoring for Birstall, who recorded their first win of the League campaign. That took Birstall out of the relegation zone. Also recording their first win of the term were Saturday morning's bottom side Sutton Bonington, who went 2-0 up at Dunton & Broughton United through Alex Ford and Toby Preston. Charlie Galley pulled one back in the second half, but it wasn't enough, as SB held on to win 2-1. Birstall's win mean that SB remain in the drop zone, but bottom spot is now taken over by Holwell.

To Everards Brewery Division Two, where Brookside Athletic stay top after a 6-0 win at Leicester Nirvana Reserves, Karl Duncan (4) and Jonathan Powell-Hayles (2) the scorers. Community Football Academy stay second after winning a humdinger at promotion rivals Hinckley Borough. In a game that went back and forth, Community won 4-3, Zak Yusuf (2), Jaseem Khamkar and Usamah Zerroug their scorers, Pele Molyneaux (2) and Jake Davis for Hinckley. Whetstone Athletic move into third after a 9-0 thumping of Highfield Rangers Reserves, Ryan Richmond and Kai Herbert both scoring hat-tricks, Regan Angrave, Lewis Johnson and sub Lewis Halford with the other goals.

Also moving on up, into the top half of the table were Glen Villa and Rothley Imperial. Glen Villa put nine past Barrow Town Reserves on Saturday in a 9-1 win, braces for Ira Castor, George Fry and Cameron Greiff, and other goals from George Parker, Tristan Maxted and Max Spencer. Josh Bloxham provided Barrow with their consolation. Rothley won 3-0 at home to Friar Lane & Epworth Reserves, Luke Denham (2) and Harry Toon on the scoresheet. The last game to bring you this week is at the Drome, where visitors Leicester Utd are now the last LSL side left without a win this season. There was no such luck of getting one at Loughborough FC on Saturday. The Luffs were 5-0 up at the break, and eventually won 7-0, Kyle Adams with a hat-trick, Jordan Wright with a brace, Jack Foord and Ashton Whiley also scoring. After several seasons of struggle, Luffs are actually in the lower reaches of mid-table. Leicester United are three points adrift at the bottom, Barrow Town Reserves the next team to them.

Some announcements to bring you. Firstly, shortly after Ramble Round went to press last week, the LSL Management Committee confirmed that all of the abandoned matches last weekend will be replayed. The President's Trophy tie between Kirby Muxloe Reserves and Heather St John Reserves will be played on Tuesday 8 October, whilst the six Tiger Cup games will be replayed between next Saturday and Saturday 19 October. There has been some rearranging of League fixtures to suit, so clubs should check their updates accordingly.

Secondly, this weekend saw the League and several clubs publicise the FA's Play Safe weekend, and also issue a statement on the Facebook page regarding the Respect campaign. As such, we should also point out that after an incident after the game between AFC North Kilworth and Friar Lane & Epworth in August, a Lane player has been banned by the County FA for a total of 181 games after threatening behaviour to a match official and to other individuals. He will not play again until probably 2030 at the earliest. The message is fairly clear- zero-tolerance.

Finally, we are about to tick into October, which means the beginning of the County Cups. Ramble Round returns on Thursday with a midweek special examining the first round of the Jelson Homes Senior Cup, five ties on Tuesday night involving LSL teams, before Saturday, the busiest Saturday of the season, sees games in the Senior Cup, the Saturday Intermediate Cup and the Saturday Trophy, as well as two re-arranged games in the Tiger Cup. With more cups than all the Betty's Tea Rooms in Yorkshire, there'll be more Ramble Rounds than a mass trespass up Kinder Scout next weekend, along with six fixtures across the three divisions in League action. See you then.