Kick off weekend

Now if anyone correctly foresaw all of the changes to Divisions One & Two over the summer six months ago, I'd like to have a chat about next weekend's lottery numbers...

The most eye-catching is Loughborough Dynamo, who last season were playing at Step 4 of the pyramid, now playing in Everards Brewery Division One, a four-division drop, which Dynamo have said is part of a re-building project. The shock news ends Dynamo's two-decade stay in the Pyramid, and a return to the LSL which they won back in 2004. Other changes see Barrow Town relegated into Div1 from the Prem, their second successive relegation, and promoted from Div2 are last season's champions Loughborough Students Development, runners-up St Patricks, plus third-placed Mountsorrel Amateurs, and Sileby Town Reserves, who come up after Melton Town Academy folded during the summer. Kirby Muxloe Reserves also return, having withdrawn their tendered resignation, and bringing Div1 back up to 16 teams after a recruitment campaign are Saffron Dynamo Development, Lutterworth Athletic Reserves and Heather St John Reserves, with National League System reserve sides being prioritised in terms of where new clubs are placed.

The Students have about cleared everything in sight last year, and look as though they intend to do much the same this time round too, hitting double figures against Holwell Sports Reserves. Sam Williams led the way with a hat-trick, Luke Abdy and James Thew both scored braces, with Aden Brazil, Tom Speake and sub Archie Harding finishing off the scoring, the Students winning 10-0 at home. Sileby Reserves also went goal-happy, beating Ingles Development 6-2 at Southfield Avenue, a brace of braces for Isaac Hetterley and Leon Watson, Taffy Pariwa and sub Reuben Sherratt also scoring, whilst Conor Bennett and Jamie Clarke scored for Ingles.

Hinckley LR Development narrowly missed out on promotion last year and began their push with a 4-1 win at Dunton & Broughton United, Josh King (2), Tom Bennett and Joe Marriott for Road, Henry Oldham for DBU. Loughborough Dynamo, meanwhile, made their LSL return at the Nanpantan Sports Ground with a 2-0 win at home to Heather Reserves, Harri Clark and James Allen scoring either side of the break.

The other four games were all score draws in a day to bump up the coupon dividends. St Patricks and Sutton Bonington shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the Emerald Centre, Brady Doherty scoring in the first half for Pats, Alex Ford with a late equaliser for SB. It was 2-2 between Barrow Town and Kirby Muxloe Reserves, Blake Boulter and Joe French scoring for Barrow, Simon Humphrys and Ewan Lilleyman for Kirby, who finished the game with 9 men. Birstall United Reserves and Lutterworth Athletic Reserves played out a 3-3 draw, Ashley Jordan, Liam Stafford and Max Sutton for Birstall, Alex Rhodes, Barnes Gladman and Callum Harris for Lutterworth. And going further still, Saffron Dynamo Development and Mountsorrel Amateurs put on a 4-4 draw. Mountsorrel looked like they'd won it after sub Oliver Rowley came on and scored a hat-trick in the space of 12 minutes in the second half to add to Liam Turner's strike in the first half. But Jamie Hoyland kept on finding the net for the hosts, scoring four times across the game for the spoils to be shared.

To Everards Brewery Division Two. Barrow Town Reserves were relegated into Div2 from Div1, Desford Reserves resigned from the League shortly before the AGM, and with the exception of Rothley Imperial and Loughborough, who are continuing from last season, the Luffs having withdrawn their tendered resignation as well, everyone else in the division is new, mostly having come up from the County League Premiership, with some sides from elsewhere. After negotiations with the County League, the LSL accepted sides from no lower than the County League Premiership, so as a consequence, Div2 is not able to run at its full capacity of 16, with 14 originally slated to run. That has become 13, after Allexton & New Parks Reserves were unable to get a side together, and so dropped out without kicking a ball.

Barrow Reserves stated their intent with a 7-1 win away at Leicester United, hat-tricks for Gabriel Ajose and Tom Antill, Dom Phillips also scoring, Ben Saunders replying for Leicester United. The Luffs started their campaign with a 5-3 defeat at home to Glen Villa, the game all over bar the shouting by half-time, Ira Castor and James Parker both beavering away with braces, George Parker also scoring for the Glen, Michael Simpson (2) and Ash Whiley for Loughborough. Harry Taylor (2), Kai Abrahams and Tom Lennon gave Hinckley Borough a 4-0 win at home to Highfield Rangers Reserves, whilst the other continuing side from last term's Div2, Rothley Imperial, lost 4-2 at home to Magna 73 Reserves, Jordan Creed (2), Brandon McKagan and Luke Shaw scoring for Magna, Luke Denham and sub Bailey Worton for Rothley.

The final two results saw Brookside Athletic defeat Friar Lane & Epworth Reserves 1-0, Karl Duncan scoring for Brookside, who are based in Syston and have recorded some notable County Cup wins over LSL opposition in recent seasons, whilst Ben Smith scored the first goal of the LSL season this year for Whetstone Athletic, putting them on course for a 2-1 win at home to Leicester Nirvana Reserves, Ryan Richmond scoring in the second period for Whetstone, Alexandru Munteanu replying for Nirvana.

That's it for this weekend. There's full programmes across all three divisions this midweek on Tuesday & Wednesday nights, and Ramble Round will return at the end of the week to check in for a Midweek Ramble. See you then.