Week ending 6th April by Mason Norton

To start with, in midweek on Wednesday night, Allexton & New Parks booked their place in the Everards Tiger Bitter League Cup Final after winning their semi-final 2-1 at home to Leicester Atletico. Ryan Charles gave ANP the lead in the first half, after Atletico had had a penalty kick saved earlier on by keeper Freddie Young. Nathan Turner then doubled ANP's advantage, but Atletico kept plugging away, and Ayuub Hassan pulled one back for them late on to set up a grandstand finish, ANP forced to withstand some late pressure in a tense final few minutes, but they held on to face either Aylestone Park Reserves or Anstey Town in the final, where they will try and become the first side since Rothley Imperial in 2011-12 to complete the Premier Division-League Cup double. 


This Saturday was the last weekend with a relatively full coupon for the Everards Brewery Premier Division, with six fixtures pencilled in. However, only four ended up producing results. Heavy rain on Thursday night was too much for the drainage at Terrace Road to cope with, and so Ellistown's game at home to Burbage & Huncote was called off on Saturday morning by the referee Mr Fradley due to several patches of standing water. Meanwhile at Countesthorpe, Magna 73's game at home to FC Khalsa was abandoned at 0-0 early in the second half. The League Management Committee will make a decision about the fixture after a County FA inquiry has been concluded. 


With the title race and the relegation battle both decided, the podium places are what remains to be settled in the Prem. It's taken a long while, but Aylestone Park Reserves have finally been caught and passed in the battle for second- not by Desford & Caterpillar, but by Hathern. In a scrappy game at Riverside Park, a scoreless first half saw Hathern hit the bar twice and the post once, but Barrow showed more ability and fight than of late, and had their own chances. The visitors started the second half brighter, and Liam Walton scored in the 49th minute after a pass into the six-yard box found the feet of his team-mate Lewis Edwards, who fluffed his own lines, but managed to slice the ball into the path of Walton who tapped in at the back post. Barrow then looked like they could snatch an equaliser, but Josh Cross's run down the wing took him round the left-winger and the left-back, and he kept the ball in before shooting and scoring from the tightest of angles 12 minutes from time, Hathern winning 2-0.


Desford & Caterpillar kept up their challenge for second with a 3-2 win at Friar Lane & Epworth. That too was a scrap, with Friar Lane pushing Desford hard, the scores tied at 2-2 at the interval, before Desford scored a winner after the break, Joe French and Dan Gallagher for Friar Lane, Connor McGahan, Ross McGarry and Madison Murrell for Desford, who sit a point behind Hathern, and stay fourth, behind Park on goal difference. 


Elsewhere, Allexton & New Parks were in end-of-term mood at Thurnby Rangers, and found themselves 2-0 down in the first half thanks to a brace from Callum Key. Ash Jones though pulled one back in the second half, before an out-of-position Freddie Young, finding himself in an outfield position rather than between the sticks, scored an equaliser that Thurnby thought was offside, but the goal stood, and ANP saved a point in a 2-2 draw, with stand-in keeper Ayrton Carter-Fell making an excellent save in the final stages, tipping over the bar a 30-yard effort to deny Thurnby the victory. 


Also celebrating the end of term on Saturday were Sileby Town, who concluded their season with a 3-1 win at home to AFC North Kilworth. Adam Bowley scored his first goal for Sileby first-team since suffering a horrific injury against Hathern two years ago, and Szymon Donnerstag also scored, with sub Isaac Hetterley adding one for Sileby in the later stages, Josh Wright scoring for North Kilworth. Sileby finish their season in sixth spot, though they could drop to seventh by the end of the campaign depending on what Highfield Rangers do in their last two games, NK finish their campaign next weekend at home to Desford & Caterpillar.


The only game of the day in Everards Brewery Division One saw Hinckley LR Reserves keep up the pressure on Atletico in the tussle for the second promotion spot as they dispatched Sutton Bonington 4-0 at SB, Brogan Greenwood, Micah Rowe, Harry Smith and Harry Warner the scorers in a game that was all over by the break. Road are three points behind second-placed Atletico with a game in hand and a superior goal difference, but they do have the tougher run-in, with a trip to champions Anstey Town next Saturday coming less than 48 hours after their Saturday Intermediate Cup final against Community Football Academy at Holmes Park on Thursday night. 


Finally, the podium for Everards Brewery Division Two was completed on Saturday, as the only game there saw Mountsorrel Amateurs come from behind to beat Melton Town Academy 2-1 at Beaumont Park. Korey Thompson gave the Academy the lead in the first half, but Mountsorrel turned it round after the break thanks to goals from Anderson Tomas and Chris Yates. Mountsorrel wrap up third place with a game to spare, whilst Melton conclude their campaign in exile, hoping to return to Melton next season. Next weekend sees the final two games in Div2, a dead rubber between Mountsorrel and bottom team Loughborough, whilst Melton Academy travel to Sileby Town Reserves, the winners of that game finishing in the top half of the table. 


That's it for this week. A double edition next weekend sees Ramble Round the Cups looking at the Tiger Cup semi between Aylestone Park Reserves and Anstey Town at the Linwood on Tuesday night, the Chairman's Trophy quarter-final between Holwell Sports Reserves and Ingles Development on the same night, Thursday night's County Cup final between Hinckley LR Reserves and CFA of the County League, and next Saturday's Chairman's Trophy semi-final between Loughborough Students Development and Rothley Imperial. Meanwhile, Ramble Round the Divisions sees Champions ANP say farewell to the Prem with a game at home to Ellistown and Desford looking to keep their hopes of the runners-up spot alive away at North Kilworth, the Div1 promotion contenders make tricky trips away from home, and Div2 arrives at its conclusion. See you then.