Robson Taylor Chippenham Sunday League News 2007/08  RSS feed | About

Jamie Lyons

After eight months and 36 Sundays of fixtures this weekend's programme of matches in the Premier Division could turn out to be one of the most compelling of the campaign as all four games feature teams either involved in the pursuit of the title or in the battle to avoid relegation.

So come Sunday afternoon we could be a lot closer to knowing who will be playing First Division football next term and who will be flying high as the champions of one of the toughest divisions in Wiltshire.

Biddestone Social, who top the table by one point, maybe in the driving seat to collect the crown but they can't afford any slip-ups ahead of their showdown with defending champions Corsham Centre A.

Biddestone Social entertain Westbury Rangers A for the second time in the space of 11 days and, having beaten them 2-1 away from Yatton Road, they will be confident of a second victory on their own patch.

Biddestone Social have won 17 matches on the spin and their only defeat of the campaign came back in early October when they were beaten by Corsham Centre.

Although Westbury Rangers will be giving their all to avenge their earlier defeat, Biddestone Social will be well up for it as a loss now would be a cruel blow to the hopes of this latest crop of players winning the title for the first time.

The management team of Dan Lardner and Danny Jones are on the verge of something big and although they have used a few of their nine lives in recent times, with narrow wins over Holt, 10-man Box Rovers, North Star A and Semington Rovers, they have always produced the goods when they have needed too.

Lardner had led by example and has scored 17 goals. Jamie Lyons is also on 17, closely followed by Gary Banks (16) and John O'Meara, who has 13 to his name, so they aren't short of goal scorers but as long as they claim a victory Lardner and Jones won't be bothered as to who nets the goals.

Rangers will look to Marc Lanfear to fire them to victory, but he will need help from the likes of Pete Ayton, Paul Beavers, a fully-fit Dave Whyte, Tim Coombes and Nathan Hallett.

Lanfear, who is on 26 goals for the season, is streets ahead of Mark Young who has scored just eight, but if manager Shaun Gardiner can get the best out of his side then they should give the hosts a very good game and might even snatch victory second time around.

Biddestone Social will be favourites to keep their winning run intact but should they be below par they could see their season fall apart on the result of one game.

North Star A v Corsham Centre

DEFENDING champions Corsham Centre A visit North Star A just four days after they beat them 8-0 at Meriton Avenue, and although the Centre should complete a quick fire league double over Gary Elliott's side they won't be taking anything for granted as they are well aware of how important the match is for the home team, who need to get at least a point from the game if they are to have any hope of staying in the division.

Despite their defeat by the Centre last night, North Star remain one point clear of the drop zone, but if they could claim a draw and more importantly a point it would see them finish the season on 13 points and would mean that either Maud Heath Sports or Bradford News would have to pick up three points from their remaining two matches to deny them another season in the top flight.

The Centre know how important it is that they don't slip up but they will also be hoping that they get through the game injury free as the next time they will be action will be on Thursday night when they host Biddestone Social in a game that should decide who wins the title.

Another win for the Centre is predicted but not by as many goals as they beat the Star by last night.

Dog and Fox Ashley v Bradford News

ST LAURENCE School, Bradford on Avon, will stage one of the fiercest local derbies between Dog and Fox Ashley and Bradford News for many years.

The match normally has a cup final atmosphere about it as whichever side claims the spoils normally wallow in the success for weeks. This match will be no different, but it will have a greater importance than any of the ones that have gone before.

Mark Hurkett's newsmen are bottom of the table and must beat Clive Bancroft's side if they are to have a chance of moving off the foot of the table. But they must also hope that other results involving North Star A and Maud Heath Sports go in their favour.

The worrying thing for Hurkett's men is that they have never beaten their hosts at the school since their arrival in the top flight in 1999. The closest they came was when they drew 1-1 in December of that year.

An unwanted statistic for the visitors is that they have only won once away from home since March 2006 and that was 11 days ago when they beat North Star A 5-1.

If they can repeat that form they might just be in with a chance of claiming a second victory over the Dog and Fox this term to go with the 2-1 success they gained back in November, when goals from Harry Hamlin and Nathan Glass saw them pick up their first win of the campaign.

If the newsmen can register another win they won't worry about bragging rites over their fierce rivals, they will just be pleased that they have the points that will give them a chance of staying in the top flight.

The Dog and Fox go into the game on the back of a 7-1 defeat away at North Star, but manager Bancroft will hope to have a full strength side to pick from as will his opposite number Hurkett, but unless Bradford who have only scored 31 goals this term can get their front line firing and taking their chances then they are likely to see their nine year stay in the top flight ended.

Maud Heath Sports v Miller Sports

OF the three teams embroiled in the relegation battle, Andy Townsend's Maud Heath Sports side probably have the best chance of survival.

The Calne-based side have home advantage over Tim Knight's Miller Sports side who, despite beating Winsley last weekend 5-2 last weekend thanks to goals from Ashley Groves (2), Nick Ridout, Tim Knight and James Webb, haven't been at their best.

Miller Sports go into the match having been beaten by Westbury Rangers A last night so with just pride to play for in their final match of what has been a strange season for them they may decide to play players out of position. But with goalkeeper Nick Evans missing they may have to rethink any plans they may have had of shuffling their pack and with the game being such an important one they may decide to take it seriously just to be fair to both North Star A and Bradford News.

It is hard to predict how they will approach the game as they cemented their place in next term's Premier Division line-up a long time ago so they might just want to enjoy their final match.

The sides met a month ago and on that occasion Miller Sports won 3-2, thanks to goals from James Eatough and Ben Grinham (2). Graham Dean and Darren Holcombe scored for Maud Heath Sports and if one player can come up with the goods that will keep the hosts in the division it would have to be Holcombe, but he will need some help from the likes of Ali Duncan, Daylan Gleed, Adie Simpkins and goalkeeper Jodi Whiston, who are all going to have to put in their best performance of the season to help do what seems an impossible ask and beat the drop.

The match should be keenly contested and might be won by the odd goal and unlike the first meeting of the sides the home team are tipped for victory.

12:00pm Friday 2nd May 2008

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