WHEN the final whistle blew on their St George's Day derby with Matlock United, Matlock Sports must have thought their single-goal victory, courtesy of yet another James Lawton strike, was enough to guarantee them a place in the Belfield Midlands Regional Alliance Premier Division.
However, they perhaps had not reckoned on Castle Donington Town’s revival.
With Sports and Swanwick Pentrich Road the likely candidates to join Willington in the promotion parade for so long, Donington’s push had gone under the radar, as the commo
n parlance has it.
However, the Leicestershire side had racked up nine wins and a draw in their the final ten games and a last day victory at Swanwick, who had already blown their chances by losing to Dronfield Town Reserves earlier in the week, put them level on points with Sports but, crucially, ahead on goal difference.
In the end, the Cavendish side, who were leading Donington until the very last kick of the game when the two sides met recently, were pipped by just five goals.
In the Premier Division, both Cromford and Ashover, who have flirted with relegation for much of the season, beat the drop - Cromford by virtue of goal difference - and, as it happened, they met at Cromford Meadows for their season finale.
In the end, it was Ashover who prevailed with Carl Johnson grabbing Cromford’s goal from the penalty spot, the hosts also being reduced to ten men by a sending off.
However, having lost six key players at the start of the season and having to rebuild from their reserve side, Cromford will be content to still be among the elite.
Last season’s champions Rowsley 86 finished third and rounded their campaign off with a 2-2 draw at home to Melbourne Dynamo, Dan Widdowson and Tim Baker on the scoresheet for the Dales side.
There was also a final day stalemate for fourth-placed Wirksworth Town, for whom Andrew Annable scored in a 1-1 draw with Derby Rolls Royce Leisure.
In Division One, Alex Marsh, Lee Hole, Pat Mosley and Lee Easom scored for Matlock United in a 4-0 win over Holbrook St Michaels Reserves.
In Division Two, Matt Haywood and Nathan Rees were on target for Wirksworth Town Reserves, while Darren Stanley saved a penalty to beat Swanwick PR Reserves 2-0.
Wirksworth Ivanhoe played their last two games on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, sadly losing both, with Lee Vinall on target in the Saturday defeat to Rowsley 86 Reserves, who scored through Steve Atkinson (two), Andy Boyack and Jamie Hall.
The full article contains 438 words and appears in Matlock Mercury newspaper.
