MFL Weekend round up (Divisions one to three)

​Division One

Bilston Town 6-1 Wolverhampton Sporting Community

Bilston continued their excellent run of form at Queen Street with a convincing win against struggling Wolves Sporting on Saturday. The win makes it 8 wins from 13 matches at home and moves the Steelmen into the play off places. Wolves Sporting are still in 17th on goal difference with both Paget and Smethwick Rangers losing on Saturday.

Bilston have really grown into the season and have gradually climbed up the table. On the 1st of November they were in 13th and six points off the play offs. The last few months have been crucial and their now challenging for the play offs going into the second half of the season.

Joe Scriven scored the opening goal, and he made a brilliant run in the box before finishing well into the bottom right corner. Wolves Sporting equalised thanks to a goal by Jack Arnold to make it 1-1 before Sam Yankson made it 2-1 to the Steelmen from a corner. He scored again to make it 3-1 where he beat his man before shooting into the net.

He was excellent on Saturday and completed his hat-trick with a classy finish where he curled the ball into the top left corner from the edge of the box to make it 4-1. Max Dixon scored to make it 5-1 before Joe Scriven made it 6-1 late on in the second half.

It’s really starting to click up front for Bilston and convincing home wins against Smethwick and Wolves Sporting will give the squad a lot of confidence going into the new year.

It might be a struggle for Wolves Sporting and staying up would be an excellent achievement.    

Chelmsley Town 0-4 Cradley Town

Cradley Town got back to winning ways with a quality away win against Chelmsley Town at Pack Meadow on Saturday. The win keeps the hammers in the hunt for the play offs and leaves them in a good position going into the second half of the season.

An own goal and an effort by Umara Saho in the box made it 2-0 to Cradley at the end of the first half. Further goals in the second half by Harry Edwards and Darren Whitley made it 4-0 at full time. It’s the Hammers fifth away win of the season and leaves them in 2nd with 42 points from 22 matches.

Despite the loss, Chelmsley are well clear of any relegation worries with a 13-point gap over Paget Rangers in 17th.  

Heather St John’s 3-0 Paget Rangers

Heather got a big win against Paget at St John’s Park to continue their push for the play offs. A good crowd of 94 supporters watched the Saints win 3-0 and get their 8th home win of the season.

A first half brace from prolific forward Kyle Jardine and a solo effort from Tom Mangan sealed the three points for Heather which leaves them 7th in the table and two points off the play offs.

The defeat leaves Paget in the relegation zone but their not too far off safety and have a big second half of the season between now and the end of April.

Smethwick Rangers 0-3 Ingles

Ingles got an excellent away win against Smethwick at the Trevor Brown Memorial Ground on Saturday to continue their push for the play offs. A crowd of 40 supporters watched the Leicestershire side get their 5th away win of the season which leaves them in 4th with 37 points.

Billy Snaith gave Ingles the lead in the first half before a second half brace from substitute Cameron Smith sealed the three points for the visitors.

The defeat leaves Smethwick bottom of the table going into the second half of the season. There were signs that they might be building some momentum in early December with the home win against Droitwich but it’s looking like a struggle between now and late April. Achieving safety would be an excellent achievement.

Sutton United 1-1 Coventry Copsewood

Sutton United battled to a point against Coventry Copsewood on Saturday afternoon at Coleshill Road. An excellent cross by Seb Duffy in the first half found Adam Civzelis who finished well to make it 1-0 to Copsewood. Sutton found an equaliser later in the first half and the match finished 1-1 at full time.

Both teams are comfortably in mid table and have had good seasons in division one.

Division Two

Birmingham United 1-3 Lane Head

Lane Head got an excellent away win at the Trico Stadium against Birmingham United on Saturday afternoon to cement their position in the top six. The win makes it 12 points from Lane Head’s last six league matches and is their third away win of the season.

A brace from Urio Hijambazapo and a solo effort from Josh Perry gave Lane Head the three points. Birmingham United scored a late penalty to reduce the deficit in the second half but full credit to Lane Head who have been clinical up front over the last few months.

Despite the defeat, Birmingham United are still in a good position in the league and have some big games coming up over the next few weeks.

Knowle 3-1 Coventry Alvis

Knowle got a momentum building win against Coventry Alvis at the Robins Nest to continue their excellent home form this season. The win makes it 7 wins from nine matches at home for the Robins who are top of the table with 41 points from 17 matches.

An excellent crowd of 101 supporters turned up to watch Knowle get the win. Goals from Tom Craine, Toby Scott and Jack Mullen gave them the three points. It was Tom Craine’s 100th goal for the club on Saturday.

Coventry Alvis battled well against the league leaders and got a goal in the first half. The Tankmen have changed their manager over the last week with Luke Hopkins coming in and it might take a bit of time for the squad to transition to the new set up.

Division Three

Castle Vale Town 2-0 Silhill

Castle Vale got arguably their best home win of the season with a statement result against Silhill at CV Stadium on Saturday afternoon. A notable crowd of 50 supporters turned up for the occasion despite the challenging weather conditions.

Goals from Callum Storer and substitute Josh Pitters gave the Spitfires their 2nd home win of the season and something to build on for the upcoming games. A top half finish would be an excellent achievement at the end of the season and their currently in 6th with 33 points.

Despite the loss, Sihill are still in a good position in the league. Their currently in 5th with 34 points and six points off Northfield Town in 2nd. Their in the mix for the top two promotion spots but a top five finish would be an excellent season in their first campaign in MFL Division Three.   

Round up feature written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League