- 16th December 2008 | back to top

Sporting overwhelm Sassco.

Sporting Redhouse 9 Sassco.co.uk 1 Final
After fighting tooth and nail to get to the final, Sassco were badly let down when Lewis failed to show. Actually, it was the second time he's done it for Sassco, which means that he simply isn't reliable enough. Sassco, with only five men, put on an ultra defensive performance in the first half and held it to 0-0. Eventually, they managed to get Anth Linley on just before half time, but were 3-1 down and never looked like getting back into it. Muers was particularly laborious and the team was put to the sword by Sporting's outfield of Johnston, Hunt, Borat, Catcheside and Walker. Sangha was back in goal for Sporting and made the important stops before Sporting raced into a handsome lead to re-capture the Cup Double.

- 9th December 2008 | back to top

Sassco through to the Final v Sporting.

Sassco.co.uk 0 AA Fabrications 0 Semi Final
A remarkable and controlling win for a strong looking Sassco team, featuring Critter, Neil Richardson, Lewis and the traitor Cresswell, with Muers and Macca. Ironically, Simpson was ill for the most important game played by Sassco so far, and Sangha deputised in goal. He pulled off a masterful performance which left his counterpart, Carlos, in awe. A point blank save from Wooton and various other stops culminated in a penalty shoot out after a 0-0 draw. The AA team, featuring "Yes, Trigger," the aforementioned Wooten, Bell, Josh Lay and someone else who I can't remember. "Yes, Trigger" missed the AA penalty as it crashed off the crossbar and Tommy Bell did the same to send Sassco through to the final of the competition they won last season....

Sporting Redhouse 2 Hylton Castle 1 Semi Final
...where they will face the same opponents as they did last time - Sporting Redhouse. The knock-out cup winners faced the Champions, Hylton Castle, and suffered an early goal. Eventually, they equalised, and just as it seemed the game would go to penalties, Sporting fired a late winner.

- 25th November 2008 | back to top

Redhouse Youth's could be eliminated.

Hylton Castle 3 AA Fabrications 2 Pool A
A stunning conclusion to the group. Castle had to win to get through. AA were already through and much to Youth's anger, AA threw away a 2-0 lead, including a peach from Teeb, to lose 3-2 with the last kick of the game. Stunningly, Castle only had five men. There is going to be an enquiry into the result, which could lead to Teeb's windows being put out by the disgruntled Youth's.

- 18th November 2008 | back to top

Redhouse Youth's could be eliminated.

Sporting Redhouse 0 Downhill Impact 0 Pool B
A masterful performance by veteran, Mickey Pearson, combined with good goalkeeping from Logan, saw a frustrated Sporting Redhouse fire blanks in a rare 0-0 draw. Ironically, a decent win could have put Downhill through, but that would have been a step too far. The team, now combined with Impact, looks like a decent performer for next season and this 0-0 draw will, no doubt, boost confidence.

Hylton Castle 3 Hendon Lions 0 Pool A
Three defeats in the group for Hendon, which wasn't entirely surprising considering that they were in the strongest group. A goal prior to half time from Keith Moon settled the Castler's nerves before two additional strikes, including an excellent one from Kevin Gordon, means it's all down to the last game against Tommy Bell's AA Fabrications team.

A & A Fabrications (Bell Redhouse) 3 Redhouse Youth's 0 Pool A
In the previous cup, the Youth's hammered Bell's team, but it was a reverse here. Charlie grabbed two goals, while "Yes, Trigger" scored the other. A great win for Tommy Bell and AA. The make or break game next week sees them facing off against Hylton Castle in a game where only a heavy defeat will see them out. If Bell's team loses, then Hylton Castle and themselves will be through to the Semi Finals at the expense of Redhouse Youth's.

Sassco.co.uk 3 Hylton Lions 0 (match awarded) Pool A
Jordan Reid's Lions team failed to show and Sassco were awarded the win. Lions are now completely out of the League, as it proves the theory of new teams coming in, struggle with the rules and fall away. Gary Tyzack's Wear Consulting are leaving the Wednesday League and joining Tuesday, while Mark Sammut's team could also be coming in.

-4th November 2008 | back to top

Redhouse Youth's defeat Hylton Castle.

Sporting Redhouse 5 Sassco.co.uk 1 Pool B
Sassco, as holders, look very unlikely to retain the trophy based on todays performance. That combined with the level of football seen in the Hylton Castle v Redhouse Youth's game sees a distant fourth spot beckoning. Sporting picked off two shocking passes early in the game to race into a 2-0 lead. Just as they looked to overwhelm Sassco, Lewis grabbed one back. Second half saw Sassco fail to get the ball forward quick enough and saw Sporting add to their tally with a third goal. They eventually won 5-1, with Harrison getting a hat-trick, while Greener and Anderson scored the others. Sporting are through, while Sassco need to beat the Lions.

Downhill Impact 4 Hylton Lions 3 Pool B
After suffering nearly 600 minutes of winless football, Dan Carson tried to shy off coming on to the pitch as Downhill Impact were shockingly 2-0 down. That combined with Josh Lay coming on to the pitch dressed like he'd come from the gym, saw Downhill also hit with a fine (shared between Downhill and Josh Lay). However, as Carson stepped on to the pitch, he convinced himself that this wasn't the week he was going to look like an arse. Eventually, Downhill led 3-2, before being pegged back and then grabbing the winner. They now need to defeat Sporting to have a chance of getting through. But, with Carson's first win - anything can happen.

Redhouse Youth's 2 Hylton Castle 0 Pool A
A full-strength Hylton Castle team saw Kevin Snowdon power in the opening goal late in the second half in a very tight and intense game. Two good strong teams at each other from the off. Eventually, a late free kick from Ramsay saw the Youth's safely take the win with their second win in the group. Highly unlikely they won't get through.

A & A Fabrications (Bell Redhouse) 4 Hendon Rovers 0 Pool A
Not the strongest team Bell could have put out, but good enough to defeat Hendon. Gav Kershaw was unceremoniously dumped in favour of Carl Middlemiss, but he wasn't really tested. Teeby Teeb made an altogether rare appearance. Surely more showings by him would give any opponent a chance. Jimmy Raeper, Tommy Bell, Liam Wooton and a pile driver from the rapidly thinning out Paul McClusky saw a complete 4-0 rout.

-28th October 2008 | back to top

Sporting and Youth's cruise through.

Sassco.co.uk 3 Downhill Impact 1 Pool B
The first game in the AGUK Super League Cup was played in sub-zero conditions. Luckily, the rain stayed away and the first half saw Lewis fire in the opening goal not long after kick off. It was only until the second half when Sassco gained some breathing space. David "Frog" Bewick, who spent a frustrated evening being thwarted by Sangha, saw his two shots blocked by the aforementioned Sangha, and then the ball at the other end of the field finished off by a resurgent Tyzack. It was only when Sangha came off near the end that Downhill gained a goal from Ed Morrison. They ruined it all by letting Muers score the third goal.

Sporting Redhouse 11 Hylton Lions 0 Pool B
A rude awakening for Hylton Lions, as their young team was pummelled into submission by a Sporting team, flying high after retaining their Open Cup last week. Anderson and Catchy got around four each, while Harrison got two and Cromack one. Poor Trevor Walker failed to notch one in a hugely one sided game. Both this and the Sassco game were from Pool B in the groups, unarguably the weakest of the two groups.

Redhouse Youth's 2 Hendon Rovers 0 Pool A
Two stunning goals from Ramsay, either side of the half, saw this game in favour of the Youth's. Another full-strength side came out from the disappointing Open Cup appearance and generally dominated this low key affair. An important win as Hylton Castle, FC Bell Redhouse would all be expected to get maximum points from Hendon. It could be a case that Hendon decide the group if they manage to upset the odds.

-21st October 2008 | back to top

Sporting trounce the Youth's in the Cup Final.

12th Open Cup winners! Gary Davison, Mark Catcheside, Trevor Walker, Gareth Greener at the back, with Mark Kelsey, Tarnjit Sangha and Billy Harrison at the front. Sporting Redhouse comfortably defeated Redhouse Youth's 3-0 in the Final.

Sporting Redhouse 3 Redhouse Youth's 0
The favourites, Sporting, presented a vastly different line up from the one which comfortably defeated the Champions, Hylton Castle, in the Semi Final. This seemed to give the Youth's a better opportunity as Sporting were forced to play an aging and creaking Mark Kelsey.

However, he turned the game on it's head as he added to Sporting's opening strike (an excellent free-kick from Gareth Greener) when he met Catchy's low cross first time to fire past the flailing Dinning. 2-0 and within minutes it was 3-0 from Trevor Walker. THis all within a few minutes. A devastating 3-0 scoreline which didn't change in the second half. Billy Harrison fired one off the crossbar and out, but a slow motion replay showed it was clearly outside.

Sporting retain the Open Cup for the second season running, and it's likely they'd be considered hot favourites to come out on top in the next competition - the Super League Cup. Ironically, based on current form, they are likely to be hot favourites to win Season 13, Sassco's 10th Anniversary Season. And like Kelsey, they would have been there at the start and at the end.

Super League Grouping

Teams will play each other once and the top two in each group will take part in the Semi Finals.

-14th October 2008 | back to top

Sporting and Youth's cruise through.

Redhouse Youth's 2 Sassco.co.uk 0
A reasonably open game saw Kurt Baxendale fire in the opener for the Youth's after the Sassco defence were deceived. The second half saw the same player score again through a ruck of players to send an expectant Youth's team through into the Cup Final.

Sporting Redhouse 2 Hylton Castle 0
A full-strength Sporting team outsmarted the Champions and gained some sort of revenge for relinquishing the League Title to their opponents. Castle didn't have McClusky in goal and the stand in 'keeper saw Catcheside's ball loop over his head for the opener. Not long after, the same player slotted the ball in again to make it 2-0. The score remained the same as Sporting face Youth's in the Final. Sporting are current holders.

-7th October 2008 | back to top

Hylton, Sassco and Youth's through in the Cup.

League Champions! A different looking Hylton Castle team pictured with the trophy after their 3-1 League and Cup win over Downhill FC. Manager, Danny Hodgson (sitting centre, behind the trophy) can finally say his investment in the team over these past few years has brought success. Hylton Castle are now Champions on Tuesday's and Thursday's.

Sassco.co.uk 2 Hendon Rovers 1
A Sassco team featuring Critter Conlon and Josh Lay dominated against Hendon Rovers, but only managed to put two goals past an inspired goalkeeper. Josh Lay opened the scoring, but Hendon Rovers scored a breakaway equaliser. After this, Sassco dominated with McDermont, Lewis and Lee Cresswell all having chances. The post and crossbar was hit on several occasions, but Sassco only gained the winner in the last five minutes from Conlon. Wayne Ramsay had a glorious chance to level it near the end for Hendon, but his shot squirmed wide with only the 'keeper to beat.

Hylton Castle 2 Downhill Impact 1
The now combined Downhill and Sassco Impact team caused a scare for Hylton Castle. They opened the scoring, but Minnican equalised for Sassco and as the game wore on, Hylton looked nervy. This was doubling up as the final League game, but with no penalties in the first stage of the cup (due to lack of pitch time), Hylton eventually went 3-1 ahead. Mooney, Podgy and Hodgson were the scorers.

Redhouse Youth's 8 FC Bell Redhouse 1
An emphatic scoreline which makes the Youth's the favourites. Ramsay scored six, while Kurt got the other two. Paul McClusky scored a superb goal for FC Bell when they were 3-1 down, but Tommy Bell's team, not featuring Middlemiss as well as a host of other superstars failed to gel as they suffered a disappointing defeat.

Semi Finals 14th October 2008
7:00pm Sassco.co.uk v Redhouse Youth's
7:30pm Sporting Redhouse v Hylton Castle.

The Semi Finals were drawn by Dan Carson of Downhill Impact and Stephen Lewis of Sassco. Any drawn games will be decided on penalties or replayed depending on if the pitches would be available after 8:00pm.

-15th September and 1st October 2008 | back to top

Hylton Castle 3 Sporting Redhouse 0 match awarded
A result awarded due to Sporting's inability to get a team out. The result is that Hylton Castle win the League for the first time. They have one remaining game left against Downhill.

Sporting Redhouse 3 Sassco Impact 0 match awarded
As Impact failed to show, Sporting were awarded points. Impact will be merging with Downhill FC for next season. The name will probably be Downhill Impact, although this is yet to be confirmed.

Redhouse Youth's 5 Hendon Rovers 0
A dominant performance from the Youth's. Both these teams were playing their final games in Season 12. A disappointing end for Youth's as at one stage they were tipped to win it. Roll on next season.

The goal difference on table below has not yet been updated.

-11th September 2008 | back to top

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Monday, August 10th 2008

MANIFESTO MAGAZINE ISSUE 4
The new issue of Manifesto is now out! You can pick a copy up at most live venues, schools, college & Uni sites plus selected independent retailers and restaurants. You can also read it online at www.sunderlandmusic.com. All the usual features plus gig reviews, local music news, emails, letters, and full listings for August. Get yours now and let us know what you think.

SUNDERLAND LIVE
The 2nd installment of our outdoor Summer programme was on Sunday August 10th at Cliffe Park, Seaburn. Thanks to all the bands who have played and to everyone who attended and made it such an enjoyable afternoon. The next event is on Monday 25th August, again at cliffe Park from 1pm to 6pm. There are 2 stages of bands playing including The Week That Was, The Troubleshooters, The Generals, and many more. For more info, check out this months Manifesto or goto www.sunderlandmusic.com. See you there!

NEXT MEETING
The next SMF meeting is on Wednesday 13th August at the City Library & Art Centre, Fawcett St at 6pm. With many points on the agenda again we're hoping for a big turn out and anyone is invited. However, please RSVP and let us know if you can attend. Make sure you're on time and make your way to reception, you'll be directed from there.

Please keep an aye on the website for more details. in the meantime if anyone has any ideas or suggestions.

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www.sunderlandmusic.com
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-9th September 2008 | back to top

Sporting Redhouse 4 Sassco.co.uk 2
A relatively straightforward win for Sporting over Sassco by four goals to two. Sporting struck two quick ones after which Sassco fired on back. Second half saw Sassco fail to add to their score and Sporting eventually running out as 4-2 winners.

Downhill FC 7 Hendon Rovers 2
A worrying scoreline for Hylton Castle, as Downhill looked impressive. They put several goals past Hendon Rovers, who were taking part in their last game this season.

-2nd September 2008 | back to top

Hylton Castle 4 Sporting Redhouse 2
Hylton Castle secured a decisive victory over their nearest rivals, Sporting Redhouse and now look set to win the Title for the first time ever. They only have two remaining games against Sporting (again) and Downhill FC. If they lose both and Sporting win all theirs, then Sporting win the Title. However, it's unlikely that they would come out of the Downhill FC game with no points. As most people are aware, Hylton Castle came in as replacements for AFC Redhouse. By that time, AFC had secured a 100% record and some have said that AFC cleared the way. But when you look at it closely, AFC had beaten the following teams: ALS (Now Sassco Impact) Downhill, Witherwack, Sassco and FC Hendon, before Hylton took over. It's quite obvious that Hylton Castle would have defeated all these, give or take maybe dropping a point here or there.

Match report by Tarnjit Sangha (Sporting Redhouse).  
Sporting Redhouse turned up with a full strength side. Six outfield players all ready to rotate and keep the opposition on a right old back foot. All set and ready to conquer the young upstarts from Hylton Castle. Castle themselves only had the six players. A surprise since as they usually turn up with at least two available to come on from the subs bench. It wasn't to be and Danny Hall and an air of trepidation about him.
 
It should have been a walk in the park for Sporting....Was it hell
 
Castle showed all the guts and endeavour and great tactical depth to keep hitting Sporting on the break. The conditions were terrible. A real downpour. But both teams had to suffer it. Castle coped better. Sporting just couldn't get their passing together whereas Castle were sharp and tenacious in their play. Against the run of play, Castle took the lead. Sporting equalised...Again Castle went in the lead only for Sporting to immediately equalise after the break.
 
But as Sporting's game fell apart, Castle's came together. Two further goals gave the boys from Hylton Castle a well deserved 4-2 victory and what could well be a decisive strike in the Title battle. Well done Hylton Castle!!! Sporting scorers were Billy Harrison and Trevor Walker.

Redhouse Youth's 4 FC Bell Redhouse 0
A comprehensive win for the Youth's over the previously in-form FC Bell Redhouse team. A more detailed report should follow if any of the Youth's care to email one in.

Hendon Rovers 4 Sassco Impact 0
A fantastic win for the Rovers as they leap frogged their opponents, Sassco Impact, in emphatic fashion to move into 8th position. This was Impact's penultimate game to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon. Impact's last game is against Sporting, so Rovers are likely to remain higher than Impact at the end.

Thanks to Tarnjit Sangha, Anth Mouat and Anth Pearson for looking after things while I was away. Normally it goes tits up, but seems as if everything was running like clockwork.

The table below has seen 3-0 wins awarded to the remaining games against Fulwell Blue Bell. Both Hylton Castle and Sporting were to play Blue Bell and have accordingly received 3 points each.

-12th and 19th August 2008 | back to top

FC Bell Redhouse 5 Sassco Impact 0
Even the heroics from Logan couldn't keep out an on form FC Bell Redhouse team. Dugga scored all five for FC Bell as they kept their promising run going.

Redhouse Youth's 2 Sassco.co.uk 0
A more promising performance from Sassco, but two goals at either end of the game kept Redhouse Youth's in with a chance of the Title.

Hylton Castle 2 Redhouse Youth's 1
A superb battle between two strong teams. Keith Moon opened the scoring for Hylton Castle and then added to it later on in the game to seal the win.

Sporting Redhouse 2 FC Bell Redhouse 1
FC Bell opened the scoring, but Harrison replied and then gave Sporting the lead. Saves by both goalkeepers kept the score as is.

-29th July 2008 | back to top

FC Bell Redhouse 5 Fulwell Blue Bell 1
Sassco really didn't look too interested in their clash Fulwell Blue Bell's first defeat since coming in to take over Witherwack was against a rampant FC Bell Redhouse team. Tommy Bell was back, but Grant was on the sidelines after his fight last week and dismissal. An farcical own goal set them on their way and it was effectively over 3-0 before Fulwell gained a consolation goal. It was a more impressive win considering that FC Bell Redhouse managed to get Paul McClusky off the sofa and on to the field within around two minutes of making the request. Priceless.

Hylton Castle 2 Sassco.co.uk 1
Sassco held out well against Hylton Castle. A deflected own goal from Sangha was cancelled out before the break by Cresswell. Second half, both teams pressed on and had an equal amount of chances. A free-kick saw players unmarked and Hylton gained the upper hand with a goal from Denni Middlemiss. The scoring ended there.

Sporting Redhouse 6 Downhill FC 0
Final game was a typical walkover for Sporting against Downhill - much to Anth Pearson's disgust. Even his shiny new boots couldn't make the difference. He left the game muttering about Doughty's involvement in football in general. Questions remain to be answered - the first one being "who is the power behind Downhill? Is it Doughty, Pearson or even Frog." Also, Mickey Oliver was very lucky that someone retrieved the ball back which he hand balled and then kicked over the fence, otherwise he'd be shelling out £10 for next week.

-22nd July 2008 | back to top

Sporting Redhouse 6 Sassco.co.uk 1
Sassco really didn't look too interested in their clash against Sporting Redhouse. Two clangers from Sangha and Muers meant it was 2-0 against them within a matter of minutes. After that, no one looked as if they could fathom another 28 minutes or so as Sporting ran up another four goals. Tyson fired one in for Sassco at the end, but it was only a consolation. Borat Anderson scored four goals by running from deep, while Walker and Catcheside scored the other two. Billy Harrison failed to score as he was busy asking me if he was the top scorer in the League so far.

Redhouse Youth's 6 Downhill FC 0
Youth's also took to the heat with poor Downhill suffering, after some recent, decent performances. Downhill were claiming that the kit colours were too close to each other and spent the game passing to their rampant opponents. Coyney supposedly scored a wonder goal, but there were no witnesses who came forward to verify his goal. Taylor scored one from a tight angle, but the referee awarded a goalkeeper ball for stepping in the box, which soon wiped the toothless grin off his face. After the game, Anthony Pearson venomously lashed out at Doughty's poor man-management skills and general tactical naivety.

Hylton Castle 2 FC Bell Redhouse 0
FC Bell Redhouse, without the Bell, were a bit disorganised as Grant was forced to take "Yes, Trigger" home for his boots, despite both of them failing to put two and two together and realising that the pitchside was full of footballers (hence available football boots). It was a bit like going home from Asda because you'd forgotten your carrier bag.

Anyhow, they started, and within around fifty seconds, Grant and Keith Moon (for Hylton Castle) were dismissed for an almighty fight in the middle of the field. All I can really remember of it was Anth Mouat constantly blowing his whistle as if the high pitched squeal would pull them both apart. Not being sharp enough, I failed to get any of the action on camera. The game was restarted as five-a-side and eventually, Hylton Castle got the rewards with a goal past an impressive stand-in performance from Rob Woodward (all the other 'keepers were in Spain). Soon after, Hylton scored again, and despite a few choice words between the two Middlemiss's (Denni and Chris), the game ended without incident.

As FC Bell Redhouse players are on a pay as you play basis, it means that Grant owes me about 15 pence.

Fulwell Blue Bell 2 Sassco Impact 1
Fulwell Blue Bell were camped in the Sassco Impact half and the reward paid off when Logan was beaten by Reggie. In the second half, Sassco Impact got back into it when Smithy, surrounded by the Fulwell backline, squeezed through and scored a superb goal. Almost instantly, Fulwell scored again. 2-1 and the score remained that way. A good win for Fulwell as they look very comfortable after two games. At the end of the game, Logan's sticky fingers were in action again as he took Minnican's (Downhill goalkeeper) gloves. Also pre-match his can of Calsberg didn't really help as he was also drink driving (on his bike). I did see him somehow crash through the side of the fence and get stuck for a while. A true comedy moment. Unfortunately, the camera was packed away and no one was there to witness it. Maybe it was caught on the complex's CCTV system.

-15th July 2008 | back to top

Redhouse Youth's 1 Hendon Rovers 0
The opening game saw an expectant Redhouse Youth's ready to dish out a hammering to the poor Hendon team, who suffered last week at the hands of Downhill. It didn't happen, and only a double save from Craig Dinning, who's been fighting to keep his place in the team, kept the score at 0-0. Youth's eventually fired one in, but it was the only goal of the game despite their dominance. Perhaps it was the fact that Hendon somehow managed to squeeze themselves into the ten year old green and white Herrenknecht shirts from Season 1, which gave them the extra breath and streamlined physique. Nevertheless, it's three points for the Youth's.

Sporting Redhouse 4 FC Bell Redhouse 3
FC Bell Redhouse took to the field against a strong looking Sporting team. Bell was back for Redhouse and they took the lead against the run of play with a "Yes Trigger" goal. Sporting came back and eventually took the lead with two goals. But then two superbly worked free kicks gave FC Bell Redhouse a 3-2 lead. As the game neared to a close, Sporting equalised, but moments later scored the winner. A shocker for Bell Redhouse, as they were hugely disappointed, but a critical win for Sporting Redhouse as they were close to a second defeat.

Hylton Castle 1 Sassco Impact 1
Sassco Impact had Logan to thank again for an outstanding performance to give Impact a 1-1 draw against Hylton Castle. Impact finally scored a goal with Humble getting one on the break. Ironically, Hylton Castle equalised immediately, but the second half saw Logan receiving yet another battering, but coming out with a point. This is the first set of points dropped by Hylton Castle all season. There was some criticism on the sidelines (Anth Pearson) about Impact being overly defensive and negative. Unlike Downhill - who concede goals for fun, Impact are are tight at the back. Downhill think conceding goals is part and parcel of the way a team should play, but then again, Downhill are the Sassco League's equivalent of those people who self harm and cut themselves.

Sassco.co.uk 1 Fulwell Blue Bell 1
Fulwell Blue Bell, under the control of Rob King, came into play, replacing Witherwack. The team was well organised, fully kitted and seemed to cope well with the rules. However, the opening half against Sassco saw them chasing the ball as Sassco, through Lee Cresswell, took a 1-0 lead. They came back into it near the end of the half, but the second saw a complete turnaround. Blue Bell dominated and it was only the legend that is Simma, who kept the score at 1-0. Danny Hall was on show for Sassco, but unfortunately, he turned out a bit larger than the trimmer version last seen being sent off in the Thursday League a good few months back. Today the closest description you could say about him was that he performed and looked like a fatally wounded Rhino. Anyway, late in the game, Reggie broke clear from a ruckus of players and curled one in for Fulwell's equaliser. Right at the death, Mark Cresswell shattered the cross bar as both teams shared the points.

The League Table now shows Fulwell back in it as they've taken over Witherwack's games.

-8th July 2008 | back to top

Redhouse Youth's 0 Sassco Impact 0
Another Logan inspired performance. He pulled off save after save to cancel out Youth's utter dominance in this game. Even Yatesy said that, "If we had a 'keeper like him, we'd win the Champion's League."

The draw sets back their recent good run, but at least they remained unbeaten.

FC Redhouse / Hendon 4 Sassco.co.uk 1
A surprise defeat last week against Downhill was overturned this week, with FC Redhouse ending Sassco's long unbeaten run. Ironically, it was back on 13th May when the "old" AFC Redhouse team defeated Sassco.

Downhill FC 8 Hendon Rovers 0
After the disaster last week, it was even worse this week for Hendon Rovers as they crashed to Downhill FC. It's two wins back to back for Downhill.

-1st July 2008 | back to top

Redhouse Youth's 1 Sporting Redhouse 1
Sporting took the lead in the major encounter of the day. The Youth's were expected to wilt without Stephen Ramsay and also both goalkeepers missing. Ross Mullen was doused in ice water to get him out of his drink and drugs stupor to impressively hold the likes of Billy Harrison and co. at bay. Even Steve "Borat" Anderson could only watch as Snowdon, playing like a man possessed, bludgeoned through the Sporting backline to fire in a near post equaliser to gain his team a deserved point.

Youth's were very pleased. With Yatesy now taking sole control of coaching and Davinder Sangha fulfilling a life long ambition with a role as General Manager, things can only look up. The video on the right shows an excitable Billy Harrison warming up before making an ineffective appearance.

Hylton Castle 5 Hendon Rovers 0
After losing one Hendon team, it won't be surprising if we lose another one. A full-strength Hylton Castle were looking forward to the encounter, but only faced three outfield players. One was so disappointed that he walked off after a few minutes with Hylton hitting five goals. Referee, Anth Mouat, had no choice but to abandon the game. Massive disappointment. Players are out there wanting to play, but unfortunately, there isn't a lot you can do when a player, saying he's going to turn up, fails to do so.

Sassco.co.uk 1 Sassco Impact 0
An appearance from the legendary Steve Stubbs, he of Crown Electrics fame, was the highlight before the clash of these two teams. Stubba (as he's affectionately known) was playing on the 6-a-side for the first time since Fatty Wardle lost his boot in the Cup Final a few years ago. In contrast, Sassco Impact presented the future, with fresh faced youngsters with boundless energy. Sassco, the older version, presented the same old tired team. Lewis suffering from hay fever, Macca struggling to understand how to control a ball and Sangha playing in boots which were a good few years older than his opponents. In the event, the older Sassco dominated the game and it was "old" Logan to thank as he kept the score down. A single goal separated the sides for the entire goal as Sassco.co.uk gained a reasonably comprehensive 1-0 victory, as the young Sassco Impact team were clearly in awe of Stubba, having heard about his exploits in the archive sections.

Downhill FC 3 FC Hendon / Redhouse 2
Tommy Bell took over the moribund FC Hendon team (now called FC Redhouse) and only had Grant Foster and Brookey from the old AFC team. Downhill featured Mickey Pearson in Kylie Minogue like hot pants and he soon made a mark as he cancelled Grant's equaliser with a goal to make it 2-1. Grant did score again, but late on, a long range strike caught Gav Kershaw (making a cold return) unawares as Downhill secured a 3-2 win. It all didn't end there for Gav as that dodgy lamp post caught his car bumper out as he was leaving.

-24th June 2008 | back to top

Unfortunately, FC Hendon have pulled out of the League. Along with Witherwack, this means that seven teams are remaining. However, I am looking to put together a "mercenary" team controlled by myself just to play off FC Hendon's remaining games. They have about seven games left, so anyone out there wanting a game, let me know. Also, any managers who know of fringe players, also let me know.

Also Youth's were £2 short in their match payment which means that from now on, they are on a Pay to Play system. This means that I will take the £2 payment off each player BEFORE the game. Anyone not paying is not eligible to play.

Sporting Redhouse 3 Hendon Rovers 0
A second difficult game for the Rovers as they faced Sporting Redhouse. A stubborn opening saw both teams having reasonable chances. Hembrough broke the deadlock in the first half, but the majority of the second was goalless, with Hendon's 'keeper pulling off some remarkable saves. In the last few minutes, two further goals were added (from Hembrough and Middlemiss) to seal the game for Sporting.

Sassco.co.uk 5 Downhill FC 1
Due to the fixture reorganisation, Sassco played Downhill again for the second time in two weeks. Last week saw a late strike for Sassco to seal it, but this time it was a more accomplished performance as they raced into a 3-0 lead. Neil Richardson was instrumental and was rewarded with a hat-trick. Stephen Lewis and Mark Cresswell also scored, while Mickey Oliver fired one in for Downhill when they were 3-0 in the second half. This put Sassco into the heady heights of second place, but their close rivals have games in hand.

Hylton Castle 1 Redhouse Youth 0
Ramsay turning up late didn't help the Youth's cause as they were 1-0 down to a Gav Dorwood free-kick in the first half at the time. In a healthy battle between these two old rivals, the referee had his work cut out and somehow managed to keep Stephen Coyne on the pitch. The first half goal remained the only goal. Ramsay came close late on, but crucially slipped at the edge of the box and the chance was gone. The blurry video on the right shows Gav Dorwood's goal.

-17th June 2008 | back to top

After two chaotic weeks, it was back to normal in the League. However, a no show for FC Hendon combined with a kit fine for Sassco Impact made sure it wasn't a perfect day. The Sassco League has high standards and expects teams to cope within those standards. There is flexibility and we will bend over backwards to help with kit, etc, but teams need to pull their own weight.

Hylton Castle 2 Hendon Rovers 1
A turnaround for Hylton Castle as they made their belated return in place of AFC. They conceded an early breakaway goal, but Snowball responded with a goal that most claimed was inside the box. The referee was too far away to make an accurate judgment and the goal stood. Danny Hodgson then fired his team into the lead and they didn't relinquish it. Hylton Castle have now added another three points to AFC's healthy tally.

Sporting Redhouse 5 Sassco Impact 0
Down to earth for Impact as an early weak throw out from Logan saw Cromack fire in a 35 yard scorcher. Moments later, an Impact player stepped into the box out of momentum and was penalised. Harrison rammed home from the spot. Further goals gave the Champions a handsome 5-0 win.

Sassco.co.uk 4 Downhill FC 3
The best game of the night. A weakened Sassco team didn't feature the Cresswell's, Keith Mouat or Dave Gourlay. Farquhar came in at the recommendation of Macca and the knives were out in the opening minutes as Farquhar lost the ball cheaply. 1-0 to Downhill, as Ed Morrison was bang on target. Literally a minute later, Macca got Sassco out of the mire with a long range 40 yard curling ball which nestled into the back of the net. Sassco were back level, but another two cheap balls saw Downhill gain two more goals with Mickey Oliver and Eddy being clinical. Just as Pea and Doughty were salivating and getting glazed eyes, Sassco replied with Lewis to make it 3-2. Second half was all to play for. Mickey Pearson, deemed to old by Downhill, came on for Farquhar and turned things around. Soon it was 3-3, but with time running out, Sassco looked like they'd lost three points. Right at the death, a deflected shot made it 4-3 to Sassco. Doughty was close to tears, while Pearson (the young one) was muttering about the referee's decisions.

Redhouse Youth 3 FC Hendon 0 Match awarded
Paul McConville was struggling to get a side out and due to cancelling on the day, the game was awarded to the Youths. Points have been deducted from FC Hendon (not shown on the table yet) and Paul McConville will be making it known during the week if FC Hendon are to continue in the League.

-27th May 2008 | back to top

A few upheavals in the Sassco League. Due to the "hand round the neck and subsequent slow squeezing" incident on Thursday, AFC (or rather Gash Brazier) felt they could no longer participate in the League. Danny Hodgson's Hylton Castle, the powerful team from a few seasons past, are going to take their place, so at least it's a strong team replacing a strong team. They come into a position which is 100% perfect; with five wins out of five. Also, Dan Carson's under 18 team, Sassco Impact (or at least a cut down version of the new 11-a-side team) came in and replaced ALS. Finally, Witherwack's unexpected no show means a hefty £25 fine as well as points deducted. Normally teams who don't show up on the day are completely ejected. However, considering that they were one of the more reliable teams in the League, if they pay up, they will be allowed back in.

Redhouse Youth 0 Sassco Impact (ALS) 0
A remarkable performance by the new team, Sassco Impact, in as replacements for ALS. Only Logan remained from the original side and he pulled off one of his regular, superb performances in a 0-0 draw. Both goalkeepers performed superbly. Carl Middlemiss had prostituted himself to the Redhouse Youth team and did his job well. Unconfirmed reports say that Yatesy's, "We'll murder these.." had the desired effect on his opponents mentality to make it a stubborn night for them.

Match report by Dan Carson (Sassco Impact)
Started off really scrappy, neither team took hold of the game. Youths should have taken the lead after Kris Allison was harshly judged to of stepped into the area. The initial penalty was perfectly placed but brought back because of the taker having more than one step. The second was smashed off the crossbar and cleared. ALS fought hard throughout and Allison in particular made some crucial blocks, not to mention Logan's brilliant reflex stops. ALS had chances to win it at the death with Jack Ward saved superbly by the Youth keeper and Dan Carson flashing a dipping volley wide.

Sporting Redhouse 3 Witherwack 0 Match awarded
Surprisingly, Witherwack, one of the most reliable and well organised sides in the League made a no show. This means a 3-0 win for Sporting. But, as of this moment, Witherwack have been deleted from the League. With no replacements in line, this could be permanent. The table has changed to reflect their absence which also means that any games they had are deleted.

Sassco.co.uk 3 Hendon Rovers 1
Admittedly one of my (me being Davinder Sangha) worst performances ever. I told Nellie that my unofficial nick name was Davinder "miss me out" Sangha, but he laughed it off. However, during the game, I think I passed to the Hendon team more times than they did themselves. I haven't even played this badly on computer games. Nevertheless, Lewis' work rate saw Sassco go in at half time leading 1-0. Hendon didn't take advantage of Sassco's ineptitude. The often criticised Mark Muers lashed one in from both posts to liberate the team. Despite a late Hendon goal, Sassco, from Marc McDermont added in the third goal.

Downhill FC 5 FC Hendon 2
A rip roaring performance from Downhill. FC Hendon only had five players and conceding an early goal really didn't help. When the second went in, it was effectively over. Pearson, Calvert and Campbell got three goals while Mickey Oliver scored two. Disappointment from FC Hendon as there's nothing you can do if a player fails to show.

-20th May 2008 | back to top

Sassco.co.uk 2 Hendon Rovers 0
A reasonably comprehensive 2-0 win for Sassco. Murton didn't show leading to speculation that he's found yet another team, but Keith Mouat filled in and Sassco comfortably kept the ball and saw two Mark Cresswell strikes in the first half to give them the points. Hendon Rovers had one major chance with shot which crashed off and out of the post, but after that, Sassco didn't seem to encounter any problems.

Redhouse Youth 7 Witherwack 1
A rampant Youths seem to be join favourites to lift the Title with AFC Redhouse based on recent results. After their stir against the Champions, it was Witherwack who felt their wrath, with Ramsay bagging four goals. Kurt got two and the returning Yates got the other one. An impressive performance and an important signal to Gash Brazier's team, "The Youth's are coming after you". Even the normally disinterested Taylor was busy texting immediately after the game asking about their next opponents, when he usually just ignores me if walking past me in the streets.

AFC Redhouse 3 FC Hendon 1
Without McConville, FC Hendon still put up a good fight, but precise finishing was the order of the day as Flash Jordan fired in two goals and Gash hurtled from one end of the field to the other (or so he says) to make it 3-0. A good performance and even the normally placid Carl Middlemiss was showing his bluster, with comments like, "Screw the Youths and screw Sporting. We're getting it this Season."

Downhill FC 3 ALS 0 Match awarded
Disappointingly, ALS failed to show, and thus Downhill were awarded a standard 3-0 win. Witherwack kindly stepped in an played what they thought was a League game against Downhill and lost 3-.1. But I've discovered that Witherwack and Downhill have already played twice so it was only a friendly game. Thanks anyway. I haven't added Downhill's 3-0 win over ALS to the table yet.

-13th May 2008 | back to top

Redhouse Youth 3 Sporting Redhouse 1
A remarkable and unexpected result. Youth's have been making steady progress since Ramsay's return and Murton and Hembrough's departure. But no one expected them to decisively defeat a moribund Sporting Redhouse team. Overconfidence played it's part and by the time Ramsay and Baxendale had hammered in two quick goals, it was effectively over. In the second half a further goal from Baxendale threatened to turn it into a rout. A few choice saves by Sangha were eventually rewarded with a Sporting goal. And despite some pressure, the records will record a critical win for Redhouse Youth by three to one against the Champions. So the Youth's, wearing Downhill's unlucky kit (never seen the lucky one) secure a historic win, but what now for Sporting. Manager Sangha said it was a "kick up the arse," Time will tell.

FC Hendon 3 Hendon Rovers 3
The second derby between the two Hendon teams ended all square. A difficult game for both teams, as both had points to prove. Rovers had their superb, backs to the wall draw with ALS last week while just before, FC Hendon suffered a defeat to Sassco. FC Hendon seemed to have the majority of the possession and chances. Rovers were leading 3-2 with only a few minutes to spare, only to see FC Hendon equalise. Probably a deserved scoreline. David Newby, making his debut for FC Hendon, grabbed two goals, with Gavin Green scoring the other. Goals from Hendon Rovers came from Wayne Ramsay and the two Danny's. Wayne Ramsay could have sealed it near the end for Hendon Rovers, but it wasn't to be.

Witherwack 5 Downhill FC 0
Downhill arrived on the scene as "dead men walking". It was only the influence of the rapidly deteriorating Anthony Pearson which gave them any hope as he hit the post and came close on another occasion. Witherwack were rampant. Liam Wooten and Kallum Griffiths scored two each while Steve Conlin added the other. The win keeps them at the top as other teams are now playing catch up.

AFC Redhouse 3 Sassco.co.uk 0
A simple trouncing for AFC over Sassco, as it was revenge served. Sassco have fallen short against the stronger teams like they always have in the League and a wonder strike from 35 yards by Gash Brazier separated the teams at half time. Brazier's been under pressure considering AFC's superb win last week and his own players were criticising him in the opening minutes as he was nearly dismissed by his nemesis, Anth Mouat, for over complaining (again). However, he answered his critics in style. Ironically, his protégé, David "Bunta" Murton was making his nomadic appearance, this time for Sassco. Unfortunately it ended in disaster against one of his old teams (yes, one of many). In the second half, with both 'keepers barely tested, Sangha decided to come off and by the time he'd wandered up the field, Sassco were 3-0 down with genuine backwards defending on show. Charlie had clear strikes for both the goals. By the time Sangha got back on and wasted his reportage of many swear words, the game ended and AFC gained some critical points considering that their rivals, Sporting, have dropped them.

-6th May 2008 | back to top

Sassco.co.uk 3 FC Hendon 1
After last weeks insipid performance against Redhouse Youths, Sassco attempted to put out the same team which did so well in the cup. Muers was missing (a good thing), but the Cresswell's (both of them) were also missing along with Mulvaney. FC Hendon were also struggling to find extra players, but in the end, both teams managed to get reasonably strong sides out. Sassco dug out the legendary Peter Daykin, once prolific contributor to ALS and Sex & Chocolate, as well as a regular in the League for SNC back in the good old days. His last appearance was back in 2004, a staggering four years ago.

The game itself was flowing from end to end. Sassco gained a breakaway goal with Lewis firing in a superb opener. After some near FC Hendon misses, Lewis added to his tally as Sassco looked comfortable. He nearly became the villain on the piece as he conceded a penalty, but Simpson was equal to it and Sassco went in at half time leading 2-0. Second half saw FC Hendon pressing and shaving the post on many occasions. Gary Green forced his way through the defence to make it 2-1. FC Hendon were on the ascendancy, but another breakaway goal from Lewis - his hat-trick, meant Sassco took the three points and inflicted FC Hendon's first defeat.

Daykin also returns into obscurity with his reputation intact.

Sporting Redhouse 6 Downhill FC 1
An unusually disorganised Downhill were no match for the Champions, who were making their second appearance this season. An opening goal was replied to with an accurate strike from Ed Morrison. The cheers went up as everyone enjoys a goal conceded by Sporting. But nothing lasts forever and Sporting, featuring a full strength side, including Hembrough, The Traitor, Anderson, Harrison and Walker drove onwards and secured a handsome with with six goals to one. Anth Pearson, the veteran Downhill supremo is missing for a good few months after dislocating his shoulder playing the namby pamby sport of Tennis.

Hendon Rovers 2 ALS 2
A truly remarkable result from Hendon Rovers. They only had four men and drafted in a goalkeeper who had no experience of using his hands. Even with all this against them, they took the game to ALS and fired in a brilliant opener. ALS were good enough to make a comeback, but missed a penalty which certainly didn't help them. They did get one in open play from Rollin, but shockingly, Rovers got one back. At the death Adil Ali fired in an equaliser for ALS as they looked dejected. The game was like a defeat from them. Rovers were elated and probably quite surprised. It proves that teams turning up short need never to give up. ALS had a massive nine man squad to chose from and this was even without Johnstone, Mouat and Spraggon.

Hendon Rovers owe £5 for a kit fine.

AFC Redhouse 6 Witherwack 1
Broken from the shackles of the negative Gash Brazier, AFC Redhouse, under command of Tommy Bell (albeit a heavier looking version of him), fired in an early opener. Even suffering a superb Kallum Griffiths free-kick didn't deter them as they went on to grab a further five goals with no more replies. Brooke, Grant Foster, Chris Middlemiss (2), Flash Jordan and the aforementioned Bell were all on the score sheet.

Witherwack owe £5 for a kit fine.

-29th April 2008 | back to top

Witherwack 7 ALS 2
A balmy, humid evening saw the extra early kick off with ALS firing in an opener via their new superstar, Scott Johnstone. ALS controlled the game for the opening minutes, but Liam Wooton replied for Witherwack, who unlike last week, had a full and strong side out. Moments later it was 2-1. Ageing superstar, Paul Mouat was also on show for ALS and when the not so superstar, Joe Spraggon, came on, ALS quickly went 3-1 down. The eventual score was 7-2, with Wooton bagging three and Kallum Griffiths (a genuine superstar) getting four goals. A brilliant response from Witherwack, but back to the drawing board for ALS.

Redhouse Youths 2 Sassco.co.uk 0
A full strength Youths team was rarely troubled by Sassco throughout the game. Lax marking led to Stephen Ramsay firing in from a tight angle after around ten minutes. After that, it was mostly the Youths taking control, with Simpson making some excellent stops. Sassco hit the post late on, but at the death, Ramsay fired in another one in a game where Sassco didn't really look like they were going to score.

-22nd April 2008 | back to top

The new ball has arrived and will be used during the Tuesday and Thursday Leagues, as well as the majority of the home games for the 11-a-side team. The ball is made up to FIFA Approved Standard (not the lower FIFA Inspected), but, no doubt some numpties in the WCFL will consider their 50p Mitre's better just because they have a Mitre Logo on them.

-22nd April 2008 | back to top

A few teams cancelled the game at quite short notice, and by that I mean late Sunday and Monday. Downhill stepped into the breach to play two games, but in future, all cancellations must be notified on a Sunday. I generally allow games to be cancelled until about 10th May (due to 11-a-side) but after that, no cancellations are allowed and those that have to cancel, tend to have the win awarded against them.

Sporting Redhouse 3 Hendon Rovers 1
The Champions were opening their account in Season 12 with a game against Hendon Rovers. Tarnjit Sangha, suffering from the same infliction that his rival, Gareth Brazier seems to have been suffering from, boasted that his team would go the season unbeaten and become Treble Winners. With Scott Hembrough now on board, he may have good chance. The win over Hendon was quite straightforward - although Paul McConville's technical team from the other FC Hendon, the League leaders, were making extensive notes on Sporting. It was a slow paced game. Sporting scored early from Billy Harrison and then added two more from Trevor Walker. Hendon scored late in the second, but it was only a consolation goal. It was a hard game once again for Hendon who have faced the League leaders and the current Champions. But they squandered their chances and Sporting were a hard team to break down with some good passing and possession football.

AFC Redhouse 6 Downhill FC 0
The strongest looking Downhill team for quite a while suffered a bit of a pummelling against AFC, who didn't seem to break sweat. Gash Brazier put his money where his mouth was and scored four goals while Grant Foster and Flash Jordan hit the other two. Downhill conceded within the opening minutes much to the surprise, shock and disdain of their only superstar, Mickey Pearson, who at this minute is busy tidying up his CV to send to ALS's supremo, Brian Watson.

Sassco.co.uk 8 Witherwack 0
A spectacular result for Sassco. True, Witherwack were quite weakened, but Sassco also lost Keith Mouat (injury) and Dave Gourlay (can't be bothered). In came Lee Cresswell, as Sassco fired in five goals in the opening half. A further three in the second saw the three points firmly in Sassco's court. Mark Cresswell and Stephen Lewis both got hat-tricks while Lee Cresswell scored two.

ALS 2 Downhill FC 2
Logan was in fine form again for ALS as he repelled everything thrown at him. A breakaway goal saw ALS 1-0 up before Mickey Pearson responded with a deflected drive. A total cock up from the returning Rikki Kennedy allowed a three on one situation to give ALS the lead. But late on, a disputed free-kick was quickly taken by the aforementioned Kennedy who hammered it home while ALS were busy arguing. Points shared. Brett Wilson and Paul Davison were the scorers for ALS.

-11th April 2008 | back to top

Thursday, April 10th 2008

LAUNCH DATE 24TH MAY
The Sunderland Music Forum cordially invites you to attend our launch on Saturday 24th May at The Stadium of Light. We are a newly founded gathering of Music makers/lovers who care about keeping Sunderland's music scene very much alive and kicking. We are aiming to work with any group or individual who has an involvement in music within our City to take part in our launch. There will be a local music exhibition, live performances from local artists and groups, a question & answer session with a panel of local experts, plus prize giveaways. For more info, please visit our website and keep an eye in the local press, or get in touch.

'MACKEM LISTEN' FESTIVAL IN THE CITY
We will be co-ordinating a series of events in the weeks leading up to the launch with the title of 'Mackem Listen - Music in The City of Sunderland'. We aim to work with all of the groups participating in our launch to help with any events they have on during May to highlight what we have going on in our City.

NEW MUSIC MAGAZINE
The Forum are also launching a new music magazine in May to coincide with the launch and festival events. It will provide a full guide to the events as well as featuring interviews and articles on local artists and music groups, cd and live gig reviews, some local music nostalgia, among other things. More info is on our website.

ONLINE RADIO STATION
A new online radio station can be found on our website playing only music by local artists, news, reviews and interviews, plus live gig broadcasts. To listen, click on the link on our website and if you have any music you'd like playing, please get in touch.

-8th April 2008 | back to top

Redhouse Youth 6 Downhill FC 0
Two old soldiers were back for this straightforward win for Redhouse Youth (name to be changed soon). Ramsay was on song for the Youth team while Mickey Pearson made a show for Downhill after his recent surge in football. A stubborn opening few minutes saw Anth Pearson make some remarkable stops for Downhill as he was the stand in 'keeper. It didn't last because Stef Mitchell fired an opener from a tight angle and then Ramsay scored a superb volley. A further goals gave the Youth's an excellent three points and it seemed to be back to the "old" Youth's with no new superstars on show.

Redhouse Youth are fined £5 for two players wearing incorrect shirts. Also, the red Nike shirts provided will have to be returned to the League organisers as they were loaned out to avoid kit fines. If a team can't adhere to the rule even when shirts are provided, then the shirts will be given to another team.

Sassco.co.uk 3 ALS 3
One word was the reason why Sassco didn't take all three points - Logan! Having spent most of his time battling at the wrong end of the table with Sassco, Logan came back for ALS and within minutes was the catalyst for their remarkable 3-3 draw. Much is expected of Sassco this season. They have a decent side and also come into to Season 12 as the Super League winners. Looking back on a frustrating game, they can marvel at the amount of squandered chances they had. ALS scored first with Stephen Stokoe firing one in. Sassco responded near the end of the half, but the second saw Paul Davison latch on to an error by Davinder Sangha to fire through Simpson's legs. Again, Sassco equalised, but a poor pass followed by Muers being out of position saw Jordan Robson score a third. ALS only have around four or five shots on goal and clinically scored three. Amazingly, Sassco scored again (Lewis scored two and Cresswell the other goal for Sassco in the game). At the death, Logan made some excellent stops as he did all game to give ALS a share of the points. Sassco can stop patting themselves on the back and start the hard grind of the League campaign.

Witherwack 3 Hendon Rovers 1
Steve Conlin and Liam Wooton got the three goals for Witherwack in a game which was quite tight throughout. It was 1-0 for quite a while and then Lee Ramsay scored a header (which are rare in the 6-a-side) to equalise. As the game opened up, Witherwack scored their further goals including a bit of a howler from the Witherwack 'keeper. Hendon Rovers had more than enough chances and opportunities, but failed to take them.

-1st April 2008 | back to top

Sassco shock the favourites in the Final.

Sassco pictured with the AGUK Super League Trophy. Back row are David Simpson, Dave Gourlay, Simon Mulvaney, Davinder Sangha. Sitting are Stephen Lewis, Mark Cresswell and Keith Mouat.

Sassco.co.uk 0 Sporting Redhouse 0 Final
Sassco won 3-1 on penalties

An unexpected conclusion to the AGUK Super League as the rank outsiders, Sassco - a team which crept into the last four, triumphed with a rare 0-0 draw and a shoot out victory.

Sporting Redhouse were overwhelming favourites against an improved Sassco team. Sassco presented the same line up as in their tremendous Semi Final victory over the holders. Simpson, Mulvaney, Sangha, Gourlay, Mouat, Lewis and Cresswell. The disappointment to anyone independent was that Sporting, with a dream team line up of Sangha, Williamson, Walker, Anderson, Davison, Harrison and Cromack - all who'd won countless trophies in the Sassco League, would probably triumph and thus gain the Treble. However, Sassco had their own plans in place. The wind was shocking and worked fully in Sassco's favour. Both teams played it on the floor, but the wind was preventing any quick breaks. Sporting had the lions share in the opening half with a few misplaced passes from Sassco letting them in. But Simpson, who controversially replaced Logan in the last few League games, was sure to every shot. But saying that, none of the shots were devastating and were more like snatched shots. 0-0 at half time and in the second, Sassco seemed to be coping quite well as their forays into the Sporting half were more frequent. Yet despite this, Sassco failed to muster a single shot on target and eventually retreated into their negative shell, with Mulvaney remaining deep thus adding a third defender to the team. Sporting were frustrated. Harrison was the main threat, but surprisingly, Steve Anderson, widely regarded as the overall best player within the League wasn't a threat at all.

So, just like the last time Sassco were in a Tuesday final it went to penalties (They lost against Crown back in Season 5 in the same competition). Sassco were jubilant as the penalties started and Sporting looked visibly gutted. Cresswell fired in the opener for Sassco and it was 1-0. Billy Harrison walloped his in so it was 1-1. Then it was down to Gourlay, who's shot crashed in off of the roof of the net. Then, the villain of the piece, the team hopping Traitor finally got his comeuppance as Simpson shut out his shot. 2-1 and Sassco's Stephen Lewis stepped up and rammed home the winner.

A glorious end for Sassco as they gained their first trophy on a Tuesday since their Season 4 victory (ironically also over Sporting) back in 2001.