Sassco.co.uk - 6-a-side and 11-a-side football in Sunderland

Select triumph.

Crown meekly give away their trophy.

Select triumphed, as expected in the Super League and took the trophy back off Crown – who triumphed last season. This time, Select sailed through the semi finals with a 4-0 walloping over a weak and insipid Crown team.

The other semi was more close. SNC and Posi played out a 1-1 draw which resulted in the dreaded penalties. Posi secured the win which put them into the final.

The Final was a straightforward win for Select. They’d beaten Posi easily in the League and had a reasonably comfortable win in the final. The 5-2 result means that Select, once more gain the double and look stronger than ever.

Season 7 will probably start mid April. Can all teams contact me with their intentions if they want to re-enter.

Ellie are out!

Crown beat Sassco in a play-off thriller.

The most accomplished team for the last few games have been eliminated by a last minute goal. After a 0-0 draw against Ryhope, Ellie knew that only a reasonably heavy defeat against Select would put them out. An early goal from Christopher Priest gave them an almost guaranteed berth. But despite the goal, it was Whittle who kept them in the game with some outstanding stops. Select, almost single handily driven by Williamson and Walker, soon grabbed an equaliser. Walker scored two goals and then at the death, Williamson scored to dump Ellie out of the competition. If they hadn’t conceded the last minute goal, they would have had a play-off against SNC.

The other group saw a deciding play-off between Sassco and Crown. it seemed to go to plan though. After an early Sassco stunner off Staples, Crown grabbed an equaliser and eventually went 4-1 up in the second half. It was then that a weakened Sassco (without Mouat and Robson), came alive. Two goals from Greenwell almost pulled them back into it – but it wasn’t to be. Now Crown have to face Select in the semi finals.

Group A	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
Posithread.co.uk	2	1	0	1	3	1	2	3
Crown Electrics	2	1	0	1	2	3	-1	3
Sassco.co.uk	2	1	0	1	1	2	-1	3
Ryhope CA withdrew

Group B	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
Sunderland Select	3	2	1	0	6	3	3	7
Sex & Chocolate	3	1	1	1	5	5	0	4
Ellie Leisure	3	1	1	1	2	3	-1	4
Ryhope	3	0	1	2	2	4	-2	1

2nd March 2004, Fixtures
7:30pm Ellie v Sex & Chocolate (play-off)

9th March 2004, Fixtures
Semi Finals

7:30pm Crown v Select and Ellie or SNC v Posithread.co.uk
8:00pm Final

Posithread.co.uk thump Crown.

Hope for Sassco in a play-off.

A weakened Crown team was still expected to turn over Posithread, but a shock of a result let Sassco have another bite at the cherry. Goals from the excellent Dave Hutton (2) and John McDuggan combined with brilliant saves from ‘keeper Paul Timberlake, gave Posithread a brilliant win (they were even fully kitted as well!). The result gave Crown the same goal difference as Sassco (minus 1). This means that a play off will take place next week, with the winner going through.

Sunderland Select also overcame an awkward and irritated Ryhope team with a 1-0 victory. The result puts Ryhope out of the competition, but Select have an interesting clash against a resurgent Ellie team which should decide which one of the three (SNC, Ellie and Select) go through.

Tyzack came off the bench to break the deadlock in a tight game for Ellie against SNC. Dixon came closest for Sex & Chocolate in the opening half, but the only goal of the game came late in the second.

Group A	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
Posithread.co.uk	2	1	0	1	3	1	2	3
Crown Electrics	2	1	0	1	2	3	-1	3
Sassco.co.uk	2	1	0	1	1	2	-1	3
Ryhope CA withdrew

Group B	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
Sunderland Select	2	1	1	0	3	2	1	4
Sex & Chocolate	3	1	1	1	4	5	-1	4
Ellie Leisure	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	3
Ryhope	2	0	0	2	2	4	-2	0

24th February 2004, Fixtures
7:30pm Ellie v Ryhope and Sassco.co.uk v Crown (play off)
8:00pm Ellie v Select

Semi Finals and Final take place 2nd March.

Sassco look dead and buried.

Sex & Chocolate’s second positive result.

Crown comfortably defeat Sassco by two goals to nil to put themselves firmly in pole position. Jon Wardle opened the scoring late in the second half and was followed shortly by Tom Robason’s goal. Sassco controlled most of the play, but single handily failed to take advantage of their possession.

Sex & Chocolate has a battling win against Ryhope to give themselves a brilliant chance to get into the semi finals. A 3-2 win followed their excellent 2-2 draw against Select. But with Ellie yet to play, it seems that despite the good performances, there is still a long way to go.

Sex & Chocolate gain a brilliant result.

Sassco win v Posi.

Sassco dominated but failed to score more than the one goal, put away excellently by Robson, against Posi. Shaun Snowdon’s team could have snatched a point in the end, but their forwards let them down. SNC gained their most positive result in years with a 2-2 draw against Select. This is the first time that SNC haven’t been heavily defeated by Select, and it puts them in a positive position with two, albeit still strong, lesser teams to face when compared to Select

Select win the Title.
Durham finally falter.

With SR-1’s no show, Select wrapped the Title up. They 100% confirmed it with a 3-2 win over Crown later on. Muers bagged a goal for Crown, but Walker (2) and Cairns scored to give Select their fourth successive title.

Durham’s dying season also ended with SNC inflicting a superb 4-1 win. Both Gourlay and Dixon shared the spoils as Durham, with the influential Harper stranded in no mans land, suffered a third heavy defeat in as many match weeks.

Ryhope came and also beat Crown with a 2-0 scoreline. They leapfrog Posi, but cannot move any further up from eighth position. The final game is next week. Select face Ryhope in a meaningless encounter.

Shouldn’t be any problems for Select.
Ellie keep winning.

With three games in hand and two points behind, Select should wrap up their fourth consecutive League title. Earlier set backs had put them behind Durham, but the recent Ellie win over Durham put Select firmly back in it.

Tonight, Select scored a comfortable win over SNC. Two goals from Trevor Walker wrapped it up. The most important result, however, was the Sassco win over Durham. A 6-0 hammering with goals from Staples, Robson and Middlemiss over a decidedly weaker Durham team put pay to any hopes of a League title.

Elsewhere, Ellie Leisure cruised past a hapless Crown Electrics as they continued their unprecedented run. This run is championship form, but too little too late. But the much shorter Super League at the end of this Season could see how Ellie put up against the likes of Select as they are now clearly the strongest team in the League apart from Select.

Posithread also came out of the cold with hat-trick hero, Ward beating Ryhope 3-1. A good performance from Posi as Ryhope are an evenly matched team. Pentiland scored for them.

Crown look set for third.

Ellie’s third win in a row.

From 10th position, Ellie are now in 6th and have made every indication that they are set for a higher position. Slipway were the victims this time and even with the inspirational Fat Phil in goal, they conceded six off Gary Tyzack and one each from Ainsley and Gibson. An 8-2 win was the final result.

Crown’s game against SR-1 was practically a decided for who finishes in third place. SR-1 currently hold the berth, and still do after a 2-1 defeat off Wardle’s team. But with games in hand, Crown will almost certainly hold the third place spot for their own next year when the league resumes.

Ellie slaughter Durham.

Select back in the driving seat.

Ellie secured another excellent win, this time a 4-1 hammering against Durham. Wilson opened the scoring for Durham, who were enjoying a good recent run, but Ellie soon equalised and went further ahead. Sammut, Gibson and Tyzack (2) grabbed the goals for Ellie. This was Durham’s first defeat for a long time and also only their second of the season.

Select made no mistakes. Four strikes from Walker and two from Cairns saw a hapless Posithread.co.uk humiliated again. Select are now in the driving seat and can win the league if they win their remaining games.

Crown and Sassco played out an enjoyable 2-2 draw. Some early pressure saw Tom Robason miss some gilt edged, one-on-one chances before Gordon Robson scored the opener for Sassco. Robason did manage to equalise after gaining too much space, but in the second half, David Staples scored a goal after winning the ball and creating space for himself. The scoring ended when Steve Stubbs, somehow squeezed his low strike into the far corner. 2-2 was a fair result.

Ryhope were awarded a 3-0 win over EMS. EMS were absent.

Ellie’s first win since September.

Durham and Select secure handsome wins.

Select stormed it against Posithread with nine goals scored against one. Select were simply too good and hammered a weak Posi team which didn’t feature Shaun Snowdon. Goals came from Williamson (4), Walker (3) and two from Hunt.

Durham weren’t too concerned as they destroyed Ryhope 6-0. The lack of Stephen Jackson simply hasn’t effected them at all and despite a stumble a month back, they’re back on track. Goals from McNaught, Hembrough and three from Wilson gave them the points and it puts them firmly in the driving seat.

Ellie finally gained a win, and it was a handsome one. A weakened Sassco were pummelled and eventually lost 5-1 with two goals from new boy, Mark Gibson, two from Tyzack and one from Sammut. Even Sassco’s equaliser was an own goal from Morris.

Sex & Chocolate secured a surprise 2-2 draw with SR-1. Both SNC’s goals came from Gourlay while Boddy and Cuddihy struck for SR-1.

Select and Durham keep going.

Crown look to third.

Both Select and Durham were in action and both gained handsome wins. Goals from Williamson, John Hunt (2) and Cairns gave Select a 4-0 win despite Ellie have several good opportunities on goal. Durham also walloped Slipway, which was a potential banana skin. A 6-0 score line gives the team a much needed boost after a disappointing, albeit winning, performance against SNC last week.

The other games featured Posithread against Crown. A 3-0 win for Crown put Posi back after their recent run of decent form. Two defeats in two games doesn’t help their campaign. Ryhope also returned to action and were comfortably dismissed by SR-1. Goals from Cuddihy, Barnes (playing outfield) and Hutchinson kept their recent run of good form going.

Sassco 4 Select 2.

Champions suffer a major (and unexpected) setback.

JJBs have been removed from the League

Contrasting fortunes this week. Posi and Select both had handsome wins over their opponents, SR-1 and Sassco last week, but this time it was completely reversed.

Posi v SR-1. Match Report by Shaun Snowdon.

“Well what a difference a week can make as we started the game with our eyes closed. SR-1 quickly got ahead then Wardy, as normal hit one back, but then something strange happened. I think someone must have swapped Wards and Scott’s boots with Ronny Rosenthal because from then on they either hit the post, or wide and high. SR-1 put every chance they had away in the 1st and it was 4-1 at the break. Posi had all the play in the second but couldn’t put it away.”

Sassco.co.uk turned up against Select fearing another battering. It started the same as well. Paul Mouat lost the ball and Walker scored. But then, slow progress was made. Middlemiss scored the equaliser and then Select collapsed after Jona deflected a Mouat strike into his own net. “That killed us…” said Williamson after the game. Davinder Sangha (aka Clanger) learning from his last diabolical performance, pulled of some truly remarkable saves and double saves to earn himself the man-of-the-match award. In the second half, Sassco.co.uk hurtled into a 4-1 lead with all Downhill awake with the car horns blaring. Mouat and Flash Gordon scored. Trevor pulled one back with 30 seconds remaining as Select suffered an unexpected defeat.

A narrow win for Durham over SNC followed. It was crucial. Durham had plenty of chances, but with Watson in goal, SNC had a glimmer of hope. The three points put them firmly ahead, but with JJBs being deleted, the table has given Select two extra games to catch up.

Slipway v Ellie Leisure looked like a stalemate, but the new improved Slipway – with Kelsey and Ames in the line up eventually shone through. Kelsey scored along with one of the twins and Ames scored after coming off the bench. Ellie’s goal came from Priest, but it might take a little bit more than divine intervention to scrape them off the bottom of the table now that JJBs are long gone.

A stop-start league.

Rearranged games stutter to a halt.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FIXTURE LIST IS NO LONGER VALID. GAMES ARE BEING ARRANGED ON A WEEK BY WEEK BASIS.

With so many games being cancelled and re-arranged due to SAFC games it’s difficult to keep a proper track of the league progress.

Durham are being constantly chased by Select. An easy 7-1 win for Durham over EMS was followed by Sassco.co.uk’s 4-0 defeat at the hands of Select. Sassco were dominant in the opening stages with the entire team forcing Davison to pull off some outstanding one on one saves. Walker, though, opened the scoring and with some haphazard goalkeeping were soon 4-0 up.

Posi thumped JJB Sports. A 9-0 scoreline upped Dave Wards goal tally to put him into fourth position. Remarkable as well considering that he’s only played half the amount of games as the players above him.

SNC, with a superb hat-trick (TBC) from Dixon kept up their strong form, in the game against Ryhope. They are now unbeaten since early September.

Crown also gained revenge for their surprise defeat against Slipway with both goals coming from Jon Wardle. The win puts them into 4th place.

SR-1’s climb up the table continued with goals from Cuddihy and Hutchinson. Ellie were the victims which wasn’t a surprise considering their stop-start season.

There was only one game played on the 4th November due to a disaster in team organisation. Slipway, JJB Sports and EMS all cancelled on the day which means that they will be deducted points at the end of the season.

The only game left was SR-1 v Posi. posi controlled the game from the off with Snowdon only really tested once. But at an important stage, Dorwood hit early doors for Posi and Dave Ward finished it off with another trademark 25 yarder.

Durham and Select – neck and neck.

13 goals, a new record for the League.

30th September saw two games played due to the SAFC game. Crown played EMS and SR-1 played Sassco.co.uk

Crown raced into a two goal lead from Wardle and Tom Robason. Muers replied with a goal and then Galey equalised. EMS then went ahead with Greenwell. But lax defending allowed Stubbs to score and Wardle to finish them off.

SR-1 opened the scoring from Chris Ward, but Middlemiss equalised. SR-1 were without a recognised goalkeeper, but Sassco failed to take advantage. SR-1 had the majority of the chances but were thwarted by Sassco keeper, Sangha. The final moments saw SR-1 score twice to take the points.

The 7th October saw Crown secure another victory. They sit in 6th place with games in hand. If they win these games, they could jump into 3rd place. Ellie were the opponents tonight. Norris scored for them, but Crown, with goals from Wardle, Tom Robason and Jeff Clark gained the three points.

Posi and SNC was a difficult one to call. One would expect Posi to edge with their recent run of impressive form, but SNC had other ideas. Goals from Chris Scott and Chris Dixon put them 2-0 ahead. But Posi weren’t finished as Dave Ward scored both their goals to level and conclude the game. Ward was nominated man of the match for this late rescue.

Slipway turned up with a much weakened squad, while Sassco were more than full strength. An opener from Keith Mouat was soon cancelled out by Michael Ames, who was making his Slipway debut. David Staples then scored a truly wonder goal – a volley from a cross ball to almost secure the win. But lax defending, namely from “Flash” Gordon Robson saw Ames steal the ball and snatch an equaliser.

Durham City returned to form with 13 goals (a new record) past the hapless JJB Sports. Six goals came from new debutante, Michael Conlin, while Neil Middlemiss scored a hat-trick. Wilson and Hembrough shared four goals.

Select beat EMS 6-3, and while the scoreline seemed that it was a tough challenge, it was far from it. Select were 5-0 up at one stage, and only let EMS back into it when David Leithes replaced Gary Davison in goal. Williamson grabbed a hat-trick and another man of the match award, while his opposite, Wayne Greenwell, spent the 30 minutes abusing his own team.

Durham scrape past Posithread.

Wardle strikes three for Crown.

A more stronger looking Posithread team were unfortunate to be clinically despatched by three strikes from Durham. Posithread were excellent and deserved at least a point. Scott and Ward both hit the post, but credit has to go out to Danny Coulson for some fine saves after his below par performance the week before. Due to recent injuries and players being unavailable, Cousins and Thompson were brought in and from their performance tonight, Posi will have a very strong team.

SR-1 turned into SR-6 with goals from Cuddihy (2), Ward (2) and McClements and Hutchinson. JJB Sports (sponsored by Northern Electric), struggled to get in the game and received the expected battering.

Crown Electrics faced a vastly weakened Sassco team. Keith Mouat was unavailable and replaced by Steve Logan, but a last minute drop out by Mickey Pearson didn’t help at all. Sassco’s strongest point – the defence – was new. Sangha and Ames couldn’t get into the game, despite a good start. Wardle eventually scored a hat-trick. Although Sassco did claw one back at 2-1 and nearly scored an unlikely equaliser. Crown now move in 7th place and have several games in hand to make a late push.

Sex & Chocolate faced off against Ryhope in a difficult game to call. Dixon grabbed a hat-trick and Pentiland scored two as SNC secured an important and reasonably unexpected win.

Select also gave the new and improved Slipway a battering. Their last game against Select was a 6-1 mauling, but this time they had Kelsey and Coulson. But no joy as Select keep up with Durham.

Game of the night ends 2-2

Sassco give away two late goals. Kelsey grabs a winner over Crown.

Cruising at 2-0 and performing strongly, Sassco allowed Durham to grab two late goals, courtesy of Stephen Jackson, to lose two points in a 2-2 draw. Middlemiss and Robson returned for Sassco as they put out their strongest team, and it was Middlemiss who opened the scoring and then doubled it with a superb free-kick. The leaders were shaking, but with Jackson in the team, they only needed a half chance. And he got two with two minutes remaining. The game was excellent to watch, with chances at a premium. Sassco were clinical with theirs and Durham forced a few good saves from Davinder Sangha. A 2-2 draw was quite balanced. Sassco would take that before the game, but Durham, with Select winning 4-2 against Ellie, could consider it two points lost. Sassco revealed serious weaknesses in the Durham team as Durham’s confidence is at an all time low, despite a late grab of the points.

Select now have it in their hands as they brushed aside Ellie Leisure 4-2. Ellie held them for a considerable amount of time with the score tied at 1-1 but gave way in the end. Morris and Tyzack scored for Ellie whilst Walker and Cairns scored two each.

JJB Sports (co sponsored by Northern Electric from now on) suffered another defeat. This time it was EMS, with Dickinson transferred from Sassco.co.uk. He scored a goal alongside Scott, Greenwell and Galey (who scored two). EMS are now in third place having leapfrogged Sassco.

Snowdon’s Posithread turned up wearing FC Fulwell’s kit and performed in a similar manner in a 2-2 draw with Ryhope. Mark Peel and Danny Pentiland scored for Ryhope while Hutton and Davison grabbed the goals from Posi, who were coming of a two game losing streak. Ryhope themselves also lost last week so a draw was a fair result. Posi had about five injuries and people playing 11 a side. The new boys did a good job. Mark Richardson was tireless and his passing was 100% Hayes stopped Pentiland from notching more than his solitary. Davison scored in the first half only for Ryhope too make it 2-1 in the second. But after a lengthy lay off Davey "Daniel Beddingfield" Hutton popped up with his first goal of the season.2-2 final score, despite scoring for fun in the Thursday league.

And finally, having spent so long without winning a game, Slipway had two in two weeks. This one was special though. Crown Electrics raced into a 1-0 lead courtesy of Tom Robason but Slipway soon hit back, and it was their superstar signing who grabbed the winner. Mark Kelsey made no mistake in scoring to give his side a consecutive win with a 2-1 scoreline – what a hero!

Slipway turn the corner.

3-0 win over Posithread.co.uk. Ellie Leisure, unbeaten in 5.

After nearly 12 games without a win (and their only win being over JJB Sports), Slipway finally delivered the goods in a comprehensive 3-0 win over Posithread.co.uk. The Halliwell twins got on the scoresheet and Mark Kelsey scored his first goal for the team. Posithread.co.uk were playing back to back games to complete some of their back logged games, but the two games couldn’t come at a worse time. They were missing three key players and it showed when the team was pushing forward and not tracking back. Nigel Shefford was left to deal with the brunt of all the attacks on his own. Steve Willie was missing and the likes of Hutton and Scott were sorely missed.

Their earlier defeat was against a resurgent Ellie Leisure, who themselves have now won five off the belt. The 2-1 scoreline was well worth it, as Sammut and Priest got on the scoresheet. Ellie are now slowly climbing the table and look impressive. A huge test next week, though: Sunderland Select.

Select comfortably won over a weakened Sex & Chocolate. Anth Mouat provided the heroics for SNC in goal, but his outfield players couldn’t finish their chances. Select, as expected, comfortably finished theirs. Walker scored a hat-trick and Hunt grabbed a solo goal to finish t he game 4-0 to Select.

EMS sprung a surprise after losing their last two games. It was expected that Ryhope would take EMS to the cleaners, but Baker and Elliott scored to give them a good 2-0 win to put them into fourth place.

Above them were Sassco. A completely transformed team with two debutantes, the ageing Steve Lawson (ex Royal Mail team) and James Dickinson. A weak early goal scored by Dennis looked to cause an avalanche as SR-1’s strong line up passed their way around the incoherent Sassco team. Eventually though, Dickinson equalised and Sassco had the bulk of the second half chances. It ended 1-1 and both teams were reasonably satisfied.

Crown easily beat JJB Sports, but JJBs did manage to get on the scoresheet. Cook scored their first goal since the 1-1 draw with SNC. And this being their only second goal all season shows clearly why they are bottom. Stubbs scored two for Crown and Tom Robason scored a hat-trick. Jon Wardle set most of the opportunities up and eventually got on the scoresheet in a man-of-the-match performance.

Durham gain some much needed poise.

Slipway – only one win in 12

After the previous weeks humiliating climb down against the Champions, Durham answered their critics back in perfect style. Crown were the opponents and for most of the game it was a negative event. It was only late in the second half when inexplicably, Crown failed to man mark Stephen Jackson. He wasted no time in firing in the opener after gaining so much space. Further goals by Hembrough and Jackson (again), gave Durham a much needed 3-0 win over a contender. Ironically, Crown are third from bottom, but their three defeats have been against Durham and Select and they do have a significant number of games in hand.

Sassco began a new era with two new permanent players. Booth and Kelsey were gone, and in came Gordon Robson and Pearson for their second appearances. Against JJB Sports it was a one sided game. Stand in keeper, Logan, made one excellent save, but it was all Sassco. Robson hit his first goals with a superb hat-trick and Pearson and Mouat shared the others. More should have been scored, but the game was played at a much too relaxed pace. Nevertheless, Sassco remain in third, especially after EMS lost out against SR-1.

This time it was Hutchinson with the goals in a game where Cuddihy was firing blanks. EMS were without keeper Dave Carter, and Muers failed to do an adequate job in his stead. Greenwell and Baker scored for EMS, but an additional goal from Ward gave SR-1 an impressive win.

Dave Watson was awarded man of the match for Sex & Chocolate against Ellie Leisure as he took a bit of a battering. SNC were still without Gourlay, but Cassidy came in as a more than useful replacement. An opener for Dixon, combined with SNC’s lock tight defence meant goals were at a premium. But Watson was unable to prevent Priest’s equaliser in the second half. There were chances later on but the game was tied at 1-1. Amazingly both these teams had butchered each other in a matter of two weeks, but this time they were balanced.

Finally, Slipway kept their terrible run going. They succumbed to a fifth straight defeat, this time against Ryhope. Slipway have lost 9 league games and drawn only 2. Their only win was against JJB Sports. Goals from Danny Pentiland and Scott Gilby secured a good win for Ryhope, who picked up their first win since July. After a promising start, Ryhope have definitely lost their way. But the squad is certainly good enough to pick up more points in the forthcoming games.

Durham Collapse!

A 3-1 win puts Select back on track.

A welcome return for referee Terry Ward, after nearly two years since he last refereed in the league.

A quiet evening saw one major game where Select gained revenge over Durham. The previous encounter was a 1-0 win for Durham, but this one was completely different. Durham seemed out of sync and struggled to control a Select onslaught. Lawton soon put Select ahead, and to be honest, the result was never in doubt. Huge gaps in Durham’s defence saw Walker hit Select’s second goal. A consolation was fired in by Hembrough and at one stage it seemed that Select’s normally lax defence would falter. But it didn’t and Walker scored a breakaway goal to secure the three points. Select are now only four points behind Durham and also have a game in hand. It looks extremely tight and now depends on both these teams results against the rest of the teams in the league.

The main talking point of the Slipway SR-1 game, beforehand, was Mark Kelsey’s debut. The talking afterwards was of Hutchinson’s fantastic opener which was added to moments later by Lee Cuddihy. Without Melvin Keith, Slipway lacked any ideas up front. They had a team full of battlers and it showed in a scrappy game. Cuddihy added another to make it a 3-0 scoreline which reflected badly on Slipway, who are now second bottom.

Bottom placed are JJB Sports, who more worryingly than anything else, have failed to score since their miraculous draw with Sex & Chocolate. It was different this time. SNC scored three goals in their opening attacks and never looked back. Chris Scott got man-of-the-match with his hat-trick, while Dixon and Tim Gillespie scored the other four. Gourlay was left languishing on the sidelines, torn in his heart with the fact that the team simply look exceptional without him. Daykin will have to disrupt a happy squad when Gourlay bludgeons his way back in.

EMS had the opposite effect without their star player, as a weakened Ellie Leisure trounced them 3-0. Sammut scored two while man-of-the-match, Harrison opened the scoring. Butler was playing outfield for Ellie which always signals a crisis, but this time it was positive. Despite hobbling off at half time with exhaustion, Butler’s replacement, Ben Tye, didn’t have anything to worry about. For EMS, without Greenwell, they lacked any punch. Muers was left flailing about on the pitch with his new streamlined haircut, and apart from a few decent stops from Carter, there wasn’t really anything to say.

Are Durham wobbling?

A 1-1 draw is a set back. Noble misses a sitter as Ellie draw with Ryhope.

The overconfidence which oozed from Durham after their 1-0 win, last week against Ryhope, came crashing down as Hutchinson opened the scoring for SR-1. Lee Cuddihy’s team are obviously far less comfortable in the Tuesday League as opposed to their more positive Thursday campaign. Coulson was clearly at fault for the goal and it’s hard to see how he will live with himself. But the class of his team still shone through. Both teams had an equal amount of chances in the game, but it seemed that Durham’s luck would soon appear after Wilson equalised. Both Wilson and Jackson were off key for most of the game as it concluded in a satisfactory manor for SR-1, but a more devastating blow for Durham, who had beaten SR-1 4-2 in their earlier encounter.

Select took obvious advantage of this. A 10-0 scoreline was achieved. This was despite only leading by 2-0 at half time. Walker and Hunt scored hat-tricks (Walker got 4 goals). The others were shared by Cairns, Dean Wardle and Simon Williamson. An expected defeat for JJBs, but they still soldier on. The win moves Select into second place with games in hand.

Crown and Sex & Chocolate played out a 1-1 draw. Dixon opened the scoring but Stubbs equalised. Both teams had a fair amount of chances, but Watson kept Sex & Chocolate in it with several excellent saves. SNC have had a few excellent results starting with a 2-0 over Sassco and now consecutive draws against SR-1 and Crown. Wardle’s team are also sitting comfortably. They have only had two defeats in seven games. Unfortunately, they were against Durham and Select, their nearest rivals.

Paul Noble will definitely wake up with a hangover. Inexplicably he missed a glorious chance to take Ellie to a 2-1 win, after leading for most of the game with a 1-0 scoreline. Sammut scored the opener and it was only late on when Craig Johnson equalised. It was Ryhope who had some excellent chances in the second, but none were even remotely clear as Noble’s chance. With no goals to his name this season, it was hardly surprising*

* match report authorised by S. Harrison

EMSeurope.co.uk put some bad form behind them as they beat Slipway 2-0. Terry Halliwell was awarded man-of-the-match for the Slipway and the game did actually flare up on one occasion for the Slipway. But goals from Galey and Baker ended EMSeurope’s bad run. In the last seven games, they only won two. But them two games were both against Select.

Durham scrape past Ryhope.

Posithread’s Dave Ward puts FIVE past the Slipway.

A welcome return for Mickey Frater, who was the first referee in the League back in 1999 and was consistent in refereeing until Season 3.

The main game of the night was Durham versus Ryhope. A single goal from Gareth Greener settled the game, but Ryhope had so many chances, it seemed that it was them that should have been leading in the table. A disallowed goal didn’t help neither, but Durham seem to have the ability to grab wins with a little bit of luck. Already they have seen off their nearest rivals. The only threat seems to be from Select.

Select gained a much needed win against Crown Electrics. Disorganisation from Crown and knowing that they had to pay a kit fine, didn’t seem to put them off. Stubbs scored a dubious opening goal, but Select eventually hit back. Goals from Cairns, Williamson and Walker put them 3-1 up, before Jon Wardle hit a consolation. A great result from Select, but a disappointing one from Crown who were on a good run.

EMS and Sassco concluded the games on Pitch B, and for once, this one was over before it started. A soft goal conceded by Dave Carter from Staples killed the EMS confidence. The previously infallible Carter seems to still be suffering from his nightmare in the 5th SFL Cup Final. A second from Middlemiss in the second half ended the game as a contest. For Sassco, Gordon Robson was making a long awaited return and certainly inspired the side. A late stunner from Staples gave EMS a trouncing and kept Sassco ahead in the table, despite having far more games played than any other team.

Ellie Leisure lashed five past JJB Sports, as expected. Chris Priest scored a hat-trick and Burnside scored two. Craig Henderson’s team simply can’t get into the swing of things and still remain rooted at the foot of the table.

JJBs only points came from Sex & Chocolate, who themselves grabbed a share of the points from SR-1. Dave Watson was man-of-the-match as he kept his team in it. Gourlay scored for SNC, while Hutchinson scored for SR-1.

The most remarkable result of the night was Posithread’s 6-1 hammering over the Slipway. Dave Ward put three past EMS last week and now FIVE past Slipway. Col Robson scored the other one and Melvin Keith scored for the Slipway. A complete transformation considering that key players such as Dave Hutton were still missing. A brilliant result, which puts them into fifth, with games in hand.

Snowdon returns to inspire Posithread.co.uk.

Crown dismiss SR-1 with two goals from Wardle. Durham still lead.

A quiet night, in terms of the football games, saw no major clashes.

A major surprise, however, complemented the opening game. Shaun Snowdon, fresh from his sojourn in Communist Cuba, returned to inspire a team lacking the talents of Dave Hutton, to a 4-1 win against EMSeurope.co.uk. Mark Muers opened the scoring for EMS, but after that he and his team faded away. A hat-trick from Dave Ward and another from his substitute, Col Robson, saw Posithread climb the table into seventh. Games in hand could mean a late surge from this new improved team.

Sassco’s winning streak came to halt. It wasn’t surprising that it was against Sex & Chocolate, and it wasn’t surprising considering that both Mark Kelsey and Michael Booth were absent. Dixon turned two players inside out to score the opener after a promising start for Sassco. However, the later it went on, the more desperate became Sassco in a typical nasty game. A late second from Dixon secured the points for Sex & Chocolate. Sassco are still in second place but look likely to be overtaken by teams with games in hand.

Jon Wardle came off the bench after his disappointing performance in the CNSC League, last Thursday, to strike two stunning goals in a 2-0 win over SR-1. Ironically, SR-1 are doing very well in the Thursday competition. But tonight they were struggling with a team, as no one with any common or tactical sense would put Graham Roper in defence. The result wasn’t too unexpected. SR-1 now haven’t won in their last three league games (which is unexpected) and it doesn’t bode well at all. Crown, on the other hand, have plenty of games available, and with Sean Forrest returning to a full strength team, it can only get better.

Finally, Durham consolidated their healthy position at the head of the table with a 2-0 win over Ellie Leisure. Mark Sammut had a golden opportunity to equalise against Durham, but failed. His opposite number, Stephen Wilson, grabbed both goals in what appears to be his final game for Durham, due to a recent criminal conviction.

Sassco in second place as Keith Mouat scores!

Muers and Greenwell restore some pride in a win over Select.

What with Dave Watson making a rare mistake, Keith Mouat scoring a goal to put Sassco into second. And Mark Muers remaining on the pitch, without being substituted, in a win against Select – strange occurrences were afoot.

Firstly, Dave Scott broke clear and scored against Sex & Chocolate. The chance was one which SNC ‘keeper, Dave Watson, should have saved – but he didn’t and despite making some good stops during the game, it was the turning point. Posithread, under temporary (or is it?) control of Dave Hutton have made a marginal improvement and now move away from the foot of the table. The win puts them two points clear of Sex & Chocolate.

A solid looking Ryhope team meant business against SR-1, who were also full strength. An early goal, from Lee Cuddihy, was cancelled out by a Danny Pentiland strike late in the second half. The draw against a strong SR-1 team put a huge amount of confidence back into Ryhope, who, over the last few weeks, had seemed to be drifting. The draw put them firmly back into fourth place – in with a shout. SR-1, fresh from winning in a rival League in Biddick, are still languishing in mid table. They do have games in hand, which should bode well if they are to put up a challenge.

Sassco.co.uk have found themselves surprisingly in second place after other results went their way. Slipway were the opponents, who opened the scoring from the creaking, Melvin Keith. He latched on to a loose ball and fired home with his second shot of the evening. It seemed as if Sassco would struggle, but a superb goal from Keith Mouat, his first, saw them equalise. He took advantage of space and beat a man before poking the ball into the bottom right hand corner, inches away from Stephen Keith’s dive. The second half saw a mixed game. Slipway had far more chances on the Sassco goal then, arguably, more stronger opposition in recent weeks. This was soon overturned after David Staples scored another wonder strike, only his third goal this season, to seal the game. The game was soured as Mark Kelsey was banned for Sassco’s next encounter, after complaining about an innocuous incident.

The final surprise was EMSeurope.co.uk’s win over Select, again. This was headlined as a revenge match for Select, but EMS had other ideas. With Greenwell on the bench, they raced into a two goal lead with Galey and Baker scoring. Select soon hit back. John Hunt scoring a very important goal. Pressure was piled on in equal ways, but EMS grabbed a last minute clincher, from Dave Taylor, to give them the points. The whole team played well, including Mark Muers, who was slated in the press for his insipid performances over the last few weeks.

The Muers and Greenwell show slides to a halt.

A 3-0 trouncing off Durham rounds up a bad two weeks.

One couldn’t miss the disappointment on the faces of Muers and Greenwell, as they were presented with their runners up awards for last weeks 3-0 debacle at the hands of Crown. More disillusionment this week as well with a 3-0 pummelling at the hands of Durham City – goals from Jackson (2) and Wilson. It seems that the once feared Muers, has now turned into a damp squid in front of goal. Question is – when will the goal scoring touch return? Watch this space.

Sassco opened the night’s proceedings with a 1-0 win over a weakened Ellie Leisure team. A first half, unstoppable strike from Middlemiss essentially settled the issue. Middlemiss was awarded man-of-the-match for his winning performance. Ellie had only two significant strikes on Sassco’s goal, in comparison to Sassco numerous squandered opportunities. But this was expected, the unexpected experience is that Sassco are now in third place, the highest they’ve been since Season 2!

Select, with Simon Williamson back on board, hammered SR-1 by a 5-1 scoreline. Steve Ridley making his Season 6 debut was awarded man-of-the-match, as Select seemed less gung-ho and more clinical against a full strength SR-1 team. Cuddihy, for once, fired blanks, but Lyall scored their consolation. For Select, Walker scored two and the three others were shared by Williamson, Hunt and Cairns.

Sex & Chocolate and Slipway paired off for a tight game which turned untidy midway during it. Ray Ferguson, for Slipway, opened the scoring which was responded to with a stunning free-kick from Dixon. Sex & Chocolate were without Gourlay, but put up a much more solid performance. The Slipway also presented Paul Mooney for his first start in quite a while. Unfortunately for them, Melvin Keith was injured so no further goals occurred.

Durham’s second encounter was against a disorganised Posithread.co.uk team. A hat-trick from Stephen Jackson was replied to by a single goal from Phil Young. But that was it, as Durham head the table comfortably.

Crown also rammed a further few nails into the previously bright Ryhope team. Alan Slack’s debutantes have now lost three games and look unlikely to pose a challenge for the Title. Jon Wardle scored two goals for Crown, and Shaun Forrest, returning after so long, scored with almost his first touch. Jeff Clark added the other as Crown are enjoying a fine run of form and something of a renaissance, considering that some still regard them as also-rans (in terms of the League, that is).

Crown triumph again.

A 3-0 trouncing over EMS concludes a perfect night.
SR-1 and Durham City, both surprisingly falter in the shoot outs.

The 6th SFL Cup Semi Finals kicked up two surprises. Firstly in tactics and team selection. The ties between Durham City and Crown Electrics, and SR-1 against EMSeurope.co.uk, were both favoured heavily towards the latter teams.

In the Crown game, two giants of six-a-side management, Tarnjit Sangha and Jon Wardle clashed. Wardle was surprisingly substitute (until the final minutes), and his counterpart was also a sub, despite being listed in the pre-match line up as player. Goals were expected. Jackson and Wilson had tortured the Crown backline in a League game and were expected to do the same. But this time, with Steve Stubbs in the team, Crown were more resilient, and despite a few shaves off each post, it was Crown who missed the better opportunities, with Coulson in fine form. The shoot-out ensued and Coulson, just saving off Jeff Clark to keep Durham in the game, hit his penalty straight at his opposite, Paul Martin. In the reverse, Paul Martin slotted his penalty home to send Crown through to their second final in two months.

SR-1 were heavily favoured against EMS and brought an entourage of a full eight players to save them for the Final. Lee Cuddihy just about settled the game with two first half strikes. Wayne Greenwell, inspired player/manager for EMS, substituted the hapless and hopeless Mark Muers for himself and turned the game around. A goal from Greenwell in the final minutes complemented an earlier Mark Baker strike – which appeared, at that time, only to be a consolation. The equaliser took the game to penalties where EMS triumphed against all the odds (but with Roper in the SR-1 goal, was there ever going to be any other result?). SR-1 rued their missed opportunity to add to their previous cup, The COS Cup. For EMS, however, it was sweet revenge, having lost to SR-1 in that final.

The Final was going to be tough to call. But the inspired Wardle was on from the start

Ryhope CA withdrew

Ryhope CA withdrew