Week ending 21st September by Mason Norton

This weekend also saw the first round of the City Goldsmiths President's Trophy. Unlike the Tiger Cup, there weren't many shocks or abandonments. The only game to be abandoned was, bizarrely, the only game to be played on 3G, Kirby Muxloe Reserves at home to Heather St John Reserves, Heather leading 2-1 at half-time.


The only shock of the round came at Cambridge Road, where last season's runners-up Hinckley LRFC Development, who currently sit second in Everards Brewery Division One, lost 1-0 away to mid-table Div1 team Saffron Dynamo Development, Billy Harrison scoring the only goal of the game in the second half. Meanwhile, current holders Loughborough Students Development received a bye to the quarter-final stages due to there being only 15 sides eligible for the competition, which is for reserve sides in Divisions One & Two of the Leicestershire Senior League. 


It was plain sailing though for Div1's third-placed side Lutterworth Athletic Reserves, who played Div2 side Magna 73 Reserves at the Meadows in Countesthorpe and hit double figures in a 10-0 win. There were no hat-tricks in this game, but braces in the second half for Josh Spradbury, subs Callum James and Paddy Lally, whilst goals also came from Tom Cooper, Callum Harris, Barnes Gladman and Oliver Whiting. It was only 2-0 at half-time, and five of the ten goals came in the last 20 minutes as the floodgates flew off the hinges at Magna. 


There were also big wins for the other Div1 sides facing Div2 opposition. A brace of braces for Tallen Burt and Max Fisher gave Holwell Sports Reserves a 4-0 win at home to Highfield Rangers Reserves, whilst Birstall United Reserves won 4-1 at home to Barrow Town Reserves, Louis Biggs-Neal, Niall Stafford, Alfie Underwood and sub Ashley Jordan scoring for Birstall who recorded their first win of the season, Michael Ohazurike for Barrow. 


In fact, all of the ties were settled within the 90 minutes without the need for spot-kicks. In the all-Div2 clash, Friar Lane & Epworth Reserves won 3-2 at home to Leicester Nirvana Reserves after a goalless first half, Jaakeem Martin (2) and Coby Keeling for Lane, Charvin Ambhire and Mohammed Matiwala for Nirvana, whilst the other all-Div1 tie that finished saw Ingles Development record a 4-2 win at home to Sileby Town Reserves, Jude Ayetine, Sean Bennett, Louis Clarke and Harrison Griffiths for Ingles, Finley Jones (2) for Sileby.