IN the last few seasons, Second Division club Kirkheaton Rovers have had several notable scalps in cup competitions, but they have always come up short when it comes to promotion to the top flight.

Will this season be different?

They lost two of their first five matches, so that is hardly promotion form, but last week they beat joint leaders Meltham Athletic with the only goal of the game.

The goal came in the first half when a free-kick from Liam Dobson broke to Jonathan Lodge, who fired home.

The result puts Kirkheaton level with Heyside (who have a game in hand), both being just a point behind leaders Skelmanthorpe (who have also played one fewer) and Meltham.

Cumberworth and Aimbry are only a further point away – that’s two points separating the top six clubs.

Due to work commitments, Kirkheaton’s manager last season, Andrew Stokes, has had to hand over the reins and the task has been taken on by the Aylward brothers, James and Danny.

They have a very young side, with the oldest player being 27, and the rest in their early 20s. They have signed two new young villagers, 18-year-old James Arnold and 17-year-old Jacob Buchanan.

The improvement needed to gain the illusive promotion spot must therefore come from the improvement within each player, and that’s not an impossibility. The biggest problem for the Rovers is the lack of firepower, having scored only three times in their last four matches.

As the table shows, there are at least five other clubs fighting for the two spots.

Skelmanthorpe have started better than in recent years and Meltham have a record similar to Kirkheaton in just missing out. Heyside are another who have been on the brink but can’t quite cross the line, while newly-promoted Aimbry will give them all a game.

It would be a brave man to predict the top two in the division come the end of the campaign.

In Division Four, Salendine Nook continued their 100% record with a 3-0 win over Junction, but even with that record they are still only three points clear of Almondbury Woolpack.

The Woolpack are in their third season in the League and have shown moderate improvement each season.

They were ninth in their first season and fifth last year. The squad is similar to last season with the addition of Jimmy Christian, who has joined from Storthes Hall, and Courtney Allert who has returned to the club after a spell with Newsome Reserves.

An early-season loss to Brighouse Old Boys is their only blip on this season’s record and even in that game, they had two goals disallowed.

Last week, they had a 3-2 win over new club Kings Brigade. The Bradford-based side have only one win to their name, but their play belied their League position. The Woolpack were never behind as they led 1-0, 2-1 and finally, 3-2 with a goal from Stephen Brook and a couple from Ryan Kennedy.

Salendine Nook are strong favourites for this division, with Woolpack, Moorside and 3D Dynamos as the main challengers – the three sides that finished third, fourth and fifth last season.