OVERNIGHT frost meant many early kick offs had to be postponed on Sunday morning but the frost was soon burned away by welcome sunshine and those pitches that were not in shade were in excellent condition for an afternoon of junior football.
Westend’s derby game against local rivals Collegians went right to the last kick of the game.
With Westend rooted to the bottom of the second division table, a reckless challenge on the edge of the area did nothing to help the home side’s cause when Ben Earnshaw dispatched the resulting free kick into the back of the Westend net.
But the home side’s hopes were lifted again minutes later when Luke Robertson smashed home a superb Aaron Baxter cross to equalise.
With both sides struggling to retain possession they were finding it hard to create any clear chances but a mistake in the Westend defence finally allowed Saul Fitton to regain the lead for Collegians.
Westend looked to have grabbed at least a point from the game when, with just five minutes remaining a superb 20 yard strike from Baxter levelled the scores again.
But the home side’s hearts were finally broken when former Westend player James Webster netted for Collegians with the last kick of the game and give them a 3-2 win.
In the Under 12 Cup, another Collegians side were out of luck.
The second division promotion hopefuls had a tough third round game against Division I title-chasing YMCA and, although a goal from Collegians Sam Pell and one from YMCA’s Daniel Kaye left the scores level at full time, further goals from Ben Kaye and Thomas Short gave YMCA an extra-time win to keep them on track for a league and cup double.
YMCA now have another tough challenge when they travel to Deighton, another side chasing promotion from Division II, in the fourth round.
The much delayed second round cup meeting between Longcroft Lions and 3D Dynamoes finally got under way but it still took extra-time and a penalty shoot-out to separate the Division III promotion-chasing sides.
Luke Jagger (2), James McDermott and James Taylor netted for the Lions but Dynamoes hit back with goals from Elliot Fielding, Richard Hall, Andrew Marsden and Tom Whitwam to force a penalty shoot-out which the Dynamoes won 4-3.
Dynamoes’ reward for their victory is a move straight into round four of the competition as third round opponents, Kirkburton, have now withdrawn from the league.
Meltham’s hopes of progress in the Under 16 Cup came to an end at the hands of Eccleshill.
Two Jack Ellis-Pownall goals for second division Meltham cancelled out a double strike from Walker but a third goal from Stead finally sent fourth division Eccleshill into round four where they now meet their toughest challenge of the season in the form of Division I leaders Linthwaite.
