Premier Division Review 30th March 2016

IT’S not often that a 14 goal strike feast doesn’t get top billing in the West Lancs Premier Division - but that’s exactly what happened yesterday (Saturday) to Southport Hesketh and Coppull United, as top billing went to Blackpool Wren Rovers who thrust a dagger right through the heart of the Fulwood Amateurs defence at Lightfoot Lane with a 3-1 away win in the days big match, top vs. second (writes Howard Jones).
And while the title now lies firmly in the grasp of the Fylde side, Fulwood, even though their fixtures have now been completed, still lead the title chase by a solitary point, but having led by 10 at one stage a month ago.
Wren Rovers push to title glory though is sure to get another severe test next Saturday when they travel to Longridge Town, but by then they could well be top dogs with a mid-week Wednesday trip to Slyne with Hest already on their radar.
But at Lightfoot Lane on Saturday Wrens were in no mood to let their ‘title aspirations’ slip right from the off, running away into a match winning three goal first-half lead thanks to strikes from Oli Crolla (24), Danny Pickering (35) and Dan Morris (41).
A late Rick Coar injury time goal was scant consolation for Tony Hesketh’s Fulwood boys whose season is quickly evaporating in front of their eyes.
And so to arguably the days biggest shock - in terms of goals that is.
There were 14 of them in a mad cap game at Bankfield Lane on Merseyside as Southport Hesketh ran in eight goals, six of them in the first-half as they climbed all over a hard pressed Coppull United defence.
Simon Hill did the early damage with a 12 minute hat-trick with goals after 3, 8 and 15 minutes, before United’s top scorer Mitch Leece pulled two back on 19 and 25 minutes.
Then Southport’s Gary Buckley got in on the act with a 31st minute goal, before Hill added his fourth and Hesketh’s fifth five minutes before the break.
Lennie Reid (42) quickly pulled one back again for Coppull, but almost from the re-start Jack McCluskey banged in Southport’s sixth (43).
The locals hadn’t seen a game like this on their ground this season, in fact Southport had scored only 13 goals all season at home and here they were not even half-time and they had scored SIX.
And while the second half was never going to provide the thrills of the first, the two sides still managed to trade goals after the break.
Mitch Leece (51) made it 6-4 six minutes after the re-start to complete his hat-trick, but Hill again popped up with his fifth a minute later (52) and Southport’s seventh.
Lewis Pilgrim got two late strikes for Coppull (76, 89), while John O’Brien got in on the scoring act with an 87th minute eighth goal for the home side.
Final score - 8-6 to the Merseysiders that completed a rare treat for the home fans, even if their side did concede six.
 As for Coppull when has a side scored six goals away from home and still lost by two?
Answers on a postcard please!
If five goal Simon Hill was the toast of Merseyside, then Brad Carsley was the toast of Longridge.
The league’s top scorer did his Golden Boot chances no harm at the MRG (Mike Riding Ground) either with five of the best, racking up goals after (9 46 (a penalty after player-manager Lee Ashcroft had been dragged down) 66 73 90).
And he wasn’t the only Carsley to get his name engraved on the score sheet either, elder brother Troy popped up from midfield after only four minutes to set the Longridge goal feast off to an early start.
Ash Ball enjoyed his two goal tally too.
He scored against the Eagles after 23 and 62 minutes to add further misery to a hard pressed Eagley defence, and for the first time too this season, bottom club Lostock St. Gerards are not now the strongest team in the league having propped everyone else up since opening day, as they handed out a 3-0 beating to visitors Euxton Villa to Wateringpool Lane.
Three second-half goals from Matt Bullock (50), a Peter Wright penalty after an hour and a James Morley 77th minute clincher did the damage to hoist the Saints off the bottom of the table.
A place where Burnley United now find themselves after going down to a 45th minute penalty scored by Crooklands Casuals Dave Mansergh in Cumbria, who helped themselves to get away from relegation troubles with the win.
How crazy to just say ...and in the day’s OTHER GAME, but Thornton ran out 6-1 winners over visiting Vickerstown at Bourne Way thanks to two first half goals from Phil Smith (5) and Brett Dawson (35), before Sean Paterson pulled a goal back for the Walney Islanders just after the break (48) who are remarkably still without a win on their travels this season in 11 attempts.
Scott Thompson added a third for the home side on 68 minutes and in a late goal blitz, Sean Slater, Harry Rowe and Oli Wilkinson all added injury time strikes to hit the Islanders for SIX!
In the Golden Boot chase, Longridge Town’s Brad Carsley leads by eight, 36-28 from Charnock’s Carl Grimshaw.
And although they didn’t have a game at the weekend, Grimshaw’s Charnock Richard posted their intentions to remain a force in this league while they still can, (with arguably promotion to the North West Counties League just a formality in the summer) by lifting the Richardson Cup for a fifth time on Wednesday with an emphatic 4-1 demolition of Garstang at Leyland HQ with Grimshaw bagging two of his side’s goals (see full story elsewhere).
With eight teams in action tomorrow (Monday) there is sure to be more high level action in the Premier League this Bank Holiday with games at: Coppull United vs. Vickerstown, Lostock St. Gerards vs. Crooklands Casuals, Southport Hesketh vs. Charnock Richard and Thornton Cleveleys vs. Burnley United. All games kicking off at 3pm.