Preview of matches on 7 August

Premier Division leaders Appleby Frodingham visit fourth-placed Barnsley Woolley Miners, seeking to take another big step towards the League title. Second-placed Treeton are at home to Cawthorne, who have now lost six on the trot and are in desperate need of points to retain their Premier Division status; Treeton will want the win to keep the pressure on the leaders, to take advantage of any slip-ups by the Steelmen, and narrow the 18-point gap betweem them. Third-placed Sheffield Collegiate are at home to Doncaster, whose three-match winning run in the first half of July has all but assured their safety. Hallam go to Tickhill, whose heavy loss at Collegiate last week was their first defeat in four; Hallam have now won their last two, and will travel with confidence, knowing that if they win, and Treeton do them a favour, they can move out of the bottom two. Elsewhere, there is a mid-table clash between Elsecar and Whitley Hall, and bottom club Wickersley go to Field Lane to play a fifth-placed Wakefield Thornes side who have only one win in their last seven. 

 

The promotion race continues in the Championship Division – Cleethorpes lead the way and will hope to beat a Sprotbrough side who have lost their last three and are second-bottom; Whiston in second will be strong favourites in their home game against relegation-threatened Barnsley Woolley Miners 2nds; and third-placed Houghton Main will keep right on the heels of the top two if they win their home game against bottom club Oughtibridge. Over the last six games, only Wath have gathered more points than leaders Cleethorpes, and they will look to continue their good run away at Warmsworth, who are still in the relegation mix. Their poor run in the first half of the season could cost them, but Wath will certainly play a big part in deciding the promotion issues, as they play the top three in their next three games. Elsewhere, Collegiate 2nds, who faltered rather in July, go to Conisbrough, who are not safe yet; and Rockingham host Aston Hall in a mid-table battle. 

 

Green Moor’s loss last weekend saw them surrender top spot in Division 1 to Shiregreen, who won away at Upper Haugh. This weekend, the new table-toppers travel to Whitley Hall 2nds, who sit in eighth; whilst Green Moor travel to bottom side Sheffield United, looking for an instant bounce back. There is quite a gap from the top two to third-placed side Rotherham Town, who have a tough Saturday ahead of them as they play fifth-placed Wakefield Thornes 2nds. Thornes themselves ran out convincing winners last time out as they beat second-bottom Hallam 2nds, and the latter will want improvement soon, as they play host to Upper Haugh. Perhaps the form team of the division, Darfield, sit in fourth after their thrashing of Green Moor, and are looking to catch Rotherham Town as they play away at South Kirkby. Nearer to the bottom, ninth-placed side Treeton 2nds visit tenth-placed Aston Hall after an important win last weekend saw them move above their hosts. 

 

Doncaster 2nds can all but secure promotion from Division 2 this weekend as they play second-placed Coal Aston, who are 14 points behind them. However, if the latter lose, Sheffield Collegiate will be hoping that a win at home to relegation-threatened Norton Oakes will fire them into second place. Oakes were beaten last week by fellow Norton side Woodseats, who are at home this week to Frecheville, currently sitting one place above the relegation zone. Bottom of the table Elsecar 2nds are on the road to Thorpe Hesley & High Green, who are two places above the relegation zone. Monk Bretton need the win this weekend to give them a chance to bounce into the promotion places. They are at home to next-to-bottom Thorncliffe; whilst the other game in the division sees relegation-threatened Worsbrough Bridge travel to Wickersley Old Village 2nds, who appear safe in fifth place. 

 

Caribbean Sports kept hold of top spot in Division 3 last weekend with a convincing win at home to Silkstone United; whilst Penistone kept up the pressure in second with an equally impressive win away at Maltby Miners Welfare. This time around, it is perhaps the leaders who have it the tougher, as they visit Wath 2nds, who have been on a decent run of form and sit in fifth. Penistone’s visitors are eighth-placed side Whiston Parish Church 2nds, who did not play last weekend due to Covid issues, and need the points to keep out of the relegation zone. A little way behind the top two, Sprotbrough 2nds and Kexborough sit in third and fourth, and they will be looking upwards as they play Tickhill 2nds and Barnsley Woolley Miners 3rds respectively. Contrastingly, a long way from the title race, there is a big game between the bottom two as Maltby Miners Welfare welcome Rockingham Colliery 2nds. Above those two, Silkstone United will want a win away at inconsistent Oughtibridge 2nds to give themselves a chance of getting out of trouble. 

 

With no games for the top two in Division 4, other teams have the chance to play catch-up. Third-placed Sheffield Collegiate 3rds face a tricky away test at Shiregreen 2nds in fifth; whilst Millhouses, one place above the relegation zone, have chance to win three in a row after their recent slump when they travel to bottom club Hampole & Skelbrooke. A win for Fishlake at Cawthorne 2nds would improve their chances of pulling out of the relegation zone; and it is a similar situation for Hallam 3rds, who host a Higham that has lost its spark after an impressive start to the season. Mexborough and Barnsley Woolley Miners 4ths meet at the Athletic Sports Club – both have won just once all season and both look doomed. 

 

Kilnhurst Colliery have stormed to the top of a topsy-turvy Division 5 in recent weeks and will be looking to do what no-one else has done, to stay there. It will be a tough ask, however, as they face an in-form Conisbrough 2nds team who scored well over 300 last weekend to beat Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2nds. Second-placed Coal Aston 2nds also face a team in good spirits as they welcome fourth-placed Handsworth. Upper Haugh were sitting pretty at the top a few weeks ago and now find themselves in third; they play sixth-placed Rotherham Town 2nds, who still need points to keep clear of the relegation zone. Another two former leaders face off at Guilthwaite Hill where Whiston Forge host Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2nds, who are now in real danger of relegation. Tenth play eleventh as Penistone 2nds travel to Norton Oakes 2nds, and only a win will do for either side to have a chance of avoid in the drop. Basement team Bradfield Village Fellowship 2nds looked doomed, and they play eighth-placed Darfield 2nds, who need the win to keep their survival hopes alive. 

 

There are just three fixtures in Division 6 this weekend. However, there could be a new leader if second-placed Wombwell Main can win away against Handsworth 2nds who are a distant third. In the other two games, Sheffield United 2nds face Thorncliffe 2nds at the Crucible Oval, both sides currently occupying places in the relegation zone and desperately needing the win; whilst Green Moor 2nds, who are probably safe in fifth, host Brookhouse, two places below them and in need of the points to climb clear of the drop. 

 

Sprotbrough 3rds pulled off a surprise last weekend as they hammered Whitley Hall 3rds in a top-of-the-table clash, to go to the summit of Division 7. Hoping to carry on their blistering form, the new leaders travel to the struggling Silkstone United, who sit in twelfth. Whitley Hall themselves travel to a Worsbrough Bridge 2nds side that have been on a decent run of form in seventh, but still need points to climb out of the relegation zone. Below the top two, Frecheville Community have fallen away in recent weeks and the third-placed side will need a return to form as Dearne, with an identical record to Worsbrough Bridge, come to town. Two teams just above the relegation zone, sixth-placed Higham 2nds and fifth-placed Warmsworth 2nds meet at Common Road with important points at stake. In the lower half of the table, Fishlake 2nds need to maintain their recent form to have a chance of survival, and host a thirteenth-placed Houghton Main 2nds, for whom time is running out; it is a similar story for Scholes, who have a tough game against fourth-placed Harley. Finally, out-of-form Doncaster Town 4ths host Wath 3rds, who are all but relegated. 

 

Two sides seem to be running away with promotion now in Division 8, where top-of-the-table Monk Bretton 2nds travel to mid-table Brookhouse 2nds. Mexborough 2nds are sitting comfortably in second and they travel to Eden Grove Parklands 2nds. Both Rockingham Colliery sides are in action; the 3rds, in third place, are at home to Adwick-Le-Street in fourth – both sides needing the win to stand any chance of closing the gap on the top two. The Colliery 4ths play a home game at Kexborough and Sheffield United 3rds host Upper Haugh 3rds. Wombwell 2nds against Brodsworth has fallen victim to Covid. 

 

With thanks to Sam Chadwick & Tom Pratt