Point enough for St Mary’s champs

●● Haslingden St Mary’s celebrate their title triumph following the goalless draw against Burscough Richmond at the weekend WEST LANCS LEAGUE DIVISION ONE HAS ST MARY’S .............. 0 BURSCOUGH RICH ......... 0 STEVE BAYES

HASLINGDEN St Mary’s are champions of the West Lancashire Football League Division One.

In front of a big crowd nearing 200, already-promoted St Mary’s needed just one point from their last home match of the season against a very good Burscough Richmond to be crowned champions.

Burscough Richmond themselves needed to win this match and the return match next week against St Mary’s to prevent Mary’s taking the title.

Good football proved difficult on the hard surface in windy conditions and St Mary’s started slowly.

Burscough had a shot come back off the bar as early as the fourth minute, but that effort was to prove to be the only meaningful effort on target from either team throughout the entire match.

St Mary’s came back into the game as they started to get the ball down but they failed to find the target as the big Burscough defence and even bigger goalkeeper kept St Mary’s out.

The second half followed the theme of the first half with both defences in control and a goal from either team was looking very unlikely, with a 30-yard shot from Tom Hulme being St Mary’s only real effort of the half.

The referee brought the game to a goalless end to confirm St Mary’s as West Lancs League First Division Champions and a return to the Premier Division and the celebrations started.

West Lancs League officials presented winners’ medals to the team and the 1st division trophy to St Mary’s captain Mickey Saunders.

St Mary’s last match of the season is on Saturday when the champions travel to Burscough for the return fixture with a 3pm KO.

St Mary’s Reserves sent a young team for their final fixture of the season away at Wyre Villa, and they came away with a great 5-2 victory to finish the season in third place. ●● Haslingden St Mary’s boss Warren Hemingway