Rocester turn in five-star performance to move up the Premier standings
FOOTBALL: Rocester climbed up the Premier Division table following a 5-2 win on their trip to Lichfield City.
The fixture was one of only three top-flight encounters to beat the weather - and Rocester took full advantage with a fine attacking performance.
James Lloyd’s Lichfield got straight down to business and opened the scoring in the first minute through Callum Niven and within 20 minutes were 2-0 up, the second coming from Philip Dunnett.
However, just after the half-hour Jake Walklett pulled a goal back for Rocester with an equaliser arriving on 35 minutes from the boot of former Wolstanton and Foley Meir hitman Mark Grice.
Just two minutes into the second half the visitors carried on their upsurge with Owen Parr extending the Romans’ lead.
The 81st minute saw Ashley Elliot bag a fourth for Rocester and that man Grice was once again on target netting his second and his side’s fifth.
The other two Premier Division matches failed to yield a goal.
Second-placed AFC Alsager were held 0-0 at Brereton Social, while it was the same scoreline in the match between Madeley White Star and Silverdale Athletic.
In Division One, Newcastle Town put themselves in the promotion picture following a convincing 5-0 victory over Tom Lloyd’s Cresswell Wanderers at Roe Lane.
Stephen Owusu starred for Dave
Dale’s hosts, bagging a brace, with Jay Cooper, Joseph Hurst and Patryk Mazurkiewicz also on target.
Elsewhere, sixth-placed
Brereton Social Reserves suffered a setback going down 3-0 to Cheslyn Hay-based Hawkins Sports, who jumped into eighth spot with two games to play before the season cut-off.
Even though Warstones Wanderers beat third-bottom and 10-man Eastwood Hanley 2-0, the win saw them finish their league campaign 10th, which puts them into the Macron Cup.
In Division Two North, AFC Alsager Reserves edged out Florence Reserves by the odd goal in a nine-goal thriller at the Alsager Sports Hub.
Lee Pugh’s Florence side had Danyal Hussain on the scoresheet with a brace with other teammates on target being Max Povey and Callum Leese, but the South Cheshire hosts had four-goal
Elliot Pettitt to thank for his efforts alongside a single strike from Lewis Whalley.
Fourth-placed FC41 Reserves suffered a setback going down 3-1 to Leek CSOB Reserves.
The switch of venue to FC41’S Northwood Stadium should have suited the Milton-based side, but alas that was not to be.
Thomas O’shaughnessy,
Tyrell Bruce and Keegan
Thomas were on target for the Staffordshire Moorlands outfit with Kyle Cuthbertson scoring the consolation goal for FC41.
Elsewhere, Kacper Budyn smashed home a second-half hat-trick for Keele University Reserves in their 5-0 home rout over rock-bottom Madeley White Star Reserves.
Daniel Ogundele had given the students a 25th-minute lead before Budyn weaved his magic. Joseph Kabeya rounded things off with a fifth in the 83rd minute.
The only fixture to survive the freeze in Division Two South saw Joe Hartshorne score the only goal of the game in the 38th minute as his Cannock Dynamos side edged out third-placed Cresswell Wanderers at 5’s Pavilion Sports Ground. The victory saw Dynamos overtake their opponents in the standings.