Picard boldly dismissed

OAP Pop Punk would fight their way out of the relegation spots with a hard fought win over White Hawk FC. The game was anything but plain sailing for Pop Punk with some enterprising play by Jean Luc Picard opening the scoring in the 16th minute only for White Hawk to equalise through Cianán Cathán just a minute later. With the referee having an off day the teams exchanged unfair bookings and then Adan Donahue put White Hawk in front with a dubious penalty and it seemed like it would stay that way until the end of the game. Pop Punk would cling on (get it? cling on? Klingon!) When Picard equalised in the 73rd minute. Picard would then find himself sent off a few minutes later and was shortly followed by White Hawk's Caio Água. The game was anything but dirty so the referees performance will surely come under scrutiny. Gordon Brown sealed the points for Pop Punk in the last few minutes with a header from a corner. What a great way to celebrate Brown's 100th game for the club. The result sees White Hawk stranded at the bottom and Pop Punk still in with a shout of rising the table but nowhere near being safe from relegation yet.

Final score: OAP Pop Punk 3-2 White Hawk FC

Champions West Brom Strollers continued their good recent form and rise up the table with victory over Thundercats F.C. In an uneventful match, Tony Brown would go off injured early on which would prove fortuitous as substitute Zoltan Gera would prove to be the difference between the two sides scoring the only goal in the 36th minute. West Brom find themselves up to 8th after this win and Thundercats F.C are still in 3rd. With it being so close between 3rd and 11th place in the RMI there is still a lot to play for in this division.

Final score: West Brom Strollers 1-0 Thundercats F.C

Yorkshires Amateurs would continue their recent revival and boost their survival hopes with a 2-0 victory over Arsenal DB. The first goal would come in the 35th minute through an Andrew Potts penalty. The result wasn't secure though until the 80th minute when a corner fell to Özgün Dolutas who made no mistake and fired home to seal the win. Arsenal DB manager DomBrown later described his side as "well beaten" and despite their lofty league position he said his side would concentrate on staying up rather than anything else. Victory saw Yorkshire move to within four points of safety and three points off Kirkbride Strollers who currently occupy the relegation spot above them.

Final score: Yorkshires Amateurs 2-0 Arsenal DB

Real Madrid FC hoped to halt their indifferent run of form when Santos FC visited the Santiago Bernabeu. In a close game where both sides cancelled each other out Torbjörn Alshammar of Santos would prove to be the difference. His goal would come with a powerful header from a corner in the 51st minute. The result would see Real Madrid stay in 6th place and Santos stay in 7th but the gap between the two clubs is down to two points. Santos face West Brom Strollers next and defeat could see them sucked into the relegation battle but victory should see them climb the table. Real Madrid face Arsenal DB next and a win could see them rise as high as 3rd whilst a defeat could see them too close to the relegation battle for comfort.

Final score: Real Madrid 0-1 Santos FC

AFC Stanley had a bad day at the office when they visited Metelo Park to play Totaalvoetbal. Totaal resoundingly beat Stanley and after Edwin Hayter opened the scoring in the 2nd minute the result was never in doubt. Three more Totaal goals would follow in the first half. William Ralph Dean making it 2-0 with a 21st minute header, Johan Juffing scoring from close range in the 26th minute and reportedly unhappy player Pierre van Diemen making it 4-0 with a strikers finish in the area. The result was further compounded by an injury to Garry Molseley of AFC Stanley and then in the 54th minute Antonello Ballarin would get in on the act to make it 5-0 with a shot from 35 yards out which left Hans Hessbo with no chance. Stanley have been having a great season and with a fantastic manager in Markham33 they will be looking to bounce back in their next game at home against OAP Pop Punk. The result was great for Totaalvoetbal who put themselves ten points clear of 3rd place and only one point off top spot with a game against The Vikings still to come later in the season.

Final score: Totaalvoetbal 5-0 AFC Stanley

Kirkbride Strollers welcomed top of the table The Vikings to The Bush in what proved to be a close encounter. The Vikings have fought for and scraped most of their wins this season and that proved to be the case in this game. There was nothing to separate the sides until the 54th minute when a header from Thorbjörn Lind found its way into the back of the net. It stayed that way and The Vikings left The Bush with all three points, though as Kirkbride had slightly edged possession and chances they can feel aggrieved at not getting something from the game. Kirkbride play ThunderCats F.C next and will be hoping to earn the points that take them out of the relegation zone. With a good side and a great manager all is not lost for Kirkbride with so many games left to play. The Vikings will be delighted at yet another smash and grab raid which keeps their faint lead at the top of the table. If they can keep grinding out results maybe the title beckons?

Final score: Kirkbride Strollers 0-1 The Vikings