26th April League Cup Final v NCYP Cougars 2 - 0 (W)

St Nicolas Colts 2 - 0 NCYP Cougars

Man of the Match:

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22nd Aprill - Bedworth Eagles (H) 0 - 1 (L)

St Nicolas Colts 0 - 1 Bedworth Eagles

Man of the Match: George Scoffham

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11th Aprill - Weddington Thistle (A) 1 - 2 (W)

League Cup Semi Final

Weddington Thistle (Day) 1 - 2 St Nicolas Colts (Palmer, Hastings)

Match report to follow..........

Man of the Match: Rusty

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PLAYERS WANTED !!

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30th March - Chetwynd Tigers (H) 3 - 1 (W)

St Nicolas Colts (Hastings, Rust, Scoffham) 3 - 1 Chetwynd Tigers (Thompson)

St Nics Colts come from a goal down to book there place in the League Cup Semi finals.

Chetwynd took an early lead, with a neat flick from Thompson, from a corner.

They defended there lead well through to half time, with St Nics stepping up a gear.

The Colts got there equaliser early in the second half, with some sublime footwork Hastings, mesmarising the Tigers defender, before firing home a powerful shot, giving the keeper no chance.

The Colts second was one-route football with a huge kick from Liggings, bouncing once behind Chetwynds back line, before Rust calmly nodded it over the advancing keeper into the empty net.

Scoffham scored the third with a wonderful strike from just outside the area, into the top left hand corner of the net.

A great performance from the Colts showing spirit to come back from a goal down.

Man of the Match: Tom Hastings

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9th March - Chetwynd Tigers (A) 1 - 0 (L)

Chetwynd Tigers 1 - 0 St Nicolas Colts

Match Report to follow.......

Man of the Match: Joe Lynch

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2nd March - Bulkington Sports Saints (A) 1 - 3 (W)

Bulkington Sports Saints 1 - 3 St Nicolas Colts (Hastings, Rust, Palmer)

Match report to follow........

Man of the Match: Josh Hammonds

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24th February - Weddington Thistle (A) 1 - 0 (L)

Weddington Thistle 1 - 0 St Nicolas Colts

Match report to follow.......

Man of the Match: Tom Hastings

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17th February - NCYP Cougars (H) 3 - 0 (W)

St Nicolas Colts (Palmer, Rust, Hastings) 3 - 0 NCYP Cougars

Match report to follow........

Man of the Match: Joe Lynch

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9th February - St Nicolas Boys (H) 5 - 0 (W)

League Cup

St Nicolas Colts (Palmer, Scoffham, Hammonds, Bates, Hastings) 5 - 0 St Nicolas Boys

The Colts ease pass there inter-club rivals to secure a place in the last eight of the competition. Goals from five separate scorers painted the true picture of a complete team performance.

The convincing victory looked unlikely at half time as the Colts went into the break with a slender one-nil lead, thanks to a moment of brilliance from Kienan Palmer.

Palmer picked the ball up deep and surged through St Nic’s Boys defence, to finish clinically across the keeper into the far right corner.

The Boys made it difficult for the Colts defending deep and soaking up any attacks mounted against them. The Colts remained patient though and continued to try and carve out an opening.

The Boys may have taken the lead early on when the ball was ping-ponged around in front of the Colts goal before being cleared to safety by Dan Rust.

Lynch and Hastings worked the flanks in attack, and both worked equally as hard in defence, showing spirit and vigour.

The late first half Palmer goal eased any nerves the Colts players might have felt, as they finished the half in a confident vain.

The second half saw the home cut loose in amazing style, teasing and tormenting St Nic’s Boys with some wonderful passing moves.

Scoffham helped himself to his third goal of the season, with a carefully flighted ball into the top left hand corner.
Hammonds came on for Lynch early in the second half, sprinted up the pitch, and with his first touch, side-footed the ball into the bottom corner.

Defensively the Colts looked impervious, with the new centre back partnership of George Bates and Dan Rust. Both defenders looked confident and composed, dealing with any Boys attack in an efficient manner. Both were also a threat in the air from set pieces. Bates took Man of the Match and finished of his performance in style with a goal late on.

Dan Liggins in the Colts goal gave an assured performance, with some sound catching and penetrating kicks. He also remained vocal throughout, giving his team in front of him the confidence they needed.

Davies and Mahon came on for Scoffham and Palmer in the second half, both maintaining the high level there team mates had set them. Both were instrumental in the final goal that sealed a comprehensive victory, as Hastings finished of their attacking move, firing home from close range.

Hastings, although not having the best of luck through the match, stuck to the job in hand for his team, and can take his goal as just reward.

This performance showed the Colts in confident mood with some wonderful passing moves. It was also to be the best team performance to date.

Keep it up lads!

Man of the Match: George Bates

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27th January - Haunchwood Tigers (A) 1 - 7 (W)

Haunchwood Tigers (Ramm) 1 - 7 St Nicolas Colts (Hastings 3, Palmer 3, Scoffham)

The Colts return to winning ways as Hasting and Palmer both net a hat-trick, to keep the pressure on second place Chetwynd Sharks in the title race.

The Colts started well, with some great movement and lovely passing, putting Haunchwood immediately under pressure.

Palmer opened the scoring on 3 minutes latching onto a through ball from Hastings and firing past the approaching keeper. The Colts got there second minutes later.

Haunchwoods heads didn’t drop and continued to fight for every ball. And late on in the first half they got there reward. A free kick was won on the edge of the area which was hit hard and low into the wall, this rebounded out to an unmarked Haunchwood player who struck it through a crowded box into the bottom right hand corner.

St Nic’s found themselves involved in a dogged and untidy midfield battle for the remainder of the half and early into the second half. A battle that didn’t suite the Colts who struggled to piece together any passing moves.

The Colts stuck to the task though and continued to find that break-though. This came 6 minutes into the second half as Haunchwoods defence began to show signs off tiredness. Hastings found himself through, one-on-one with the keeper and finished clinically.

This proved to be the opening of the flood gates, as Hastings and Palmer both went on to complete there hat-tricks. Scoffham scored in the final seconds to make it seven.

Man of the Match: Dan Rust’s for a brilliant all round defensive performance.

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6th January - Chetwynd Sharks (A) 5 - 0 (L)

Don't think I can bring myself to write a report for this one.

A heavy defeat for the Colts, sending them crashing out of the early stages of the Police Cup. Chetwynd were well organised and motivated, and well deserved the victory.

Man of the Match: Joe Lynch

(See Chetwynd Sharks home pages for a largely accurate and sympathetic match report).

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2nd December - St Nicolas Boys (H) 1 - 1 (D)

St Nicolas Colts (Palmer) 1 - 1 St Nicolas Boys (Bolton)

St Nicolas Colts 1 – 1 St Nicolas Boys
The Colts loose momentum in the title race, as St Nicolas Boys hold them to a draw in the second interclub derby of the season.

The Colts stay top of the table but now rely on other results to have any chance of taking their first league title.
St Nics Boys frustrated The Colts for most of the first half, as they played three across the back and soaked up the early pressure.

At around 18 minutes The Colts got their breakthrough, when Palmer broke through to fire home from close range.
The muddy conditions and some resolute defending from The Boys, made it difficult for The Colts to maintain any kind of rhythm and fluency in passing.

The equaliser was conceded midway through the second half, when a Colts attack broke down and they were caught on the break by a neat passing move from The Boys, which was finished well by Bolton.

The Colts looked a shell of the team that had played so well through the season up to now. They looked tired and seamed to struggle in the wintery conditions. They were also lucky not to concede a second late on as Bolton again broke through the Colts defence, but this time had his shot saved well by Liggins.

Man of the Match: George Scoffham

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25th November - Chetwynd Sharks (A) 0 - 0 (D)

St Nicolas Colts 0 - 0 Chetwynd Sharks

Tension was high in this top-of-the-table clash between Chetynd Sharks and St Nicolas Colts. Both sides remained unbeaten in the League this season, the last encounter (the opening game of the season) ended 1 -1.

In a game of few clear chances, The Colts came closest to scoring in the first half through Kienan Palmer but his shot went inches wide of the post after a one on one with Thomas Theobold in the Sharks goal.

St Nics goalkeeper Dan Liggins had a quieter time of it, though he got down quickly to save a Sharks shot late in the game.

The Sharks burst clear on two occasions but were denied by some wonderful covering defending from Bates.

Rust and Hammonds went desperately close for The Colts. Scoffham and Hastings both saw their long range efforts just clear the cross-bar.

The result - there is little between the sides this season with both meeting ending with even honours.

The Colts might feel they should have won this game given the more clear cut chances they created, but Chetwynd were worth the draw given the way they stuck to their tactical plan.

Both sides defended brilliantly, both side battled hard in Midfield. Chetwynd began and finished the game at a brisk pace, but in between St Nics just about dominated proceedings.

Man of the Match: George Bates

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18th November - Weddington Thistle (H) 2 - 0 (W)

St Nicolas Colts (Hastings, Rust) 2 - 0 Weddington Thistle

Strikes from Tom Hastings and Daniel Rust return the Colts to winning ways, in a hard fought battle against Weddington, in extreme weather conditions.

The Colts rode their luck for the first 10 minutes of the half, as Weddington started the strongest. They had 3 or 4 chances to take the lead, but failed to convert any. A combination of bad finishing and great goal keeping from Dan Liggins.

Midway through the first half the Colts won a free kick just outside the penalty area. Tom Hasting placed the ball, then curled a beautifully struck shot, off the post and into the top left hand corner of the net.

The second half the Colts were much improved, and dominated the play. They sealed victory with a well finished goal from Dan Rust.

Both sides worked hard and did extremely well to make such an entertaining match in the cold, wet conditions.

Man of the Match: Dan Liggins

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10th November - Chapelfield Colts (H) 3 - 5 (L)

St Nicolas Colts (Palmer 2, Hastings) 3 - 5 Chapelfield Colts

St Nicolas Colts go crashing out of the Tamworth Invitation Trophy in an eight goal thriller at Milby.

St Nicolas came from behind twice, only to concede two late goals dashing their hopes of progression in the competition.

The Colts (St Nic’s) didn’t start well and endured five minutes of early pressure from the visitors. Some sloppy defending left the Chapelfield forward in an acre of space, and he didn’t waste it, finding the net with a simple tap in.

St Nic’s struck back minutes later with a low cross from Scoffham, which Hastings directed past the keeper and into the bottom left hand corner. They continued to press forward for a second, but were caught on the counter attack, in a brilliant passing move from the Coventry side, which was finished well, giving liggins no chance.

Chapelfield third was a similar move. The game became stretched as St Nic’s desperately tried to manufacture an equaliser. Possession was lost and the Chapelfield front line pushed forward with pace, Bates tried his best to make the tackle but was just outnumbered. Liggins closed down bravely but again stood no chance as the ball was slid past him into the open net.

Half time 1 – 3.

The second half, the Colts (St Nic’s) regrouped, and began to mount what was to be a succession of passing moves. The organised Chapelfield defence were hard to break down, but at around 5 minutes into the second half the Colts got there reward, when Kienan Palmer latched onto a through ball and fired a low, hard shot past the helpless keeper.

This gave St Nic’s the momentum they’d been searching for, and minutes later Palmer got his second and the vital equaliser.

This maybe in hindsight should have been the point where St Nic’s should have tightened up and saw the game through to extra time. Even so, they bravely pushed forward for the winner, and with the final whistle quickly approaching, they had that chance.

Hammonds found himself alone at the far post, with the keeper stranded, but the angle proved to be too tight, and he could only fire against the post and out for a goal kick.

Immediately Chapelfield went on the offence and again found St Nic’s defence all at sea. Again another counter attack found the Chapelfield forward one-on-one with Liggins, who again stood no chance as the ball was clinically finished.

The Colts (St Nic’s) to their credit, did not give up and continued to look for the equalising goal. But this proved to be a little too much to ask in the time remaining. And with seconds to go, Chapelfield scored the winner from a corner.

Man of the Match: Tom Hastings

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4th November - NCYP Cougars (A) 0 - 5 (W)

NCYP Cougars 0 - 5 St Nicolas Colts (Palmer 5)

St Nicolas Colts maintain there position at the top of the Nuneaton & Bedworth Cosmic League, thanks to Kienan Palmers quintet of goals away at NYCP Cougars.

The Cougars had all the early pressure, and came very close to taking the lead when their centre forward broke through the colts defence, but was stopped by a fine tackle from Mahon.

The Colts found it difficult for the first ten minutes, as the Cougars closed down quickly and tackled with vigour. It wasn’t until around the ten minute mark that St Nic’s made the break through.

A weighted through ball from Scoffham left Palmer with the keeper to beat. He checked, spotted the keeper off the line, and calmly sent an exquisite lob into the empty net.

The Colts’ forward went on to fire two more home in a space of two minutes, just before half time, to put the match beyond NYCP.

Two equally as good passing moves in the second half, were both finished in style from a tight angle by Palmer, taking his ever increasing tally to 19 for the season.

Liggins was rarely troubled through the game, but made a couple of crucial stops early on. Dan Rust pulled on the gloves midway through the second half, leaving Liggins to play on the left of midfield.

Scoffham’s performance in the centre of midfield, earned him the man of the match. His range of passing and work rate were second to none.

Again St Nic’s defence remained resolute, and finished the fifth game in succession without conceding a goal, thanks to the hard work from Davies and Mahon.

Hammonds and Hastings both came close, but were denied by the brilliant Cougars keeper. Lynch put the ball in the net late on but was denied as the ball was adjudged to have gone out for a corner before the ball was crossed.

Rust made a brilliant late stop one on one with the NYCP forward. Liggins performed a brilliant dissecting reverse pass through the Cougars defence. Scoffham finished his performance off with an acrobatic overhead kick.

The Colts passing and pace, in the end proved too much for NCYP Cougars, who gave a spirited performance. St Nic’s go into the next two league games against Weddington and Chetwynd full of confidence. The next few weeks could prove to be the defining stages of the season for all three teams.

Man of the Match: George Scoffham

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28th October - Bulkington Sports Saints (H) 8 - 0 (W)

St Nicolas Colts (Palmer 4, Hastings 2, Hammonds, Mahon) 8 - 0 Bulkington Sports Saints

St Nicolas Colts put on a magical display at the Milby Stadium, as they go joint top of the Nuneaton & Bedworth Cosmic League.

Kienan Palmer’s long range effort caught the Bulkington keeper by surprise and skim of the surface and into the bottom corner. His second, a stunning strike from just outside the area, seemed to be accelerating as it hit the top left hand corner of the net. Contender for goal of the season. Within ten minutes Palmer had finished of his hat-trick, with a fine downwards header, from a Liggins corner.

George Bates fired in what looked to be his first goal of the season, as the ball hit the roof of the net, but denied by the referee. Tom Hastings was on hand though with the rebound, as he smartly finished into the bottom corner.

The fifth came from a cross into the penalty area. Hastings rose well for the header, putting the Saints defence under pressure. The ball bobbled off the defender and over the stranded keeper into the net. Hastings claimed the goal.

Hammonds got his first League goal, after some battling hard down the right, before firing the ball home through the keepers’ legs from a tight angle.

Kienan Palmer finished off what was a fabulous quartet of goals, with a cross-shot from a tight angle on the left, which skimmed across the face of the goal, and lodged into the side netting.

His outstanding individual performance, and four fabulous goals, also earned him Man of the Match.

Charlie Mahon went on another trademark run, late in the second half, carving through the Bulkington defence, before firing home for his first of the season, which wrapped up best ever win to date.

Liggins and Bates shared the goalkeeping duties, in each half respectively, and together maintained St Nic’s unblemished record of no goals conceded, in the last 160 minutes played.

Tom Davis tackled well at the back, and made it difficult for the forward line to mount their attacks. Lynch played his part in the first half, with some penetrating runs from deep.
Dan Rust again proved his worth, with a solid performance. Scoffham orchestrated from midfield, delivering some telling passes.

It was a simply breathtaking performance from the in-form Colts, who recorded their 6th successive victory and their best result under Simon Hiley.

Man of the Match: Kienan Palmer

Next Match: NCYP Cougars (A)

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14th October - Haunchwood Tigers (H) 5 - 0 (W)

St Nicolas Colts (Liggins 2, Rust, Palmer 2) 5 - 0 Haunchwood Tigers

Daniel Liggins and Kienan Palmer both struck twice as St Nicolas Colts earned an impressive five goal victory against Haunchwood Tigers.

A changed line up for the Colts, saw Liggins take off his goalkeeping gloves and put on his shooting boots, as centre forward. Palmer moved to the right of midfield and Bates replaced Liggins between the sticks.

Liggins neatly slotted home into the bottom left, giving St Nic’s an early lead. His second come from close range after a scramble in the penalty area.

Daniel Rust notched his sixth goal of the season, again finishing clinically. Palmer scored at either end, taking his tally for the season into double figures, with ten goals.

The colts had plenty other chances to increase the score line. Mahon found himself twice in shooting position, the closest of which went just over the crossbar.

Hammonds closest was in the second half, when his side foot at the far post went agonisingly wide. Scoffham had a shot cleared of the line and also saw his header from a corner go the wrong side of the upright.

Bates proved himself again as Mr. Versatility, and continued The Colts’ succession of clean sheets, with some great saves. The best of which, when he bravely saved at the feet of the Haunchwood centre forward, in a one-on-one that looked a certain goal.

Davies continued his great form from the previous game, making some well timed clearances and tackles. The Captain Hastings also had a solid game in the centre of the Colts midfield, organising his team mates around him.

Golden Moment of the match, was when Mahon picked up the ball in his own half, late in the first half, and went on an unstoppable run past three or four players, and was unlucky not to score at the end of it.

Man of the Match: Dan Liggins

Next Match: Bulkinton Sports Saints (H)

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13th October - Dosthill Colts Madrid (A) 0 - 3 (W)

Dosthill Colts Madrid 0 - 3 St Nicolas Colts (Palmer, Rust, Hastings)

St Nicolas Colts eased past Dosthill and into the Tamworth Invitation Trophy third round.

The Colts, who had dominated from the start, took the lead after 10 minutes, when Kienan Palmer fired brilliantly from 20 yards into the bottom corner.

Daniel Rust made it 2-0 from a tight angle after picking up a loose ball on the left and Hastings first time shot past the on-coming Dosthill keeper sealed St Nic’s victory.

Liggins was never really troubled in goal and maintained his and the Colts second consecutive match without conceding a goal.

St Nic’s had plenty of chances to open the scoring early on, but were thwarted by some resolute defending from Dosthill.

The Colts also defended well, with Tom Davies giving his best performance of the season, tackling magnificently and organising the players in front of him.

George Bates maintained his consistent high standard, in both defence early on, and in centre midfield in the second half of the game.

Charlie Mahon, who showed he had now put his illness from the start of the season well behind him, gave another great performance.

Man of the match George Scoffham, was impressive in all quarters, and was instrumental in most of The Colts’ attacking moves. He was unlucky not to score himself, in hitting the post after a weaving run and also heading just wide from a Hastings corner.

Hammonds battled well on the right of Colts midfield, carving through the Dosthill defence and supplying some wonderful crosses. He also worked hard defensively for his team making some telling tackles.

Rust supplied the comedy moment of the game, when he managed to flick the ball over the cross bar from about 2 yards out.

Another sound victory from St Nic’s, with a great team effort all round and some wonderful individual performances also.

Man of the Match: George Scoffham

Next Match in the Competition: 10/11/07 v Chapelfield Colts Blue (H)

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7th October - Bedworth Eagles Boys (A) 0 - 4 (W)

Bedworth Eagles Boys 0 - 4 St Nicolas Colts (Rust 2, Palmer, Hastings)

St Nicolas Colts attacking trio of Kienan Palmer, Daniel Rust and Tom Hastings, share the goals to provide the team their third victory of the season, and continue their unbeaten run.

Initially The Colts were stymied by Bedworth, but Palmer’s darting run and then his strength and composure to pick out Rust for an easy tap in gave them the first half lead.

The Colts, who were unconvincing at times, stuttered their way through the first half, never really getting into any kind of rhythm. Only the brilliance of Liggins in the Colts goal, maintained colts narrow lead. The best of his saves an acrobatic dive to his right, tipping a ball destined for the top corner, wide of his post.

The second half The Colts were a little more organised, but never reached the fluency seen in the last three matches.

The second goal came from came from another explosive run from Palmer, supported by Lynch. Lynch’s side foot pass, enable palmer to run onto the ball and fire home with his first touch into the roof of the net.

Rust who was subbed early in the second half, came back on to continue his goal gluts, scoring his second of the game and fourth in four games, with a well met cross sending the ball past the approaching Bedworth keeper.

Defensively St Nic’s were strong, and kept Bedworth to a few long range efforts. Bates worked hard through the first half, but picked up an achilles injury for his bravery, after being caught by a stray Bedworth stud.

Mahon replaced him, and played out of his skin, making several last ditch tackles and blocks, helping to maintain a clean sheet for his side. He also kept his composure, after narrowly avoiding a punch thrown by a Bedworth player, after a strong challenge.

Hammonds worked hard in the midfield and has been unlucky not to score yet this season. He continued to look dangerous in attack, and it’s just a matter of time before his first goal.

Scoffham, who had a quiet game, came close late in the second half, with a curling effort from just outside the penalty area, which was just wide of the stanchions.

Hastings scored the fourth not long after, with a similar curling effort that lodged itself into the top right of the net, giving the keeper no chance.

So three more points for the Colts, though the score line flattered them some-what, with a mediocre performance to their own standards. On the positive side they are still scoring goals, they kept a clean sheet and know they can vastly improve.

Man of the Match: Kienan Palmer

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30th September - Chetwynd Tigers (H) 5 - 1 (W)

St Nicolas Colts (Rust 2, Palmer 2, Scoffham) 5 - 1 Chetwynd Tigers (Burgess)

Daniel Rust (Man of the Match) and Kienan Palmer both scored twice, as St Nicolas Colts maintained third in the Under 10’s Cosmic League, with a comprehensive victory over Chetwynd Tigers.

Rust struck from close range with a powerful side foot, after good work by Palmer on the wing, in the first half, and returned the favour for Palmer minutes later with a pin-point cross, leaving Palmer to fire past the Tigers keeper. Rust then scored his second with a towering header at the back post.

Scoffham notched his first goal of the season and the first against his old side, with a tap in at the far post, five minutes into the second half. Chetwynd’s Jacob Burgess (Scoffham’s cousin) pulled one back. But Palmer superbly-struck his second, after leaving two defenders for dead, and underlined The Colts dominance.

St Nic’s were defensively sound, with another magnificent performance from Bates in the first half, and a great defensive partnership of Davies and Mahon in the second. Liggins again made four or five wonderful saves, and was unlucky not to keep a clean sheet.

Josh Hammonds (who took the Captains arm band), battled hard on the right of midfield, again against his old side, reminded his old team mates of his threat with his pace and agility. Lynch also used his power and pace to full affect on the left wing.

Hastings had another great game, and did almost everything but score. His closest effort, a free kick from 25 yards that struck the cross bar and went over.

Another impressive team performance from the St Nic’s Colts. The first half especially their passing and pace ripped through Chetwynd Tigers defence. The second half the Colts lost their shape for about five minutes, enabling the Tigers to claw one back.

All ten lads gave there all and worked hard as a team. Man of the Match though went to Daniel Rust, who after having a quiet start to the season, had an outstanding game.

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16th September - St Nicolas Boys (A) 1 - 4 (W)

St Nicolas Boys (Bolton) 1 - 4 St Nicolas Colts (Palmer 4)


Kienan Palmer netted four as the Colts grab their first victory of the season, in the St Nicolas FC derby.

Palmers first and the best of the four, came in the second minute when he picked up the loose ball 20 yards out and rifled home his shot past the Boys keeper. The Colts pressure was relentless, as St Nic’s Boys struggled to contain the surging run from Hastings and Scoffham from the midfield.

Palmers second came around the five minute mark when he tucked the ball home neatly. His Hat-trick came from a curling cross late in the first half, when Palmer tangled with the Boys keeper and defender. Palmer rose highest and seemed to get the slightest of touches, enough to glance it into the back of the net. The last kick of he first half Palmer fired home the Colts fourth to put the game beyond the reach of St Nicolas Boys.

The second half St Nic’s Boys began brightly. The Colts seemed to loose there shape and were all at sea, when Bolton burst through their defence and finished clinically, giving Liggins no chance.
Not long after, Bates who had played magnificently, brought down the Boys forward just inside the box in a last ditch challenge. The referee was swift with his decision and pointed straight to the spot. Bates picked up what looked a nasty knock in the tackle, but courageously picked himself up and got on with the job in hand. St Nicolas Boys were unlucky as the penalty was hit wide of the upright, a chance that would have brought them right back into the game.

The Colts creativity at times was sublime, with sweeping, passing moves, through the midfield. Hammonds and Lynch worked hard on the flanks finding space around the back of the Boys defence. The midfield duo of Hastings and Scoffham functioned and communicated well together. Davies and Mahon, both making there first appearances of the season, showed passion and tackled well. Rust used his strength and pace, and caused the St Nic’s boys defence all kinds of problems. The Colts although netting four, had numerous other chances, but lacked quality in finishing at times.

St Nic’s Boys themselves had a hatful of chances during the match, but were also guilty of missing very good opportunities to bring themselves back in the match. The best of which, a header from an in-swinging corner, put just wide of Liggins post.

Liggins made countless saves throughout the match, the best two, came midway through the first half. The first at full stretch, finger-tipping a stinging shot around the post. The second, acrobatically tipping the ball over the crossbar.

Man of the Match: Kienan Palmer

Next Match: v Chetwynd Tigers (H)

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9th September - Chetwynd Sharks (H) 1 - 1 (D)

St Nicolas Colts (Hastings) 1 - 1 Chetwynd Sharks (Allton)

Expectations are high for both sides this season, with both having made new signing to strengthen their squads. The Colts kicked off, with Scoffham immediately trying to carve an opening from the Sharks defence. The Sharks cleared their lines, and mounted what was to be five minutes off early pressure. Bates, playing lone defender, worked hard, giving Chetwynd’s forwards no time on the ball. Liggins made a couple of comfortable saves, never really being tested.

It was half way through the first half St Nics made the breakthrough. Against the run of play, Scoffham slid another pass from the middle of the park, through to the impressive Hastings, who gathered the ball well, rounded the Sharks defender, and fired home brilliantly from the tightest of angles. 1-0.

Two minutes later the Sharks came close with a looping shot, that just cleared the cross bar. Liggins remained resolute, and pulled of some outstanding saves, to frustrate the Sharks attack further.

As the first half came to close, the brilliant Hastings burst through again from midfield, into Chetwynd penalty area, with Hammonds in close support. He rounded the keeper, to give himself what looked a clear tap in. But it was not to be, as a mix up between the St Nic’s pair, saw the football bobble agonisingly wide of the post. A real ‘you’ve been framed moment’.

The whistle blew for half time.

The second half Chetwynd started with more vigour. The Colts still looked stunned from the late first half miss, which proved to be the defining point in the game. Allton, (the Sharks summer signing) rose well in a crowded box, to head home the equaliser, from a corner in the second minute. The Sharks continued to maintain pressure on the Colts, their best chance to take the lead, a twenty yard shot, that went just over.

The St Nic’s lads showed character though, and clawed their way back into the game. Their closest effort was the second of two successive free kicks, just outside the Chetwynd penalty area, which Palmer’s venomous shot just skimmed over. Lynch and Hammonds used the pace at every opportunity, and tried to find that opening in the Sharks defence. Rust was a huge physical presence in the midfield, with tackle after tackle.

The final whistle blew, on what was overall an enthralling game of football, between two evenly matched sides. Although St Nic’s had two clear cut chances to kill the game. None the less, it was a great performance from all the players.

Man of the Match: George Bates

Next Match: The St Nic's Derby against the Boys.

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