WOLSTANTON BATTLE BACK TO EARN VALUABLE POINT ON ROAD
BALL Haye Green let a three-goal lead slip to draw 3-3 at home against Wolstanton United in the Premier Division.
Luke Morris put Green ahead after 25 minutes with Ollie Mellor adding a second seven minutes later.
Two minutes into the second half Harrison Birch increased their lead to three.
However, former Silverdale man Dom Thorley reduced the arrears with a brace either side of the hour mark with former Alsager Town striker Liam Shaw bagging the equaliser on 75 minutes.
Leaders Redgate Clayton ran out 4-2 winners at Lichfield City.
Dan Holdcroft gave Redgate a 12thminute lead, but just before halftime that advantage was cancelled out after a goal from Ben Mann.
A minute either side of the interval Jack Finney bagged a brace for the Newcastle-based outfit to stretch their advantage with brother Sam Finney adding a fourth just after the hour mark.
Mann found himself once more on target for James Lloyd’s hosts on 69 minutes.
Second-placed AFC Alsager kept their title hopes alive with a 3-0 away victory over Leek CSOB at Pointon Park in Cheddleton.
Skipper Harry Livingstone gave the South Cheshire side the lead just after the half-hour with Alex James hitting a five-minute brace early in the second half to put the encounter to bed.
Jake Peake gave hosts Audley a first-half lead over visitors Foley Meir at Town Fields, but second-half strikes from Lewis Dodd in the 79th minute and Ben Hewitt two minutes from time won the game for Sam Golden’s visitors.
Chris Holmes’ Madeley White Star got back to winning ways with a 5-2 away-day win over Dave Ottley’s Milton United at The Hardman Centre.
Jonathan Sumner gave the visitors a 15th-minute lead which was extended five minutes later with a Jordan Hewitt goal and a third from starlet Charlie Batho came in the 29th minute.
In that same minute, Harley Shaw pulled a goal back for the hosts, but just five minutes later Hewitt popped up to notch his second and White Star’s fourth.
In the 52nd minute Shaw was once more on target for Ottley’s hosts, but any hope of a comeback was thwarted by a Sam Bettley-smith goal on 76 minutes.
In a tight encounter over in Rocester, hosts Ashbourne were finally undone in the last six minutes of the game against Brereton Social where the visitors won 3-1.
Aaron Russell had given the Shrovetiders a 21st-minute lead with a fine header which Social keeper Sam Woolaston did at least get a hand to, only to see that ball hit the top right corner of the net.
The game ebbed and flowed with both sides creating chances but on the hour mark Charlie Jessup levelled for the Rugeley-based outfit, finishing from close range.
With time marching on Social went ahead in the 84th minute through Jessup once again with a fine header.
In added time Ashbourne pressed forward for an equaliser, but a long punt forward from the visitors fell into the path of marauding full-back Mario Konstantinos who tapped the ball past the advancing Ashbourne keeper.
Division One leaders AFC Crewe opened up a four-point gap over second-placed Leek Town Development following an 8-0 mauling of Brian Nettleton’s Florence at Wood Park in Alsager.
In a weather-hit programme in Division Two North, FC Hanley played a double header with Audley Development at Northwood Stadium.
In their ‘home fixture’, FC Hanley ran out 3-1 winners with Lee Cropper on target alongside strikes from Brad Allerton and Thomas Smith. Joe Jones bagged the consolation for Audley.
In the ‘away encounter’, FC Hanley once again got the better of Audley, winning 2-0 with Thomas Smith and Ben Blowers on target.
Ball Haye Green Reserves sit handily in fourth position and have a great chance for a promotion spot following a 5-2 victory over FC41 Reserves at Waterhouses.
Ben Venables, Max Hill and Jake Gordon were Green’s scorers in the first half, while in the second half Gordon once again found the net along with James Hollins.
Nabil Charley and Kyle Cuthbertson bagged the two goals for the Milton-based visitors.
In Division Two South, Tom Wheeldon hit four goals in Cresswell Wanderers Reserves’ 6-0 away victory over Whittington at Beacon Park in Lichfield.
Zach Smith and James Phillips were also on target for the visitors.
Nimrod Hidrom gave AFC Real Medina a 13th-minute lead in their encounter with Stone Dominoes in Burton, but saw that lead cancelled out by a Mark Pritchard goal.
It was Pritchard who then put Dominoes ahead shortly after before Murtaza Haidary squared things for the hosts shortly before half-time.
In the second half the visitors pulled away with Pritchard completing his hat-trick and a fourth coming from Samuel Olaleye.
In the Chairman’s Challenge Cup, at London Road over in Chesterton, visitors Walsall Phoenix eliminated hosts Staffordshire Victoria 2-1 to progress into the next round.
In the Macron Cup Group Stages, Division Two South outfit defeated Division One side Hawkins Sports 5-1 over at Loak Road, while AFC Alsager Reserves were held 1-1 by Kyle Goodwin’s Cannock Dynamos.