Lea Leap to Summit!

Following on from Tuesday night’s drama in La Liga, the Premier division provided more of the same on Thursday as Lea Forest went top, SS Peter and Paul suffered a hiccup in their title ambitions and both St Wilfrid’s and Thornton enhanced their play-off prospects.
The Foresters made the short trip to Shard End to face a Heathlands side searching for a first win and goal since the resumption back in March, and the visitors with top spot in their sights, left the Heathway as league leaders and the home side still without a point or a goal as they ran out 4-0 winners.
Castle Vale Stadium played host to six matches with Thornton vs SSPP the headline act as both sides harboured ambitions for the paly-offs, and for the latter, the Premier title. SSPP, usually so slick in their passing and moving, struggled to find their rhythm and Thornton took advantage. Leading 1-0 at half-time, the Alum Rockers protected that lead and then proceeded to add a second to seal a crucial victory. The Thorns then had to face another of the league’s in-form sides in St Wilfrid’s who, in their opener at the CVS, had defeated a spirited Parkfield outfit, 4-1, thus enhancing their own play-off credentials. And in, at times, a feisty fixture, Wilf’s prevailed and battled their way to a 2-1 win which fired them into third place and firmly among the play-off hopefuls.
In the other three games at the Vale, Harper Bell kept two clean sheets as they secured both their first points and win of the season. Firstly, Mr Mansell’s charges stifled his old school, Rosary, who failed to breakdown a stubborn Bell resistance in a 0-0 draw. Following that, the Digbeth-based side took on Rosary’s neighbours Parkfield, and in a similarly attritional game which also seemed destined to finish goal-less, Bell managed to net a late winner to snatch all three points.
The final game to mention was the last one of the season for both Rosary and Corpus Christi and with both sides firmly fixed in mid-table, it was no surprise that the game ended in a draw. Rosary took the lead early on after their high-press caught the Corpus ‘keeper out and the Sky Blues were good value for their 1-0 half-time lead. Corpus though improved after the break and were duly rewarded for their positivity with a well-constructed equaliser and should have won it right at the death but a striker saw his volley graze the bar and the soils were ultimately shared.
So, after another highly entertaining evening’s football, Lea Forest head the table on goal-difference from Mapledene with both still having two games to play. St Wilf’s lie third, four points back and likewise, have two games to play and one of them is against SSPP next Thursday who themselves can still take the title and have five games outstanding which they will fulfil. Thornton will need to win their last two games and hope that results elsewhere go their way for them to claim a play-off spot whilst Timberley can still have say as they have four games to go and are just four points behind St Wilf’s.