End of year report by Mason Norton

Before we carry on with our mid-term report, there's an entry for Correction Corner. A few weeks ago, this column referred to Community Football Academy as having the last 100% record in the LSL; in fact, they are the last unbeaten side, but did drop points back in early September with a 2-2 draw at home to Brookside Athletic. Apologies for that.

In Everards Brewery Division Two, Community Football Academy remain the LSL's last unbeaten side. They were level-pegging at half-time away to lowly Barrow Town Reserves on Saturday, but smashed four unanswered goals after the turnround to win 5-1, Mohamed Mahir (2), Aadam Hajat (2) and Jack Wormleighton for Community, Vincent Ifeonu for Barrow. Community are now eight points clear at the top and kicking well clear, after second-placed Brookside Athletic were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Loughborough FC. Lewis Wall had given the visitors the lead at half-time with a brace, but Brookside mounted a second half comeback through Karl Duncan and Jonathan Powell-Hayles, though they couldn't kick on, and had to settle for the draw.

Third met fourth as Glen Villa played Whetstone Athletic. This match was originally supposed to be played at Great Glen, but due to the pitch being unfit, and the corresponding fixture not being played yet, it was switched to Whetstone. Villa shrugged off the loss of home advantage, racing into a 3-0 advantage at half-time, going on to win 4-0. Ira Castor hit a hat-trick and Ben Mason also scoring for Villa. Whetstone stay third and Villa fourth, but Whetstone are now a point behind Brookside having played a game more, whilst Villa seem to have the advantage in the battle for the runners-up spot, a point behind Whetstone, but with two games in hand on Whetstone, and one game in hand on Brookside.

If Community look well ahead in the title race, it's shaping up to be a three-way battle for the second promotion spot between Brookside, Whetstone and Glen Villa. Loughborough are now unbeaten in their last six starts, but their draw on Saturday actually sees them drop a place down to sixth after Magna 73 Reserves won 2-1 at home to Hinckley Borough, Mason Brown and Jordan Creed for Magna, Benjamin Gascoigne-Smith for Hinckley Borough. Magna are in fifth, Borough in ninth.

At the bottom of the table, there will be no relegation to the County League at the end of this season, owing to Div2 running short of capacity. That spares Leicester United's blushes, as they are still searching for their first points in the LSL since being introduced in the summer. They were on level terms on Saturday at half-time at Leicester Nirvana Reserves, but second half goals from Alexandru Munteanu and Aseem Navas gave the hosts a 2-0 win. Nirvana are sitting in seventh, whilst Leicester Utd are on zero in 13th and last, ten points behind Barrow Reserves in 12th. Lastly, Rothley Imperial won 2-1 away at Highfield Rangers Reserves, Leighton Barley and Shane Underwood scoring for Rothley who are eighth, Langtone Maunganidze for Rangers, who are in 11th, with Friar Lane & Epworth Reserves, who did not play on Saturday, in 10th. All in all this weekend, the bottom half of Div2 remained unchanged at the end of the day from the morning standings.

That's it for this weekend- and for 2024 as well. I'm taking a break for the next couple of weeks, so Dave Lumley will be sitting in for the next two Saturdays and rounding up the reports from round the grounds. Next weekend sees another relegation six-pointer in the Prem, as Cottesmore welcome Khalsa to Rutland, whilst there's also full programmes in the Prem and Div1. The Div2 programme is much-reduced as Saturday sees the quarter-finals of the Saturday Trophy in the County Cup, all of which feature LSL sides, including an all-Div2 tie between Rothley Imperial and Glen Villa.

The midweek that follows that also sees a VEO Senior Cup semi-final, as LSL Premier outfit Leicester Atletico travel to Step 6 team Birstall United in an attempt to reach the May final at Holmes Park in their first season playing in the competition, that's on Tuesday 7 January at 7.45pm. Meanwhile, January will also see two Saturday Intermediate Cup quarter-finals, as Kirby Muxloe Reserves host Lutterworth Athletic Reserves on 11 January, whilst Loughborough Students Development are slated to host Mountsorrel Amateurs on a date to be confirmed. The Senior Cup quarter-final between Ingles and FC Khalsa is currently still awaiting the outcome of a disciplinary process before a date can be set for that fixture.

Dave will bring you all of the action then, provided that the weather holds out! In the meantime, everyone here at Ramble Round wishes you a Happy New Year for 2025.