Top sides march on in ADL

As we enter the last two full months of the season we usually see who has the minerals for the final push and last weekend’s results seem to show who is in the top echelons.

Our First ADL Cup Final is confirmed with the top two in the Premier Division facing each other in the Marsworth Senior Final. Great Missenden will meet AVD Sports after two contrasting semi-finals.

Great Missenden saw off FC Bierton 2-1. Ian Pearce’s goal gave them hope before a sin bin after goals from Simon Gray and Tom Gasiorowski had Missenden 2-0 ahead at the break.

AVD Sports humbled Thame B 8-1 in the first of four potential games between the top two. There were six different scorers with Jack Maddran and Dan O'Sullivan grabbing braces.

In the other Cup game Wendover are into the Presidents League Cup semi-finals after a penalty shoot out win over St Leonard's from Division One. After a 1-1 draw where St Leonards played extra-time with ten men, Wendover won 4-3 on spot kicks.

In League action the focus is on who will finish in the relegation places. Tring Athletic Zebras’ debut season offered promise but a 7-1 home defeat to Prestwood, despite them going down to ten men early on, has them nervously looking over their shoulder. Charlie Lossaos and Ishmael Ehui with hat-tricks each.

Rivets Sports will need a rebuild after another heavy defeat, this time 7-2 to Elmhurst. Wingrave’s mini league run ended as they hoped to grab third place as they were defeated 2-1 by Toqeer Titans who leap frog them in the table, Anees Khan with both Titans goals.

In Division One leaders Aylesbury Vale bounced back with a win 4-2 away at Ludgershall, but they have to wait on their rivals who have games in hand.

AWFC’s opponents Kings Sports forfeited whilst Haddenham and Oving shared a 3-3 draw. Stoke Mandeville beat Thame D to keep up their outside hopes. In the battle at the bottom FC Aristocrat and Stone Utd shared a 4-4 draw.

In Division Two, four of the top five won as pressure picks up. Leaders Prestwood Reserves won 2-0 at home to Ludgershall Reserves; Connor Kipping and Phil Burnett scoring. Second place Stoke Mandeville Reserves remain three points behind as they beat Oving Reserves 4-0 away via Sam Elliot, George Sirbu Charlie Skiller and Melvin Sannoh goals.

Goal difference will be important so AWFC Reserves’ 5-0 away win at Wendover Reserves keeps them in touch; Archie White with a brace.

Potten End will have a fixture backlog but a 4-2 win over Wingrave Development sees them eight points off top with five games in hand.

Thame C will hope to finish as high as they can as they succumbed 5-1 to Aylesbury Vale Reserves; Mahdi Habib scoring four times.

The final game saw Aylesbury Hornets put clear space between themselves and bottom side Rivets Reserves, beating them 5-1, Jason Rose with a hat-trick.

The score could have been double had it not been for player-manager Matthew Brion between the sticks with a number of great saves.