Calder Valley Sunday League: Mirfield face unenviable task against Cock and Bottle

Last season’s Heavy Woollen champions have started very sluggish in their league campaign, and they face the almost impossible task of trying to get something at Cock & Bottle.
The hosts have started the season with five wins from five, not to mention they have a perfect home record since April 2018. However, Mirfield can take some confidence from getting their first win of the season last weekend in the Brook Butler Cup.
Jonny Mitchell scored a brace in the cup tie, but the major concern will be how freely they are conceding goals. This is likely to cause a problem on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Deighton WMC travel to Linthwaite in search of another win. Both sides will be looking to keep the gap to the top close, although Deighton have played more games at this stage. The visitors have plenty goals in them this season, whilst Linthwaite will be looking to keep pressure on the leaders. The hosts have goals from everywhere though, as they have as many as 11 different players who have each registered a goal this season.
The final league game of the weekend sees Hollins Holme play Clifton Rangers.
The Hebden Bridge side will be looking to bounce back from their third defeat of the season last weekend. Clifton Rangers seem to have struggled with the pace of the new league, as a result find themselves trying to avoid a scrap for relegation after a promising season last year. Both teams seem to have goals in them, which suggests it might come down to who keeps it together at the back.
The division’s other teams all go head-to-head this weekend in the Outdoor World Direct Cup. FC Hounds face FC Panda, whilst Feathers host Birstall CC.It’s a little early to start looking at the table in Division One, as a couple of sides find themselves with plenty of games in hand. However, Park FC remain in the lead at the moment. They’ll travel to Snowdon this weekend hoping that Joel Gill and Yashar Jalali can both bag a brace again. The hosts took a bit of a beating last weekend, but a brace from Tristian Kennedy will at least help confidence in front of goal.
Lee Mount look to maintain their 100 per cent start as they face Ryburn Valley at Savile Park. Callum Meade and Jay Carney each scored four goals last Sunday in their impressive victory. Ryburn will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing defeat away to Woodhouse.
Woodhouse visit Wellington Westgate, who will be looking to get their season back on track after defeat against Cock of the North. Perhaps the FA Sunday Cup was a distraction they could have done without.Elsewhere, Wire Works travel to Ravenswharfe where both sides will be full of confidence after their wins in the Brook Butler Cup. Finally, bottom side Thrum Hall will play FC Panda Reserves at Calderdale College.
Division Two front runners Spen FC will travel to Battyeford full of confidence after brushing aside Halifax Rangers with ease. The attack of James Heeley and Atif Basharat was too much, with the former getting a hat-trick. Battyeford pushed them close last time out in the 2-1 defeat, but the hosts are yet to pick up a win this season and the tie against the impressive leaders might just be too much for them.
Old Pond will look to close the gap to the leaders after they moved into second place last Sunday. Greg Roper bagged a brace as they ran riot with six different goalscorers. They will head to Sands Lane who have started fairly well and just need a couple more results to making it a promising season.
Elsewhere, it’s derby weekend again for Clifton Rangers, as their Reserves face off against Athletic. Reserves will be hoping to turn around their fortunes after two sloppy defeats on the bounce have put a dent into their promising start. They dropped out of the Brook Butler Cup at the weekend after fielding a weakened side. Athletic could be hit with a few injuries this weekend but potentially could have new signings Abdulrahman Almutairi, Ali Almutairi and Naser Alshareefi available for the clash.
Finally, Barum Top and Old Post Office will try to keep pressure on the league’s pace setters, they’ll face Halifax Rangers and Triangle respectively. Old Post Office will be looking for a big response after their drubbing last time out, whilst Barum Top are back in league action after their cup run came to an end on Sunday.


Results - Premier Division: Deighton WMC 3-1 Clifton Rangers, FC Panda 2-2 Feathers, Hollins Holme 2-4 Linthwaite. Division One: Lee Mount 12-4 Snowdon, Thrum Hall 1-5 Park FC, Wellington Westgate 1-2 Cock of the North, Woodhouse 6-4 Ryburn Valley. Division Two: Halifax Rangers 2-10 Spen FC, Old Post Office 0-7 Old Pond.

Fixtures - Premier Division: Cock & Bottle v Mirfield Town, Hollins Holme v Clifton Rangers, Linthwaite v Deighton WMC. Division One: FC Panda Reserves v Thrum Hall, Ravenswharfe v Wire Works, Ryburn Valley v Lee Mount, Snowdon v Park FC, Wellington Westgate v Woodhouse. Division Two: Battyeford v Spen FC, Clifton Rangers Reserves v Clifton Rangers Athletic, Halifax Rangers v Barum Top, Old Post Office v Triangle, Sands Lane v Old Pond.