Hollins save blushes with big finish

The Calder Valley side, knocked out of the Senior Cup by division-lower Ryburn Valley seven days earlier, were 2-0 down with five minutes to play against Division Two title favourites Park in the last eight of Halifax FA Sunday Cup.

An Andrew Butterworth goal from the penalty spot, after George Bamford had been fouled, gave Hollins a glimmer of hope and Lewis Cockroft levelled matters after a Bamford effort had come back off the bar.

Cockroft then got the winner two minutes from the end of extra time to earn Hollins, winners of the competition two years ago, a trip to play Fountain Head in the semi-finals.

Hollins boss Joel Booth had to don his boots and play fullback to give Hollins 11 men.

He said the wet and windy conditions were the worst he had encountered in 20 years of amateur football and that King Cross Park could have been out of sight before Hollins had mounted their comeback, Gareth Swain making four one-on-one saves.

Fountain Head, fourth bottom of Division One, did cause an upset by winning 2-1 at home to a Mount Tabor side lying fourth in the Premier.

Old rivals Waiters Arms and Carrington, who share the 3G pitch at Trinity Academy on a Sunday, will clash in the other game.

The pair were easy winners in their quarter-finals, Waiters by 12-2 over division-lower Oddfellows and Carrington by 5-1 away to fellow Premier side Top Club.

Oddfellows more than matched their hosts with the wind in their favour and when Chris Summerscales scored from 30 yards and Scott Parkinson doubled their lead a shock looked on the cards after half an hour.

Waiters got fired up though and pulled one back when Carl Maguire followed up Billy Grogan’s shot. Maguire then equalised from the penalty spot when Waiters captain Ash O’Shea was hacked down.

Just before the break Waiters got their noses in front when an Ashton Richardson throw was nodded in by goal machine Kev Talbot.

The second half was one-way traffic. Oddfellows ‘keeper Aaron Green was peppered by shots and could nothing to stop Grogan ending a six-month goal drought with two beauties from outside the area.

Romano then slipped in Talbot for his second and got one himself when he rifled in from an acute angle.

Full back Lee Albon pressed the hapless Matthew Crouch into smashing the ball into his own net.

Talbot completed his second hat trick in as many weeks with a smart header from a Maguire corner and it was double figures when substitute David Chappell rounded the keeper.

Substitute Gordan Brierley teed up Chappell, who then completed a 10 minute hat-trick by following up Romano’s miscued effort.

There was still time for the Oddies keeper to make point blank saves from Dean Park and Grogan and for Brierley to fire a penalty over the bar.

Damian Randall scored a hat-trick and Leon Hurles-Brook got the other two goals as competition favourites Carrington brushed aside Top Club at Carr Green, Rastrick.

The hosts’ goal came from a late penalty.

Seventeen-year-old Awais Khan inspired Halifax Hammers to a 6-3 win over Old Pond in the Premier Division with a four-goal show.

It was only Hammers’ sixth league game of the campaign, after their fine county cup run, but they had to come from 2-0 down in difficult conditions.

Speedy winger Junaid Ali went through one on one against Pond ‘keeper Dan Barnes but put his effort wide and Matty Waller and Sameer Ahmed went close before Hayden Lewis gave Pond the lead from a long clearance.

Wayne Allert doubled Pond’s advantage but just before half time Awais Khan pulled a goal back and Hammers then upped their game.

Ozair scored direct from corner for 2-2 and Pond found it difficult to contain the quick passing by Hammers’ front four.

Waller gave Hammers the lead with a penalty for hand ball and Awais scored a good solo goal.

Awais completing his hat trick after good work by Ozair and Matty Waller and although Hayden Lewis replied with a shot into the top corner, Khan scored another excellent solo goal.

Hammers are fifth with a goal difference advantage over Ryburn Valley, who stunned second-placed Bowling Green with a 4-1 away win in the top section’s only other game.

Royd Club’s players had something to cheer about at last after a disastrous start to 2016.

They beat North Bridge 4-3 on Sunday to climb off the bottom of Division One, above Bradshaw on goal difference.

They had conceded 39 goals and scored only three in four previous outings this year.

Club quickly went 2-0 up and extended their advantage to 3-0 at the break.

Bridge opened their account but Club restored their third-goal advantage before Bridge scored two more to set up an anxious last few minutes.

Striker James Megson capped a fine display with two goals while John Moynes and Josh Cammack got the other goals.

Bradshaw were crushed 10-2 at home by second-placed Barge and Triangle, another of the strugglers, lost 5-0 at home to leaders Feathers.

Queens Head were 6-1 home winners over Ovenden BCFC and the side to lose ground in the promotion race were Beehive and Crosskeys, held 1-1 by Ryburn Valley.

In Division Two, St Columbas ground out a hard earned 4-2 victory at Ovenden Phoenix.

Saints started strongly and took the lead after 20 minutes when Ahmad Yehyah powered home a header from close range following an excellent corner from George Haigh-Gill.

Phoenix hit back following a period of pressure with a looping shot from the edge of the box from James Bradley.

However, Saints’ best period of football came before the break.

Brad Holt headed home at the far post after great work out wide from Tom Howse and lovely link-up play between Josh Miller and Yehyah, brought the latter his second goal.

Phoenix pulled one back at the start of the second half with a great team goal but as conditions worsened Howse prodded home at a corner after the keeper pulled off a good save from an Arron Ashworth header.

Phoenix never stopped pressing but Saints saw the game out with a mature performance.

Halifax Rangers were 3-2 home winners over Weavers in the section’s other game to go three points clear at the top.