Signol Athletic secured the second part of what could be a memorable treble-winning season after beating Village Manchester Reserves 4-2 to lift the Division A title. After clinching the Whitehead Cup, Signol went into the game knowing a win would hand them more silverware. But it was not plain sailing for Signol as a well organised Village led 2-1 at the break with strikes from Franky Habbaa and Ayo Oyesaliya. Village were reduced to ten men early in the second half with a r

Signol Athletic’s dream week continued as they reached the Keith Marsden Cup Final in by dramatically beating AFC Salford on penalties. Fresh from securing the Whitehead Cup, Signol could make it a memorable treble given they are well placed to secure the Division A title. They secured their spot in a second domestic cup final of the season when, after drawing 3-3 with AFC Salford, they edged the shootout 5-3 to set up a meeting with Newton Vikings in the final. In league act

Rushford Park lifted the Rhodes Cup for the first time in their history after defeating valiant East Manchester Galaxy on penalties. There was always going to be a new name on the trophy in a competition that has ran since 1913, and there were high hopes that a Rushford team going for Premier Division glory and a Galaxy side well set to snatch the Division One title would produce a classic. But few could have predicted the pulsating nature of the game held at West Didsbury an

The finalists of the Geoff Garnett Cup were decided in a busy week of action as the leaders of the top two divisions are set to face off. RFAITS Premier Division pace-setters Bollington United were tested by Santos of Division One but ultimately overpowered their opponents to triumph 3-1. They will play Division One leaders Oldham Hulmeians who enjoyed a comfortable 5-1 win over Stretford Paddock Ams. In the Keith Marsden Cup semi-finals, Newton Vikings booked their spot in t

Rushford Park and East Manchester Galaxy set up a mouthwatering Rhodes Cup final as they both enjoyed a pivotal week in their respective quests for league and cup glory. In an all- RFAITS Premier Division semi-final with Manchester Rose at the weekend, a late winner gave Rushford a dramatic 4-3 win. Rose looked set for the final as an Adekunle Otuland’s brace and Gerald Magande’s strike cancelled out Bailey Napier’s opener. But Rushford roared back and after Demel Cumnerbat

L&C teams were given the opportunity to enjoy the Easter break and play their games in the coming weeks, which meant a limited programme, but Rushford Park reinforced their RFAITS Premier Division title ambitions with an impressive 8-2 win at AFC Oldham to close the gap on leaders Bollington United to nine points, though with three games in hand, they will fancy their chances. At the other end, Manchester South End moved out of the bottom two with a 3-1 win over Manchester Ro

Two further cup finalists were confirmed as Fitton Hill All-Stars and Newton Vikings won their respective cup semi-finals. In the Wray Cup, Fitton Hill were faced with a difficult task as the Division Three outfit took on Moston Brook Reserves who are second in Division Two and well placed to achieve promotion. But they were shocked by Fitton Hill who edged home 2-1 to set up a final against Saddleworth 3D. There were no giant killing antics in the Whitehead Cup as Division A

The domestic cup semi-finals got underway this weekend and Saddleworth 3D set an L&C record by surging to victory in their Wray Cup clash with fellow Division Two side Heywood St James. Only a point separates these two in the league but Saddleworth made that gap seem markedly wider by sauntering to a 13-1 win. Zak Barton enjoyed an afternoon for the ages, scoring seven first-half goals in a remarkable encounter, including four in the opening 25 minutes as Saddleworth raced in

Boothstown and Grappenhall pulled off seismic shocks in the Geoff Garnett Cup this weekend. Division One Grappenhall SC gained revenge on the Premier Division outfit Manchester Rose who came out on top in their Rhodes Cup fixture earlier this season. This time though, Grappenhall powered to victory, securing a convincing 4-1 win. In the other game, Boothstown’s performance belied their lowly Premier Division position as they produced a heroic performance to keep league leader

With an improvement in the weather, it was back to a busy programme of league and cup fixtures. In the Rhodes Cup Manchester Rose made it through to the semi-finals with a hard-earned 2-1 win at Grappenhall SC. The Wray Cup saw a real thriller as Moston Brook Reserves pulled off a tense 5-4 win over South Manchester. In the Whitehead Cup , AFC Oldham A drew 3-3 with AFC Salford and won the dramatic penalty shoot-out 5-4. The other catch-up Whitehead Cup was also close as a

League and cup action continued this weekend and in the Rhodes Cup, AFC Stockport once again sprang a shock, defeating promotion-chasing Didsbury FC in an all-Division One affair. Having dispatched Bedians in the last round, AFC Stockport’s run looked to be at an end after Didsbury went three up early in the second half, but AFC fought back in style, netting five times without reply to march into the next round. Joining them are Premier Division high-flyers Rushford Park who

There was a flood of goals to match the torrential rain conditions on yet another inclement weekend in the L&C which saw arguably the shock of the L&C season. In the Keith Marsden Cup, three games were completed which included an almighty upset as Santos U23s – midtable in Division B – shocked Division Three Stoconians 3-2 to record a famous win. Elsewhere, Fitton Hill All-Stars triumphed at Spurley Hey by the odd goal in five. There were five goals in the other game, but all

Cup action continued over the weekend and the Rhodes Cup saw an eye-catching display from Grappenhall Sports Club who belied their Division One status to put Premier Division Boothstown to the sword 6-2 thanks to a clinic of ruthless finishing. Their reward is a home tie with Manchester Rose. There were no such problems for Premier Division high-flyers Chadderton Cott who comfortably saw off Mellor 5-2. In the Geoff Garnett Cup , there was a tense encounter at Manchester Sout

East Manchester Galaxy, AFC Stockport and Didsbury FC all delivered Rhodes Cup shocks to reach the quarter finals. Galaxy, second and unbeaten in Division One, illustrated their quality by defeating Premier Division leaders Bollington United on penalties. The underdogs took the lead through a well-worked set piece which the outstanding Muhamed Jatta converted, only for Bollington – who have dropped just three league points all season – to level at the break. A few tactical ad

The L&C AFL and other football organisations in the area were saddened to hear of the recent passing away of two significant figures of amateur football in Greater Manchester. Mark Wilson (Rochdalians) and Chris Carney (Salford Victoria) had been involved with their clubs for a combined total of nearly 100 years. They guided their respective clubs to many honours – both team and individual – over the years. To recognise their great contribution to their clubs and amateur foot

There was an upset in the Rhodes Cup as RFAITS Premier Division Abacus Media were sent packing by Division One’s Didsbury. The game was one of a series that completed the domestic cup preliminary rounds, saw Didsbury saunter to a convincing 5-0 victory. Rushford Park showed why they are flying high in the RFAITS Premier Division with a big 8-1 win over Richmond Rovers. Rochdalians were also impressive in a 3-1 win at Division One leaders Oldham Hulmeians. The Wray Cup saw f

This weekend saw attention primarily shift to the domestic cup competitions and in the Rhodes Cup, featuring Premier Division and Division One sides, saw two pulsating preliminary round games. In the first, Division One Mellor edged out Premier Division Trafford United in a seven-goal thriller while in the other all-Division One game, East Manchester Galaxy came out on top 5-3 against Stretford Paddock Reserves. The Wray Cup for Division Two and Three teams, saw Division Thr

The eagerly awaited start of the second half of the season was disrupted by a stiff frost following on a snowy week casing the bulk of the matches on grass to be called off by frozen pitches. A new pair of domestic cup competitions (the Geoff Garnett Cup ) for teams in the Premier division and Division One and Two and (the Keith Marsden Cup ) for teams in Divisions Three, A and B were set for inaugural preliminary rounds. Only two games in the Geoff Garnett Cup were able to g

In the final round of fixtures before the mid-season break, RFAITS sponsored Premier Division leaders Bollington United consolidated their position at the summit with an efficient 2-0 victory over hard-working Manchester South End. It means that, in their first season at this level, Bollington hold a six-point lead over AFC Oldham who have two games in hand. In effect, Bollington’s superior goal difference means the lead is seven points. The other game in division saw Bedians

A better week of weather saw a bigger number of games completed to hot up the title challenges across the six divisions. It’s hot at the top of the Premier Division as AFC Oldham ended the 100% record of Rushford Park with a 2-0 win to leapfrog them into second place three points behind long-time leaders Bollington United with a game in hand. Oldham showed plenty of determination in an exciting and close contest which was settled by two clinical finishes and gritty defendin