MATCH REPORTS

2001/02       2004/05        2002/03       2005/06        

Woodhouse George 2 Redmires 6 (League, 22nd April 2007)
Hickson 5
Lindley 35, 78
Birks 51 66 (pen)
Beggs 85

Official view: Redmires hit George for six to land runner-up spot: Redmires won the race for the CBC Premier's runner-up spot as Andy Birks and Danny Lindley both hit doubles as their best performance of the season saw them blast aside their only challengers Woodhouse George 6-2. That meant that Redmires went into their final game of the season against Woodhouse George knowing that if that George beat them, George would then be favourites for the runner-up spot, but Redmires needn't have worried though as they saved their best for last. Nick Hickson's only goal of the season gave Redmires an early lead and although Spencer Starkes soon levelled for George, Danny Lindley's trusty left foot put Redmires back in front. The game then appeared to take a big swing in George's favour when Redmires Chris Cotterill was red carded for handling the ball on the line and Michael Blythen levelled from the spot. However, it was Redmires that went back in front through Andy Birks and when George also had a player red carded for conceding a penalty, Birks slammed home his second from the spot. That seemed to knock the stuffing out of George and Wayne Beggs laid on the perfect pass for Lindley to score his second before Beggs tapped in their sixth after Lindley's shot had been spilled by the keeper.

Our View: Redmires found themselves in a must win game to seal the runners up spot against the team that could replace them as runners up if they won their last two games and things started well enough when after only five minutes Nick Hickson chased a seemingly lost cause and took advantage of a defensive mistake to score. One or two more chances came our way but it was George who equalised following a clever run by Blythen who crossed for the forward to score. However we kept attacking and were rewarded when Danny Lindley cut in from the right to beat the keeper with a left foot shot. A possible turning point then came when full back Chris Cotterill handled the ball whilst trying to head off the line and was sent off by the referee. George scored from the spot to equalise. HALF TIME 2-2. With us down to ten men the prospects did not look good and it looked even worse when Tom Bonser had to go off injured with John Dale coming on to replace him, but the team responded with great determination and Andy Birks scored after one of his customary dribbles. There then came another turning point this time in our favour when Nick Hickson through on goal was pulled down from behind and this time the George player was surprisingly sent off. Birks then stepped up with his usual aplomb to coolly slot home the penalty. This gave us the boost we needed and the team began to play with utmost confidence. Luke Siggs who had been carrying an injury was replaced with Wayne Beggs, and it was Beggs who set up the fifth and best goal for the Reds. His jet heeled pace down the left ended with a cut inside and a right footed cross right into the path of the oncoming Lindley who caught the volley perfectly to score a great goal. We continued to make more chances against the dispirited George and Beggs, Des Pike and full back Dale White all had chances to increase the lead. However, the rote was completed following another blistering run by Lindley down the right that ending in a shot that was parried by the keeper straight to the bubbly Beggs who made no mistake to give us an emphatic win in a vital match. TEAM PERFORMANCE 98/110

Redmires 2 Laycock Sports 3 (League, 19th April 2007)
Birks 5
Lindley 80

Official view: A few days earlier Redmires must have thought they had blown it when they slipped to a surprise defeat at home to Laycock Sports. The game had a sensational start as the first minute saw Laycock's have a goal disallowed before Redmires raced down to the other end to open the scoring through Andy Birks. Their lead didn't last too long though as defensive errors saw Laycock's man of the match Kirk Hardman equalise before Gary McWilliams ended his goal drought to put Laycock's ahead. Even though Redmires changed their formation at half time it didn't stop a further defensive lapse and after Danny Milner had robbed the ball from a defender he went on to score Laycock's third. Redmires fought hard to get back into the game and Danny Lindley rifled home a free kick to put them within touching distance, but when Luke Siggs missed their best chance late on they knew it wasn't going to be their day. 

Our View: Redmires went into this game knowing that a win would give them the runners up spot for certain and made a bright start when Andy Birks headed home a cross from Danny Lindley after just five minutes. However, from that point Laycocks took charge of the game and playing simple football they took advantage of some complacent play on the very lively pitch which made control difficult. They equalised after ten minutes and we were again having trouble with their lively striker Milner whose anticipation was a constant threat and it was no surprise that they took the lead following a mistake in the home defence. HALF TIME 1-2. We made a couple of changes at half time but things did not greatly improve and we still found ourselves on the back foot and although we huffed and puffed we created very little that the solid Laycocks defence couldn’t handle and it was no surprise that they went further ahead again following some poor defending. We did manage to raise our game in the last quarter and a goal by Lindley did give some hope of an equaliser but we were beaten by a better side on the night. Hard to find a reason for this poor performance but maybe last Sundays efforts against West End were taking their toll. TEAM PERFORMANCE 75/110  

Redmires 0 Woodhouse West End 2 (League, 15th April 2007)

Official view: Redmires had the chance to clinch second place when they met West End three days later, but one of the best games of the season saw the new champions celebrating again when late goals by Dave Kippax and Ashley Atkins gave them victory. There were just ten minutes left when Kippax volleyed the first and Atkins hit the second after the Redmires keeper could only palm out David Halley's cross.

Our View: Redmires lost their 16 game unbeaten record to the league champions, who had already won the league on the previous Thursday when the reds were held to a draw by Hemsworth Villa. If there was any chance that West End would take it easy this was soon dispelled with their strongest players on show and up for the game. With Redmires having some key players missing it was always going to be a hard task and so it proved. West End started off briskly and the pace they set was matched by ourselves. It was a close first half with West End missing a few chances but we created some for ourselves. None more so when Luke Siggs put the ball into the West End goal only to have been adjudged offside. In an end to end game the vociferous West End support were urging them on but the home defence was proving resilient. HALF TIME 0-0. The second half went the same as the first with both teams giving their all again West End creating the better chances and should have scored on a couple of occasions. But we created the best chance of the half when Siggs hit a ferocious shot from the edge of the penalty area against the bar with the keeper beaten. As the game got stretched both sides had more chances but it was West End who got the breakthrough in the eightieth minute when following a free kick on the edge of the reds box we left the right winger unmarked near the bye line and instead of playing him offside we stood and he was able to cross the ball which keeper Karl Taylor parried out to their player who scored. We tried hard to create a further chance but it was West End who made the game safe in the last five minutes. The team battled hard for eighty minutes and it was a shame that a momentary lapse of concentration may have cost us a draw. TEAM PERFORMANCE 91/110.

Redmires 1 Hemsworth Villa 1 (League, 12th April 2007)

Birks 73

Official view: After second place Redmires were held to a midweek draw by Hemsworth Villa, Woodhouse West End were crowned CBC Premier champions. Villa went into the game with Redmires after five consecutive defeats, while Redmires were unbeaten in fifteen, but it was Villa that took a deserved lead in the first half when Paul Jenkinson fired into the roof of the net from a corner. Redmires had more play in the second half and it was another corner that led to their equaliser, bundled in by Andy Birks. They couldn't get another so the title went to West End for the first time.

Our View: Another cracking game with Villa played on a firm pitch which meant the ball was hard to control. With both teams attacking, good defence was essential but it was Villa who played the better football in the first half with our passing letting us down at times. They were controlling the midfield and whilst we had plenty of promising attack although they had the better goal chances. They scored after thirty minutes when a ball down our right which Des Pike was allowing to run out was adjudged by the unsighted referee to have come off Pike and he inexplicably gave a corner. From this corner the ball was scrambled in by Villa. The incensed Pike was then booked by the referee for his protest. Villa should have gone two up just before half time but squandered the chance so it ended an unsatisfactory half for us. HALF TIME 0-1. A good discussion at half time saw some rapid improvement in the second half and a slight change of tactics saw us get on top. With Danny Lindley making some great runs down the right and Andy Birks doing his stuff up front we pushed Villa back although it has to be said they defended very well. After ten minutes James O’Connell was brought on with Luke Siggs moving up front to replace Sean Downing who had worked very hard without much luck in the first half. The combination began to work well and Villa were hard pressed at times in their defence. A great four man move saw Siggs right in front of goal but although his shot was on target it hit the keeper’s legs. It looked inevitable that we would score and we did from a great inswinging corner from the left by Chris Cotterill which wasn’t held by the keeper and Birks was on hand to score the equaliser. We continued to pile the pressure on and the goalie again fumbled the ball into his own net but for some reason the ref Mr Streets disallowed the goal. There had been no protest from the Villa players so why it was disallowed is a mystery. Villa came back strongly in this their last game of the season and only some good defending by Pike in particular and excellent goalkeeping by Karl Taylor kept them out. However we came strongly in the last quarter and Villa were the team holding on at the end of a great game. Again another gutsy performance by the squad. TEAM PERFORMANCE 92/110.

Hemsworth Villa 0 Redmires 2 (League, 5th April 2007)

Beggs 10

Siggs 34

Official view: Redmires look set to take the CBC Premier runners-up spot after two wins in three days. A 4-0 victory over Niagara opened was quickly followed by a 2-0 victory at Hemsworth Villa and just two wins from their last four games will make the runners-up spot certain. Redmires went to Hemsworth Villa and first half strikes by Wayne Beggs and Luke Siggs put them in charge and although they were under severe pressure for virtually all the second half, saves by keeper Karl Taylor and a penalty miss by Keith Cronin meant the two goals were enough for another three points.

Our View: Late fitness tests for Andy Birks and James O’Connell meant that Wayne Beggs and Mark Hardisty who missed the previous game made starts in this match against the team that still harboured chances of finishing runners up. Skipper Des Pike elected to kick down the slope and with this advantage we made the early running. Beggs in particular was causing the Villa defence problems with his pace and it was he who opened the scoring after ten minutes when he took the ball around the keeper and slotted the ball home with his left foot. A lively game with both teams going all out made for a good spectacle for the supporters and the end to end play was only interrupted by another goal for Redmires when a power drive from Ian Gambling was parried out for Luke Siggs to follow up and squeeze the ball past the stretching keeper. Hemsworth didn’t give up however and had a few chances to get back into it. HALF TIME 2-0. Hemsworth went right onto the offensive at the start of the second half kicking downhill and we had it all on to contain them but we still managed some spasmodic attacks of our own. The defence was proving very resilient and with keeper Karl Taylor dealing with everything and the luck going our way, Villa became a bit frustrated. This enabled us to make some good attacks of our own with Danny Lindley and Beggs’ pace being the main outlet. We moved striker Siggs to the right side of midfield and pushed the speedy Lindley up front and with Villa pushing up to the halfway line they were always vulnerable to the quick ball over the top. However, a light tackle from behind by Tom Bonser on their striker resulted in a penalty kick being given, but luckily the shot hit the bar on its way over. We went close on several other occasions with Beggs, Lindley and sub Sean Downing having chances. Bonser then made a wonderful tackle on ex Reds player Lee Rodgers as he looked sure to score and this exemplified Bonser’s contribution to the win. Late on Taylor who has not been in better form all season made two incredible saves when Villa looked sure to score. There was a great sense of achievement in winning this game against a decent side who never gave up and did not always have the luck. Lets hope the game next week is as good. TEAM PERFORMANCE 95/110.

Redmires 4 Niagara 0 (League, 3rd April 2007)

Siggs 32, 54

Lindley 66
Bonser 81

Official view: Siggs sets up Redmires for runners-up spot, but George keep up the chase: Redmires look set to take the CBC Premier runners-up spot after a 4-0 victory over Niagara opened up a five point gap below them. Luke Siggs scrambled the ball home mid way through the first half to give Redmires the lead and soon after the interval he doubled it. Ian Gambling then produced a terrific cross to give Danny Lindley the task of heading home for number three and the victory was completed when Siggs crossed for Tom Bonser to net his first goal for Redmires.

Our View: Redmires continued their march to the runners up spot with the comprehensive defeat of Niagara on Tuesday night. A lively ball and a bumpy pitch made control fairly difficult and several players struggled with their passing. We looked the better side in the early exchanges but had to wait until thirty minutes before we managed to convert our pressure. With the ball bobbling about in the Niagara penalty area the lively Luke Siggs pounced on the ball to give us the lead. This goal calmed us down a bit and we began to play better football. HALF TIME 1-0. The agreement amongst the players at half time was that we needed to pass the ball better and this is what we did. Niagara did have a couple of attacks but they failed to test Karl Taylor in the Redmires goal. With Danny Lindley on song down the right we continued to make the running and after fifty-five minutes Siggs was again in the right position to force the ball home from close in. Niagara’s heads seemed to go down a bit and it was not long before a good move down the left between Sean Downing and Ian Gambling saw Gambling hit one of his superb speciality crosses which allowed Danny Lindley to outjump the Niagara defence to head home. This goal did really kill the game as far as Niagara were concerned and Taylor had his quietist game for a while. The whole team was now contributing to a good performance and a fine move down the left saw Siggs pick out a great flighted ball to Tom Bonser who took great delight in firing it home for his first goal for the team .A very good performance. TEAM PERFORMANCE 94/110.

Redmires 2 Stannington Village 2 (League, 1st April 2007)

Downing 27

Birks (pen) 90

Official view: After beating Hemsworth Villa four days earlier, Stannington Village again gave West End a helping hand by holding second place Redmires to a draw and had it not been for a controversial penalty award, they may well have ended Redmires thirteen game unbeaten run. Sean Downing pounced on some indecision by Stannington's keeper to give Redmires a first half lead, but just after half time David Hague's free kick came back out to Shane Hinshelwood and he squared it for Craig Gambling to level against his old side. Another Redmires old boy, Simon Bradbury, then put Stannington ahead and it looked like Redmires title chances were going to take a fatal blow until Gambling was ruled to have fouled Andy Birks in the area and Birks stepped up to give Redmires a point.

Our View: Following the hard fought draw between the two sides last weekend the match started at a surprisingly fairly low key pace. We made a few changes to the line up, particularly in view of the busy schedule of upcoming matches and it was Village who dominated the early play however the more clear cut chances were falling our way with Andy Birks very prominent. It was some good work by him that led to the first goal when a through ball left the keeper and defender indecisive and Sean Downing gleefully tucked away the spilled ball after twenty-five minutes. There were half chances for both teams at each end but we went in at half time a goal to the good. HALF TIME 1-0. The second half continued much the same as the first but it was Village who struck the first blow when a free kick from the edge of the box was well saved by the diving Karl Taylor who parried the ball wide of the goal but this was quickly picked up by a Village player who sent the ball back across the goal for the centre back of Village to prod home. Up to that point we had looked fairly comfortable in defence with Des Pike outstanding, but we then began to get a bit ragged and midway through the half former player Simon Bradbury scuffed a wind-assisted shot which trickled into the back of the net with Taylor helpless. We then made a change to the system and began to pile the pressure on Village but despite several close efforts the goal would not seem to come. Andy Birks in particular went very close with two efforts and despite our huffing and puffing it looked like Village would hold on to their lead. However, in the last minute Village conceeded a penalty this time, when following a corner from Ian Gambling his brother Craig clearly hauled down Andy Birks and the penalty was rightly awarded. It was sweet revenge for Birks who had been harshly treated last week when a full bloodied drive had hit his arm in the penalty area. He took the penalty himself and coolly slotted it home. Subsequently two Village players got themselves sent off for protesting too forcibly to the referee. A game in which we were not at our best with several players off form but still enough bottle to maintain an unbeaten run of thirteen League games. TEAM PERFORMANCE 77/110.

Stannington Village 4 Redmires 4 (League, 25th March 2007)

Siggs 39, 68

Birks (pen) 48

Lindley 83

Official view: Redmires had emerged as the last real threat to West End's title ambitions, but they slipped further behind when a ten man Stannington Village shared eight goals with them. Robin Elliott put Village ahead only to see Luke Siggs header send the teams in level at the break. Early in the second half Stannington were reduced to ten men when former Redmires man Craig Gambling handled Andy Birks's goalbound shot and to make matters worse Birks netted the resulting penalty. If Redmires thought it was now going to be easy they were in for a shock and Simon Howe soon had Stannington level. Even when Siggs put Redmires back in front another former Redmires man, Simon Bradbury, again brought Stannington level. When Danny Lindley again put Redmires in front it looked as if the points would be their's, but a hotly disputed penalty for handball saw David Hague give Stannington a point they thoroughly deserved.

Our View: Redmires faced a tough match against their local rivals who included two ex Reds players in their line up in Craig Gambling and Simon Bradbury. Mark Hardisty was re-instated to the line up in place of Nick Hickson who was rested. Village started off the better and put our defence under early pressure with their good passing movement, but the defence looked resilient. However the pressure told and Village went ahead after twenty minutes. We bit by bit began to get back into the game and before not too long Luke Siggs got on the end of a long cross from the right to head home the equaliser. There were further half chances at both ends with the best one falling to Village but skipper Des Pike was on hand to clear off the line with Karl Taylor beaten. HALF TIME 1-1. Village were passing slightly the better than we were but we were defending very well. The pace of Wayne Beggs and Danny Lindley was causing the Village defence a lot of problems and the craft of Andy Birks was good to watch. Indeed it was Birks who created a goal bound shot that was handled on the line by Craig Gambling and he was sent off by the referee. Birks himself took the penalty and slotted the ball home from the spot. The loss of the player meant that it was the reds who began to turn the screw on Village and they began to dominate the match with their quick attacks. However a break away goal by Stannington make the game level again at two all. A mazy run on the left by Ian Gambling led to the third goal for Redmires, when Siggs cleverly chipped the ball over the keeper to put us into the lead again. Village hadn’t given up however and an uncharacteristic error by keeper Taylor presented Bradbury with a goal against his old team. We took the lead again shortly afterwards when a lightning run by Lindley down the left took him clear of the defence and he powered in a shot with his left foot, giving the keeper no chance. The last ten minutes seemed to go on forever but the resilient defence kept Village at bay until in the very last minute the referee awarded a penalty against Birks for hand ball which with the best will in the world he could not get out of the way of a shot hit with power straight at him. The penalty was converted. A cruel way to lose 2 points so late on but an excellent performance from the team. TEAM PERFORMANCE 92/110.

Laycock Sports 3 Redmires 5 (League, 18th March 2007)

Lindley 15, 37

Siggs 63

O'Connell 75

Birks 84

Official view: West End win again, but Redmires stay in touch: Another of the strugglers to fall was Laycock Sports who lost to a Redmires side that climbed to second in the table. Danny Lindley's wind assisted corner gave Redmires the lead only to see Danny Milner level. Lindley restored Redmires lead from outside the box, but just before the break Milner again cancelled it out. After Luke Siggs had pounced to put Redmires back in front soon after the break, Laycock's levelled for a third time through Chris Gill, but after falling behind again when James O'Connell netted Laycock's couldn't find a reply and Redmires clinched the points when Wayne Beggs crossed for Andy Birks to score.

Our View: Redmires moved up to clear second place against the side second from bottom in the league on a very windy day with almost blizzard like conditions at Warminster Road.  Laycocks were out to prove that they are in a false position in the league but fell behind after ten minutes when an inswinging corner from Danny Lindley caught them out. We made several further chances, the best being a clever chipped pass from Nick Hickson to Andy Birks which he drove just wide of the post. Laycocks fought back and pulled a goal back when Milner evaded the reds defence to score a good goal. Twenty minutes later Lindley picked the ball up inside the Laycocks half and given space hit a thunderbolt which gave the keeper no chance. Laycocks equalised just before half time and we knew it was going to be a tough second half with the wind favouring Laycocks. HALF TIME 2-2. Laycocks applied the early pressure as expected but some stout defending and good keeping from Karl Taylor kept them at bay and it was still Redmires that were making the better chances. A good move down the right saw the ball crossed in and Luke Siggs was on hand to put us in front again. With Andy Birks doing some clever dribbling with the ball up front we began to look comfortable, however it was Laycocks who scored next, when Tom Bonser slipped over leaving the dangerous Milner through to equalise. We were not to be denied and again took the lead when the ever willing James O’Connell prodded home the ball from close range. A good run by Wayne Beggs nearly extended the lead but after rounding the keeping he shot into the side netting with his left foot. Luckily another chance presented itself while Laycocks were arguing with a refereeing decision and Beggs squared the ball for Birks to place the ball into the net. A bizarre game in many ways, with the arctic weather and one or two strange decisions by the ref, but a good game to win. TEAM PERFORMANCE 85/110.

Redmires 2 Stocksbridge PS 1 (League, 11th March 2007)

Downing 54

Pike 78

Official view: Redmires hopes of taking the runners-up spot looked like they could be damaged when Adam Todd gave Stocksbridge Park Steels a half time lead, but Shaun Downing levelled for Redmires just after the break and Des Pike steamed in to convert Ian Gambling's free kick to win it for them and put them level on points with George.

Our View: Redmires new they were in for a fight against a team struggling near the foot of the table who were in a false position but had some good results to their name including having been the only team to beat the leaders West End this season. Without the tricky Danny Lindley (groin) and striker Luke Siggs (recovering from flu) we had to make a few changes which again emphasised the strength of the squad. Having not played for two weeks we took our time to warm to the game but managed two great moves which nearly led to goals, the best being a 6 man move which saw Nick Hickson chip a clever ball into the path of Wayne Beggs who caught the volley too well which flew just over the bar. In the main though we were not fluid enough in our attacks and were shocked when Stocksbridge took the lead against the run of play after 30 minutes when a very long kick from the goalkeeper evaded all the defenders and left their forward with an easy task to beat Karl Taylor from close range. We slightly lost our shape after that, but held on to go in one down at half time. HALF TIME 0-1. We changed our shape at half time and stepped up the tempo of our play. This had the effect of putting Stocksbridge under increased pressure and following a good move the brainy Andy Birks set up fellow striker Sean Downing who fired home off the post to put the scores level. We now got well on top and several goal scoring opportunities were just breaking down in the opponents box. Stocksbridge in the meantime were having a few breakaways which kept them interested in getting a result but in the main a resurgent Dale White, with Tom Bonser and Chris Cotterill were in control. The manager made a few substitutions with Ian Gambling replacing Hickson, and Jake Higgitt coming on upfront in place of Downing. This paid immediate dividends when we were awarded a free kick to the right of the Park penalty area. Gambling took this in virtually his first kick of the game with his left foot and a gleeful skipper Des Pike who signalled a return to top form, scored with a shot from close range. We continued to dominate the game and maybe could and should have scored more goals but credit a very resilient Stocksbridge team who will surely stay up based on this performance. TEAM PERFORMANCE 86/110

Handsworth WMC 0 Redmires 4 (League, 18th February 2007)

Lindley 25, 64

Birks 35, 80

Official view: George's hold on second place is also under threat from a Redmires side that kept it's great run going with a 4-0 victory at Handsworth WMC. Danny Lindley finsihed off a three man move to put them ahead and Tom Bonser waltzed through the home sides defence to set Andy Birks up for their second before half time. It was a similar story after the break with Luke Siggs crossing for Lindley to hit his second and Birks adding his second late on for a win that puts them level on points with George.

Our View: Redmires faced what looked on paper to be a difficult away fixture on the bumpy pitch of Handsworth Working Mens Club, a ground on which the home side had a good record this season only being defeated once. We were without the injured Wayne Beggs who scored two goals the previous week and gave a start to Jake Higgitt on the right side of midfield. Having suffered a delay with the non arrival of the referee Mr S .Hunter the Reds players were kept on the move before another ref did arrive and this paid off with no loss of focus on the game. We made a bright start and although this was not a pitch that suited our style of play we managed to put together some good attacks in which we should have scored. However we had to wait until the twenty fifth minute before the bubbly Danny Lindley put us one up and after ten minutes following further pressure, a brilliant run by centre back Tom Bonser created a chance for Andy Birks who gratefully doubled our score. We continued to control the game until the half time whistle. It was nice to go in two up at half time instead of two down as we have in the last two matches. HALF TIME 2-0. The second half continued in the same vein as the first and we put the suspect Handsworth under a lot of pressure. Handsworth did have a few attacks and the main danger seemed to be inswinging corners, but in the main the defence today was in outstanding form. At the other end we created more chances and with some fluent play it was no surprise that Lindley fired in his second to put us three up. With James O’Connell, Mark Hardisty and Nick Hickson controlling things in midfield further goals looked on the cards and so it was, as the man in form Birks played a one-two with Des Pike to score another. With the game well and truly over sub Ian Gambling threw himself at a Birks cross and brought out a brilliant save by the keeper. One of the best performances from the squad this season and very well refereed by the sub referee Mr D.Foster to whom we owe our gratitude. TEAM PERFORMANCE 95/110.

Redmires 3 The Park 2 (League, 11th February 2007)

Birks 46

Beggs 70, 81

Official view: Birks Beggs the difference as weather takes its toll: With the snow of last week and heavy overnight rain leaving pitches sodden, the only game played saw Redmires come from two down to beat The Park and climb back to third in the CBC Premier table. Redmires had the better of the early exchanges, but a quick break saw them fall behind as Joe Barker cut in from the wing and hit a shot that took a deflection off John Dale past his own keeper. Ten minutes later it got worse for both Redmires and Dale as it was his trip on Lee Bridges that saw referee Colin Brown points to the spot and Matt Hill fired the penalty home to double The Park's advantage. It was the second game in succession that Redmires had found themselves two down at the interval and they decided that changes were required. They brought on Tom Bonser and Andy Birks (pictured) to bolster midfield and the changes soon brought dividends as Birks finished off a good move with a volley past the keeper. It was all Redmires now and it wasn't too long before Wayne Beggs cut in from the right to beat the full back and thunder the equaliser into the net. The Park were doing their best to regain control of the game, but just when they thought it looked like they had weathered the storm, Beggs produced a replica of his first to hit what turned out to be the winner.

Our View: After massive efforts particularly from Mark "Forker" Hardisty and Luke "Sweeper" Siggs the pitch at Phoenix was declared fit by the referee Colin Brown and turned out to be the only match played in the Blades Superdraw League. We started off well against The Park who looked an improved side from earlier in the season and we had several good chances to score particularly by Siggs who like several other players looked rusty having missed the training sessions cancelled through the weather. We were never in great trouble at the back despite some quite good approach work by them and it looked a matter of time before we went in front but our strikes at goal fell short of the required standard to score. As often happens they went ahead against the run of play when following a run down the right a cross cum shot was turned into his own goal by John Dale and ten minutes later the same player was adjudged to have tripped the centre forward in the area. Karl Taylor had no chance with the penalty. HALF TIME 0-2. We were in the same boat as in the last match being 2-0 down at half time, but again a wake up call at half time plus some astute tactical changes turned the game in our favour. Striker Andy Birks who had struggled for goals of late was brought on and Tom Bonser returning to action was brought on in midfield. After about five minutes of the half Birks who brought a much needed coolness to the finishing collected the ball just inside Park’s penalty area and volleyed the ball home. Birks continued to cause the defence problems and following a good attacking move Wayne Beggs got around the outside of the left back to equalise with a powerful drive. Redmires were rampant now and were tearing the Park defence to shreds with their off the ball running. Birks had two good headers headed off the line and the Park made several goaline clearances. They were quite dangerous on the break but the introduction of Bonser had given the defence a more resilient look. Dale atoned for his first half errors with some excellent tackles. Up front the interchanging of the midfield and strikers made them difficult to mark and it was Wayne Beggs who hit the Reds winner with almost a carbon copy of his first goal. This win pushed Redmires up to third again. TEAM PERFORMANCE 85/110.

Redmires 2 Woodhouse George 2 (League, 28th January 2007)

O'Connel 64

Siggs 75

Official view: Second place Woodhouse George looked to be on their way to three points at fourth place Redmires after Michael Blythen and Wes Pierce strikes had given them a two goal half time lead and had it not been for three terrific saves by keeper Karl Tiler the game would have been beyond the home side. They proved to be even more vital as Redmires came storming back after the break and James O'Connell met a corner perfectly to pull one back, before full back Luke Siggs met another corner to give his side a share of the points.

Our View: A big test for the Redmires team against a team that have won the premier title for the last two seasons. Against the wind in the first half the Reds started off well and the team was well up for the task ahead. The game swung from end to end with George having the better chances to score. They went ahead after twenty minutes when a good run by their forward resulted in a goal that Karl Taylor could do nothing about. Redmires came back into it and with a bit more luck in front of goal could have equalised. As the half went on Redmires lost their game plan a bit and Taylor pulled off  two brilliant saves to deny George further goals but was unable to do anything about a great build up which saw the ball rifled into the top corner  to put them two up. HALF TIME 0-2. A pleasing and determined attitude saw Redmires come out fighting in the second half and it was George who began to look a bit rattled. They were restricted to a few always dangerous looking breakaways as the Reds put their defence under severe pressure and it was fitting that after several close efforts, man of the match James O’Connell was on hand to score from close in from a set piece. O’Connell had not stopped running the whole game, competing for every ball in midfield and spurring the other players on to do the same. There were several more chances but the equaliser seemed a long time coming. Wayne Beggs and Danny Lindley with their electric pace were always causing the George defence trouble and following several corners, a high inswinger from the right by Ian Gambling found its way through to Luke Siggs who gleefully rammed the ball home. George nearly scored when their danger man looked like he couldn’t miss but the brilliant Taylor foiled him to deservedly save the point for the Reds. A great game of football to watch and a credit to both teams. TEAM PERFORMANCE 87/110

Pen Nook 1 Redmires 4 (League, 7th January 2007)

OG 24

Birks 53

Lindley 72, 81

Official view: Villa's loss gave Redmires the chance to grab third place and they did so with both hands, winning 4-1 at Pen Nook. They were given a helping hand when Danny Lindley's in-swinging corner was knocked into his own goal by a Nook defender, but Nook rallied to level through Danny McLean. They weren't level for too long though as Lindley began to terrorise the Nook defence and after the keeper could only parry his shot, the ball fell invitingly for Andy Birks to tap home. Lindley's pace continued to trouble the home defence right through the second half and it was no real surprise that he twice showed the defence a clean pair of heels to add Redmires' third and fourth.

Our View: A much depleted Redmires team, who had no less than ten regular squad members unavailable for this match, took the field against struggling Pen Nook. The effects of having a big squad was seen to good advantage as the players who came in did a good job. With keeper Karl Taylor unavailable through dental problems Luke Siggs went in goal, but it was Redmires who made the early running on a very tacky pitch. We made an excellent chance with some good interplay which led to Andy Birks volleying in a shot which on other days he would have scored. The darting right wing play of Danny Lindley was causing most problems and we forced several corners one of which led to the first goal. An inswinging corner from the left at pace from Lindley forced one of their defenders to head into his own goal although James O’Connell tried to claim it as he was on hand if the defender had missed it. A bit of slack marking gave their dangerous admired attacker Dan McClean a clear shot at goal and he took his chance volleying home. HALF TIME 1-1. In the second half, Lindley again was the scourge of the Pen Nook defence and he seemed to have far more of the ball. A brilliant run took him into the Pen Nook defence and his shot was only parried by the keeper straight to Andy Birks who gleefully took the chance. With the Reds defence having sorted out some of their earlier positioning they did not look in any trouble and Dan Peckett, John Dale and new boy Chris Blackmore gave nothing away. However, a shot from distance that looked a certain goal was saved by Siggs as he leapt to put it over the bar. If they had scored it may have changed the outcome. A slight tactical change was made with Lindley moving up to the striker position with Jake Higgitt taking his place on the right. This really was not what the Pen Nook defence wanted with Lindley’s mesmerising runs causing their defence so many problems. He punished them with two great individual goals when he ran through the defence to give the keeper no chance. He nearly scored the hat trick but was just foiled by a rare poor last touch which allowed the keeper the chance to save at his feet. A good win with so many players unavailable. TEAM PERFORMANCE 89/110

Redmires 3 Lord Nelson 2 (League, 3rd December 2006)

OG 41

Hickson 45

Beggs 88

Official view: Redmires pip Nelson as West End and Villa postponed: A late Wayne Beggs strike saw Redmires win a five goal thriller with Lord Nelson, but Hemsworth Villa's visit to Woodhouse West End was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Dave Swift put Lord Nelson ahead after just three minutes, but they lost the lead when Danny Lindley's free kick was turned into his own net by the unfortunate John Dickens and just a few minutes later Nick Hickson netted to give Redmires a half time lead. Nelson hit back to level through Nathan Hurst and they had chances to win it, but it was Redmires that took the points when Wayne Beggs netted for a second game in a row.

Our View: On a very windy morning and in bright sunshine Redmires conceded an early goal when Karl Taylor and the rest of the defence were deceived by the flight of a cross which was turned into the net. After this early setback we applied good pressure and were unlucky not to equalise soon after in particular when Wayne Beggs somehow managed to half volley the ball over the bar from very close range. Finally, after fourty minutes of one way traffic we equalised when a free kick from Danny Lindley caught the wind and was misheaded by the Lords centre half into his own goal. We kept up the pressure and scored again at the crucial time just before half time when new boy Nick Hickson volleyed home from close range following good work by Lindley. HALF TIME 2-1. Lords came out in determined fashion and wind assisted put our defence under pressure. However we were able to play ourselves out of trouble and our close interpassing was reaping dividends in the conditions. Several chances were made and it looked a matter of time before we increased the lead, but Lords were defending well and trying to hit us on the break. It was from one such break that Lords scored the equaliser. Taylor then made an incredible save to keep it all square before we had several narrow misses ourselves in front of goal. A crucial tactical change saw Andy Birks, who had been tightly marked up front, moved to left midfield and speedy Beggs moved up front. Indeed following a lovely passing move it was Beggs who rattled in the winner two minutes from time. A battling win in conditions that levelled the teams. Feature for Redmires was the passing ability of Nick Hickson in midfield and the tenacity of Des Pike at the back. TEAM PERFORMANCE 89/110

Redmires 1 Sir Colin Campbell 4 (Senior Cup Round 4, 26th November 2006)

Beggs 47

Official view: Redmires fall to Sir Colin Campbell: Redmires Senior Sunday Cup run finally came to an end against a very good Sir Colin Campbell side. With three first half goals, the visitors really had the game won at half time, but Redmires gave it their all after the break and pulled one back with an outrageous strike from the halfway line by Wayne Biggs. They then had other chances to further reduce the arrears, but it wasn't to be and their visitors wrapped things up with a late fourth..

Our View: Redmires conceded an early goal against a very strong team from the Rotherham league scored with aplomb by their big striker who proved to be the thorn in our side for the whole game, although less so in the second half. After the early setback we tried hard to get back into the game but Sirs were outclassing us in most positions. They scored again after twenty minutes when the striker eluded Des Pike to strike a simple goal. They made several other openings and but for some outstanding goalkeeping from Karl Taylor we could have gone further behind. We did have a couple of half chances but nothing as good as theirs. Unfortunately when it looked that we might get through to half time they scored a third right on the whistle. HALF TIME 0-3. The team came out in the second half determined to make a fight of it and an unbelievable strike by new striker Wayne Beggs gave everyone a lift. He collected the ball just inside the Sirs half made a ten yard run and lashed the ball home at tremendous pace which the keeper just could not get to. We then proceeded to put them under pressure and were really unlucky not to score through James O’Connell who worked tirelessly throughout the match. We had a couple of more efforts that went close, interspersed with some chances for them. John Dale tightened the grip on their striker and we looked much better in defence than in the first half. Ian Gambling had to go off with a hamstring injury and Mark Hardisty came on in his place. Towards the end of the match Des Pike went up for a free kick and Danny Lindley’s kick found him a relatively easy task to head home our second. Unfortunately the low sun got in Pikes eyes and uncharacteristically he headed over. Just before the end Sirs got away again and made it 4-1. They well deserved their win and will go a long way in this competition, but Redmires players can take credit for an excellent second half performance. TEAM PERFORMANCE 88/110

Redmires 4 Three Horse Shoes 0 (Senior Cup Round 3, 19th November 2006)

Gambling 23

Birks 57

Siggs 75

Higgitt 87

Official view: Redmires fly the flag as both West End and Niagara fall: It was a mixed day for Blades Super Draw League clubs in the County FA Sunday Cups with Redmires making progress in the Senior Cup and Mosborough Royal Oak and Park & Arbourthorne both going through in the Junior Cup, but for Woodhouse West End, Niagara, Fletchers and Telecom Sports it was the end of the road. Although Redmires lost a penalty shoot out in Round Two, when it emerged that their Meadowhall League opponents Denby St Sportsman had fielded two suspended players the County FA did the right thing and reinstated Redmires and they took full advantage by thrashing Three Horse Shoe United 4-0. Ian Gambling curled in a free kick to put Redmires ahead and another curler from Andy Birks doubled their advantage. Luke Siggs made it three from close range and Jake Higgitt did the same for the fourth after being set up by Danny Lindley.

Our View: Redmires started sharply against their opponents from the Doncaster Sunday League and took an early lead when Ian Gambling struck a free kick from just outside the penalty area. Gambling continued to be prominent in Redmires attacks and had several strikes at goal from outside the box. With several players on top form we were well in control of the game and keeper Karl Taylor had very little to do. John Dale, who was making a welcome return to fitness looked solid in defence and overall the back four dealt with anything that Horseshoes came up with. We made several good chances but couldn’t beat the big keeper further. HALF TIME 1-0. The second half was not unlike the first but we kept up a good tempo and Horseshoes were finding it hard to keep up with pace. They were given no chances to get into the game and it was inevitable that we would score if we kept patient. It was a back to form Andy Birks who increased our lead with a beautiful curling shot from the edge of the box. Gambling continued to provide the inspiration and following a great move a fine save by the keeper was followed up by Luke Siggs to put us three up. With Danny Lindley, Sean Downing and James O’Connell all having solid performances our play was good to watch and gave the manager the luxury of making some changes. Wayne Beggs came on up front for Downing and looked very impressive with his off the ball running which only added to Horseshoes problems . Jake Higgitt and Nick Hickson also came on up front and in the centre of midfield respectively and both looked comfortable. It was Higgitt who finished off Horseshoes late on and gave Redmires a comfortable passage through to the next round. TEAM PERFORMANCE 85/110

Stocksbridge 2 Redmires 2 (League, 12th November 2006)

OG 2

Downing 27

Official view: Stocksbridge Park Steels extended their hospitality to Redmires by scoring an own goal after just twenty seconds and when Sean Downing made it two before half time it looked as if Redmires would go home with all three points, but Mark Barraclough pulled one back for the hosts and their gutsy performance was rewarded when Adrian Tazziman's diving header gave them a last gasp equaliser.

Our View: Redmires still smarting from their cup defeat last week, started out fast against Steels on a bumpy wet pitch and surprised Steels with an early goal. Chris Cotterill hit a great cross from the left wing which was deflected past the home keeper by the defender after two minutes of play. We continued to press home the advantage and were well on top in the first half an hour. The only downside was the number of free kicks we conceded through being over impetuous in the tackle and it was Luke Eccles who seemed to antagonise the referee who ended up booking him. However, we went two up on the half hour when Luke Siggs headed a cross from Luke Eccles into the path of Sean Downing who lashed the ball in from close range. New boy Jake Higgitt having his first start looked good with some neat passes. Again it was Danny Lindley who posed the greatest threat with some good runs. HALF TIME 0-2. Stocksbridge changed their tactics in the second half and threw a lot of players forward and this took us out of our stride a bit with the back four coming under increasing pressure. We weren’t able to play the ball so well through midfield and we became a bit ragged. The manager had taken Luke Eccles off at half time as the referee seemed intent on penalising him for any tackle he did and it was almost a certainty that he would have been sent off. His replacement Des Pike took a little time to pick up the pace of the game but did settle down. We seemed to concede a free kick everytime we went for a challenge and Steels bombarded our penalty area with inswinging crosses that were hard for the defence to deal with. We were holding on just about but following a long hopeful ball up field, full back Chris Cotterill was got caught out of position and one of their players broke though to score in the corner past Karl Taylor’s right hand. We still looked dangerous when we broke and had a few chances to add to our score, through Downing and Higgitt who was just wide of the post with a snap shot. Steels were still putting us under strong pressure from all the free kicks they received and in the last minute they managed to get on the end of one to equalise. Steels deserved their point for their second half comeback but we should really have finished them off in the first half. TEAM PERFORMANCE 74/110

Redmires 1 Handsworth Old Boys 2 (League Cup Round 2, 5th November 2006)

Birks 78 (pen)

Official view: It's the Pits as holders crash out and West End shown the door by Travellers, while Old Boys stun Redmires: Division Two Handsworth Old Boys got off to a dream start at Redmires when Trevor Jones put them ahead after just five minutes and they held it until the second half when Redmires were awarded a penalty that was expertly put away by Andy Birks. The Old Boys weren't to be denied a famous victory though and it came when Tom Brown anticipated a back pass to coolly beat the keeper for his side's winner.

Our View: An early exit from this years league cup at the hands of a young side from Division 2 who had lost 6-0 the previous week but up until then had been doing well in their first season. It appeared that several players were not entirely up for the game for some reason and after three excellent performances this one has to go down as one of the worst ever. We conceded a very early goal after about five minutes when their centre forward found himself in acres of room and he gave Karl Taylor no chance with a fine volley. We seemed shell shocked by this and for a while we were on the back foot. We got back into the game slowly mainly through some great runs down the right by Danny Lindley, but our passing was letting us down big time with the flowing movements of the previous weeks sadly lacking. This is not to say we didn’t make some half chances but nothing was falling our way. HALF TIME 0-1. The second half continued in the same vein as the first but we did raise the tempo of our play and looked more likely to score. Some of the crossing was very wasteful and several promising moves broke down from the final ball in. In midfield Mark Hardisty and James O’Connell were working very hard but the quality of the passing was sometimes not up to the usual standard. About twelve minutes from the end the referee awarded us a penalty when Luke Siggs was fouled and Andy Birks stepped up to equalise. We then laid siege to the Handsworth goal and they had some narrow escapes but try as we might we couldn’t get the winner. As always happens Handsworth got the winner against the run of play five minutes from the end after a defensive mix up and there was no time to get it back. A very disappointing day. Time to ring the changes! TEAM PERFORMANCE 67/110

Niagara 0 Redmires 1 (League, 29th October 2006)

Siggs 71

Official view: Another single goal victory came Redmires way at Niagara. An opportunists strike by Luke Siggs early in the second half gave Redmires the lead, but the points only came their way after Karl Taylor brilliantly saved Simon Staniforth's spot kick after Mark Hardisty had given a penalty away.

Our View: The Reds started brightly against a side in excellent form who had won their last four matches. After the rowdy match last week, this match was played in a quiet atmosphere, with both sides concentrating on their football and it made for an excellent well fought game. We had the better of the early exchanges with Danny Lindley again causing an opposing defence a lot of problems.With both the centre backs unavailable Luke Eccles came into the team with Des Pike for his first start,and the combination looked solid enough ably backed up by full backs Dale White and Chris Cotterill.The best chance of the first half fell to Sean Downing but his snap shot just went wide. We were playing the better football although our ball in the final third could have been better. HALF TIME 0-0. Early in the second half Luke Eccles had to go off with an injured thigh and was replaced by Nick Milnes. With James O’Connell and in particular Mark Hardisty bossing the midfield we were in the main on top although Niagara, a good footballing side were always in there competing and making things difficult. With Andy Birks finding plenty of space it was he who came closest to scoring particularly from a header which the goalkeeper was lucky to save which he knew nothing about . Half way throught the half it was Luke Siggs, who had had a quiet game, who broke the deadlock. Following a training ground set play, a Cotterill free kick was flicked on by Birks and Siggs volleyed home from the edge of the box. This goal was followed by some heavy pressure from Niagara and a last ditch tackle by Mark Hardisty was adjudged by the referee (and everyone else on the pitch) to be a penalty. However the enigmatic Reds keeper Karl Taylor made a great save to keep us in front. As the game stretched both sides had chances and were a credit to the League in the spirit of their play. TEAM PERFORMANCE 85/110.

Redmires 3 Handsworth WMC 0 (League, 22nd October 2006)

Siggs 31, 58, 82 (pen)

Official view: Nook have a stroll at The Park & Handsworth cant stop the birthday boy Siggs: Birthday Boy Luke Siggs' treble helped Redmires to their first home win of the season and make it three wins from their last four. Danny Lindley's cross gave him the perfect opportunity to head Redmires into a first half lead. Siggs then volleyed a second midway through the second half and after Lindley was brought down in the area, Siggs completed his birthday celebrations from the spot.

Our View: Redmires started off well against a Handsworth team that had got a draw the previous week against high flyers Hemsworth Villa. With the Reds moving the ball around very well Handsworth found themselves on the back foot for the opening spell with Danny Lindley giving their full back a torrid time. Indeed it was a from a Lindley free kick that the first goal came from when it was met with a great header from birthday boy Luke Siggs that left the keeper helpless. We continued on top but for the last ten minutes Handsworth came back into the game but the defence looked strong under the pressure. The referee took exception to dissent by several Handsworth players and yellow cards were shown. HALF TIME 1- 0. The end to end tussle continued in the second half but Redmires were more dangerous in front of goal and after several chances we got the second when an accidental handball by Sean Downing fell to Luke Siggs on the edge of the box and he lashed in an unstoppable volley. New boy Tom Bonser at centre half was having a great game against their main threat, but an over zealous tackle earned him a yellow card (as Tom is a hard up student any offers to pay his £8 fine would be much appreciated). Lindley continued to turn their full back inside out and when he wriggled through after eighty minutes he was pulled down from behind, Siggs stepped up to complete his hat trick. A mention as well for captain Des Pike who played at right back for the first time in his career and acquitted himself like a true pro in the absence of Dale White. An excellent team performance against a tough side. TEAM PERFORMANCE 97/110

Lord Nelson 1 Redmires 4 (League, 15th October 2006)

Downing 10, 20, 64, 81

Official view: Lord Nelson is right up Downing's Street: Lord Nelson won't need a parliamentary enquiry to find the reason they suffered a third home defeat of the season as their defence seemed to be right up Redmires' four goal Sean Downing's street. Downing gave Redmires an early lead only to see it cancelled out by Dave Thompson, but after Danny Lindley had opened up the home defence to allow Downing to grab his second their was no stopping him and he went on to add another two to his tally, for a win that lifts Redmires out of the bottom three.

Our View: For the first time this season Redmires had their whole squad to choose from and started off really well against a Lord Nelson side who had been doing quite well in their first season in the top division. After ten minutes rookie striker Sean Downing, who was having his first full start for the team scored with a classy volley following a cross from the left . Redmires played some excellent football and in particular the wing play of Danny Lindley was a joy to watch. It was he that opened up the Nelson defence to allow Downing to score another well taken goal ten minutes later. Against the run of play Nelson came back to score twelve minutes later when their centre forward scored with a great shot from outside of the box. Redmires continued to dominate however and with the defence looking very solid and the midfield buzzing Nelson had their work cut out not to concede further.  HALF TIME 1-2. In  the second half things again went well with the whole team working as a unit and full of confidence. It was only a matter of time before we went further ahead and it was that man Downing again seizing on a defensive error to rifle the ball home. With things in the bag manager Del Siggs was able to bring on Redmires two other new boys Nick Hickson and Jake Higgit replacing James O’Connell who had won the ball so well in midfield and the flying winger Danny Lindley who had terrorised the Nelson defence all morning. It was Hickson who started the move which led to Downing’s fourth goal with a superb back heel which sent Luke Siggs away down the left and the cross was turned into the net by Downing. Without doubt our best performance of the season ! TEAM PERFORMANCE 93/110

Denby Sportsman 1Redmires 1 AET [Denby win 4-1 on pens] (Senior Cup Round 2, 8th October 2006)

Siggs 24

Official view: Redmires will count themselves very unlucky not to join them after they fell to Denby Street Sportsman in a penalty shoot-out. Denby led at half time, but Luke Siggs netted to take the game to extra time. Neither side could find a winner so it went to penalties and for once Redmires were found wanting and could only score once from the spot.

Our View: With the bad news that keeper Karl Taylor and three other players Dale White, Des Pike and Will Fairchild were not available through work commitments, the strength of the squad was put to the test against a side who had just gone second in their division of the Meadowhall League. John (“The Cat”) Dale went in goal and a debut was given to Centre Back Tom Bonser who has just joined the club. The first half was a very competitive affair and both teams strived to get a breakthrough and it was Denby who scored first with a near post corner that caught the Redmires defence asleep. The Reds fought back and following a good run from James O’Connell, Luke Siggs was on hand to blast the ball in from close range. Dale in the Redmires goal was the quieter of the two keepers but there was no further score in the first half. HALF TIME 1-1. The second half continued in much the same vane as the first with both teams going all out. The late replacement referee Mr J.Wilson was doing an excellent job allowing the match to flow but unfortunately for us, half way through the half he awarded a penalty to Denby when Tom Bonser superbly blocked a goalbound shot but was adjudged to have handled the ball as it stuck under his body. Luckily the shot hit the post and rebounded to safety. Redmires had more chances to score but could not put the ball in the net .Shaun Downing was brought on for Ian Gambling with about twenty minutes to go to try and get that goal but it wasn’t to be. Full time 1-1. In extra time neither team gave any quarter and both teams hit the crossbar, with the Redmires shot coming from Mark Hardisty. In the second part of extra time Redmires thought they had a penalty when Andy Birks got behind his marker and appeared to be pulled to the ground as he was about to shoot but the ref refused to even things up. Just before the end of extra time keeper John Dale had got really clattered by a Denby forward and had a badly bruised thigh and a dead leg which proved a costly blow as in the penalty shoot “The Cat” could not move very well and made the job of the Denby penalty takers very easy. In any case Chris Cotterill and Tom Lawrence both missed their penalties after Luke Siggs had equalised Denbys first goal and all their other penalties were scored easily past the injured Dale, for a 4-1 penalty victory for Denby. Many good performances from Redmires players especially new boy Tom Bonser. TEAM PERFORMANCE 85/110.

Redmires 1 Pen Nook 3 (League, 1st October 2006)

Siggs 45

Official view: Pen Nook took their first points of the season at Redmires and scored in the first five minutes when a Danny McLean strike was deflected past the Redmires keeper. They went further ahead when Richie Moore  grabbed a second. Damien Smith put them three up before Luke Siggs scored direct from a corner before half time. Redmires piled the pressure on in the second half and the Pen Nook goal had several narrow escapes but they managed to hold out for a good win.

Our View: Things looked good for the Reds playing the team at the bottom of the table, which had lost four matches albeit narrowly, but things could not have got of to a worse start  when a deflection off John Dale’s leg following a shot by their centre forward skimmed past Karl Taylor within four minutes of the start. About ten minutes later Pen Nook scored another when some poor marking by Ian Gambling let in their full back with a free header. We hadn’t really shaken this off and despite some good short passing in midfield Pen Nook scored another, which did look like hand ball, but along with a lot of the decisions in the first half we got nothing from the ref at all. Pen Nook did score another but luckily this time the ref did rule it offside. We got some relief when their keeper fumbled a Luke Siggs corner into his own goal just before half time which gave us a bit of a lifeline. HALF TIME 1-3. We changed the system in the second half to 3-5-2, bringing on Danny Lindley on the right. All of a sudden we started playing and basically for the whole of the half we mounted attack after attack on the Pen Nook goal with many chances to score, but as always seems to happen in these sort of games we just could not find the target. There was always something that came to their rescue. After the first half performance the team showed a lot of willingness in the second half which bodes well for the future, but we have somehow got to get ourselves switched on right from the start. TEAM PERFORMANCE 75/110.

Redmires 4 Firth Park Hotel 1 (Senior Cup Round 1, 17th September 2006)

Birks 52 (pen), 81, 85

Gambling 74

Official view: ...Joining them in the next round of the Senior Cup are Hemsworth Villa and Redmires...and Andy Birks also netted a hat-trick for Redmires as they saw off the challenge of Firth Park Hotel, but there were early exits for Lord Nelson, Handsworth WMC and Stocksbridge Park Steels.

Our View: Again Redmires had to make late changes to the starting line up as their injury problems continued. They set off quite well against their young Meadowhall League opponents and the match was a fairly even affair in the first half with very few chances for either team. HALF TIME 0-0. The game began to take shape in the second half and we were awarded a penalty after the Firth goalkeeper pushed James O’Connell in the penalty area and Andy Birks somewhat reluctantly stepped up to slot home the penalty kick. Firth Park came back and scored an equaliser when the Reds defence moved out too quickly and were caught by a breaker from midfield who beat the offside trap to score. Soon afterwards however the suntanned Ian Gambling who had just returned from holiday curled a nice right foot shot into the far corner over the keeper’s hands to restore the Reds lead. After a further ten minutes Birks scored his second when he dribbled through the Firth defence to score a great goal. Firth Park did put the pressure on to try to get back into the game but found keeper Karl Taylor in great form. Also to mention were outstanding performances by Mark Hardisty and Dale White. Redmires had not quite finished yet and a training ground routine free kick saw Birks cap a fine days work with another deft touch to score his third goal. We ‘d like to dedicate this win to Jamie Minchin who has left the club to move to Newcastle (not United) but to take up a new job. Good luck from all the lads Jamie! TEAM PERFORMANCE 83/110.

The Park 2 Redmires 3 (League, 10th September 2006)

Birks 30, 72

Minchin 34

Official view: Redmires found themselves trailing to Lee Bridges and old boy Richard Furness goals after just twenty minutes at The Park, but an Andy Birks (pictured) strike and a thunderbolt from Jamie Minchin had the visitors level by half time and a second Birks goal in the second half completed the turnaround and Redmires went home with the points.

Our View: The Reds gained their first win of the current league season, although still without some key players. It didn’t look too good after twenty minutes where the Reds found themselves 2 down with ex Redmires player Richard Furniss scoring one of the goals. However this Redmires team showed plenty of character to get back into the game and kept to their game plan. They were rewarded when the dangerous Andy Birks pulled one back after 30 minutes. Following a great move Luke Siggs laid the ball back for Jamie Minchin to power in a shot to equalize from the edge of the box. The Reds continued to play constructive football and at the end of the half were on top. HALF TIME 2-2. The second half continued in the same vain with the better football coming from Redmires but The Park were quite dangerous on the break and may have scored but for Karl Taylor in the Redmires goal and some good defending by Dale White at right back. Redmires midfield duo of Jamie Minchin and James O’Connell were working very hard to maintain the Reds control and Danny Lindley on his first appearance was always causing the Parks defence a lot of problems, linking up well with Birks. Substitute Will Fairchild had come on and was working hard and with a bit more luck could have scored a couple of goals. Redmires got a deserved winner midway through the half well taken by the resurgent Birks. A good performance by both teams in a close and sporting match. TEAM PERFORMANCE 89/110

Woodhouse West End 3 Redmires 0 (League, 3rd September 2006)

Official view: Woodhouse West End made an even better start with second half goals from Lee Glaves, Anthony Dolan and David Woolley giving them a 3-0 victory over Redmires.

Our View: On a windy Stradbroke Recreation Ground the reds started the new campaign against one of the stronger teams in the league. The reds were without several of the key players who had won in the friendly on Thursday evening in such good style due to varying reasons and this told with the inability to make substitutions that could have effected the final result. This is not to say that the players who did play did not give their best and indeed in the first half we were unlucky not to score on a few occasions particularly when Andy Birks nearly scored with a header following a sparkling move. In the main though Woodhouse were on top and the swirling wind caused the reds defence a good few problems and Woodhouse went closest to scoring. HALF TIME 0-0. The pressure from Woodhouse increased when they were kicking down the slope and we were finding it hard to get out of our half. The pressure was withstood but the inevitable goal came after twenty minutes when a through ball pieced the defence and it became an even harder struggle as West End pressed home their advantage. They scored another following a quick break on the left, which caught the defence a bit asleep. A change was made and central defender Tom Lawrence came on up front for the hardworking Will Fairchild  but he was unable to make any impression on Woodhouse’s excellent centre backs. Woodhouse added another goal towards the end to register the same winning margin as last year on this pitch. In conclusion West End were worthy winners but this could have been a closer game if the absent players had been there. TEAM PERFORMANCE 78/110