Redmires 2 Southey Social 2 (League, 8th May)

SOUTHEASY FINISH TO THE SEASON
At long last the last match of the season had arrived against 3rd placed Southey with ex Redmires players, John Mellor, Danny Lindley and Rob Womack in their line up. It was nice to go into this game with nothing but pride at stake and it was just as well with both Andy Jones and Dale White unavailable due to injuries sustained on Thursday. Andy Birks was injured on the bench but we were not going to play him. It gave us the opportunity to give students Tom Hannaway, Andy Dalby and Liam Clark starts and Jonn Clarke and Toby Smith spots on the bench. Luke Siggs was also missing for the first time this season doing a great job for St Luke's Hospice in the half marathon raising £460. As to the match itself Southey dominated the early play and produced a few chances which tested the magnificent Karl Taylor in goal and it was indeed Southey who scored first. We equalised through leading scorer Dave Knaggs  who cleverly used the wind to float a ball in which their keeper made a right horlicks of and we gladly accepted the gift. Knagg's 31st goal of the season 20 goals in 19 League games. HALF TIME 1-1. We brought on Jonno Clarke on at the start of the second half and he slotted in nicely at right back with James O’Connell moving forward to replace the injured Clark. It became an end to end game with both teams going for the winner and it was ex player John Mellor who  pounced on a defensive error to give Southey the lead. However we were not done with and James Kirkham, who had had a brilliant game went forward and managed to steer the ball in to equalise. With Kirkham and O’Connell forward they got in each others way when really they could have sealed the game for us, but to be fair Southey deserved their draw. A great season had finally come to an end with promotion and winning the Sheffield and Hallamshire Junior Cup in which 257 teams competed being the highlight in a year in which the players had often played above themselves rising to the occasion and digging in when we had to.

Official view: Redmires and Southey end all square - The final game of the season saw two of Division One's promoted clubs, Redmires and Southey Social finish their programmes with a 2-2 draw. Chris Roberts and John Mellor twice gave Southey the lead, but first Dave Knaggs and then James Kirkham grabbed equalisers.

Redmires 4 Rivelin 3 (League, 5th May)

REDMIRES CLINCH THE RUNNERS UP SPOT
After the disappointment of last Sunday we had to try to raise the spirits of the players against a Rivelin side eager for revenge after we had defeated them a few weeks ago. The exertions of Sunday seemed to have taken their toll of the players and we struggled to find any cohesion. It was Rivelin who looked the better side in the first half and they went in at the break two goals up, with us looking very sorry for ourselves at the end of what seemed a very long season. HALF TIME 0-2. After a good talk at half time we came out very determined in the second half and took the game to Rivelin, we moved the play forward by about ten yards and this meant we could close down a lot better and with them not having so much of the ball we managed to pull one back when Dave Knaggs latched on to a through ball to beat the keeper. Rivelin came back and went further ahead, but our team showed their true worth when staging a tremendous come back with goals from Sean Downing and a further two for the effervescent Knaggs who has surpassed even what he thought he could achieve this season as a converted full back. This result means that we have finished runners up as Southey cannot catch us. A great performance considering the number of games we have had to play including winning the Junior Cup.

Official view: Redmires Knagged into Runners-up spot - After twice falling two goals behind, a Dave Knaggs treble saw Redmires come back to beat Rivelin 4-3 and clinch the Division One Runners-up spot. Although Redmires had plenty of their own chances, two Ada Wright strikes gave Rivelin a two goal half time lead and although Shaun Downing pulled one back soon after the restart, Jamie Cherry restored Rivelin's two goal lead. Knaggs then got to work and his treble completed a remarkable comeback to give Redmires the Runners-up spot. 

The Vine 3 Redmires 1 (League, 1st May)

THE SVINES
We arrived at the Vine’s Westfield pitch to find a bone hard ground and a cross wind for this vital match. Acting on intelligence we had called Liam Clark into the side to utilise his long throw as word was that the Vine couldn’t defend corners or long throw ins. This proved to be false and in hindsight we should probably played our normal game. The Vine on the otherhand also had a player who could throw the ball into our box with no trouble and it was us who struggled to cope. With the ball bouncing all over the place they often had us in trouble and hit us with two sucker punches just before half time when two wind assisted errors by James O'Connell and Karl Taylor saw us go two down. They exploited the long ball and were quick to pounce on any errors this created and aside from two cross shots from Dave Knaggs which went close we made little headway against their defence. HALF TIME 0-2. We tried to adjust our system early into the second half bringing Dale White on for Clark but we again made little headway against their strong back four. They in the meantime kept up the pressure on our defence with their hit and hope football which proved very effective and it was no surprise when another error gave them their third goal. At this point we seemed to play some of our best football with Knaggs causing them many problems down the flanks and it was one such run that a whipped in cross was headed in by O’Connell to give us hope. We kept battling and took the game to them much better, but the die was cast and we couldn’t get anymore goals. On reflection, The Vine did beat us twice in the League although the home match which was abandoned we felt should have stood with the result at 0-0 as 80 minutes had been played. They also gained 3 points when Millhouses couldn’t field a team. Anyway good luck to The Vine they beat us on the day.

Official view: The Vine take the title - Brent Healey (LIES) and Rikki Davidson goals in a minute just before half time and a second half strike from Danny Seaman saw The Vine beat Redmires and clinch the Division One title. The Vine needed to win the game to take the title, but any other result could have seen Redmires pinch it as they still have two games to play. Both sides found it hard to master the bumpy pitch and windy conditions, but it was The Vine who began to settle first and they almost took the lead when skipper Craig Woolley hit the bar and when Will Blakeney hit the post with a free kick. Chris Shirtcliffe's long throws were also causing the Redmires defence problems and it was from one of them that Brent Healey headed The Vine into the lead (LIES, IT WAS A JAMES O'CONNELL OWN GOAL). Less than a minute later The Vine doubled their lead when Redmires keeper Karl Taylor made a very rare error and Rikki Davidson pounced for his twentieth goal of the season. The second half saw neither side dominate, but the title was a good as won when Danny Seaman seized onto Shaun Bly's long ball and beat the onrushing keeper to send an angled shot into the top corner. Redmires responded and pulled one back when James OConnell met the ball at the back post, but they ran out of time and the title was The Vine's. Both side's were also quick to praise referee Mick Firth for his handling of such a crucial game (LIES, HE GAVE THEM THE FIRST GOAL AND DIDN'T SEND OFF ONE OF THEIR PLAYERS WHO KICKED ANDY BIRKS, OFF THE BALL, RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM).

Redmires 1 Aston Swallownest 1 (League, 28th April)

HARD TO SWALLOW, BUT THIS WILL COST US THE LEAGUE
We were once again greeted with some bad news before the match against fourth placed Aston Swallownest, Skipper Andy Jones had been detained at work and could not get to the game, so we had to make late adjustments to the team by moving Luke Siggs back to centre back and other players being moved from their starting positions. This disrupted our system slightly and we struggled to get to grips with Aston, who had come to win and gain revenge for the 3-0 defeat we had inflicted on them two weeks ago. Aston made full use of the space we gave them in the first half and we could not seem to find our rhythm with several passes going astray, it was no surprise that they took the lead. We missed Siggs’s authority in the midfield and we came of at half time feeling a bit sorry for ourselves. HALF TIME 0-1. In the second half we knuckled down a bit better but in the main the young Aston team dominated and it was rather fortuitous that we snatched an equaliser when midway through the half Andy Birks, who had had a quiet game suddenly sparked into life and hit a great shot past the helpless keeper. This spurred us on to greater effort and we went close on a number of occasions, but with their keeper having a good game, they held firm and in the end deserved their draw. A vital two points dropped for us then and we had made our chance of winning the title that much harder as the Vine would win it if they beat us on Sunday. We found out today that we need a bigger squad for next year.  

Official view: Redmires held by Aston -  After Nathan Warren gave Aston Swallownest a first half lead, Redmires hit back in the second half to take a point with an Andy Birks thunderbolt. It means that if The Vine beat Redmires this weekend, the title will go to The Vine, but any other result could see Redmires overtake them as they have two further games left to play.

Southey Social 1 Redmires 5 (League, 24th April)

5 GOAL RINGS, 4 KNAGGSY GOALS, 3 YELLOW CARDS, 2 FORMER REDS AND A SHOT AT WINNING THE LEAGUE!
It was with some trepidation that we went Concord Park to play second placed Southey Social on the unknown factor of their G3 pitch. However, we needn’t have worried the pitch was very suited to our passing game with a true bounce and unlike Thursday night our control was so much better. It was good to see our old players Danny Lindley and John Mellor although Rob Womack was not available. We had an early scare when Mellor was played in but with the goal at his mercy Karl Taylor  foiled him with a brilliant save. There then followed some good attacks of our own and Dale White latched onto a pass from Dave Knaggs and his tremendous volley smacked against the bar. Finding this surface much to our liking we continued to carve out some good openings and good combination between White and Knaggs saw Knaggs finish off a great move. We continued to press forward and it was not long before we scored a second when Knaggs hit a clever lob over the keeper. With Luke Siggs and Andy Birks keeping a tight rein on the raids of Lindley we continued to dominate the game with good passing movement utilising the full width of the pitch. HALF TIME 0-2. More good interplay involving Ben Palmer, Sean Downing and Birks saw the ball taken down the left wing past three players by Knaggs who outpaced the defence to hit a great shot past the keeper for his hat trick. With Andy Jones and James Kirkham keeping tight hold on their free scoring strikers Southey were restricted to a few long shots which didn’t trouble Taylor too much. Midway through the half saw Birks unleash a great shot from outside of the box which hit the keepers left crossbar and the ball rebounded straight to the feet of Knaggs and he carefully picked his spot to score his fourth. Southey did manage to pull one back when a foul on the edge of our box gave them a free kick. The kick took a deflection which Taylor could not do anything about and Southey got their consolation goal. A masterful substitution saw Liam Clark come on up front for the tiring Palmer who had worked without shirking anything up front and epitomised this performance. Clark ran around continually harassing their defenders and was rewarded  when a good through ball found him one on one with the keeper and he duly converted the chance. This was certainly one of the best performances of the season in a must win game and saw both full backs Chris Cotterill and James O’Connell having their best games for a while, but it was Knaggs who stole the show but he was quick to praise his colleagues for a fine performance.

Official view: Redmires Knagg Southey into submission, but The Vine stay top - Redmires continued their quest to add the Division One title to their Sunday Junior Cup win with a second win in four days. Dave Knaggs had scored twice in their win four days earlier and he followed that up with four more as Redmires coasted a 5-1 victory at a Southey Social that started the day a place above them. It might have been different had Karl Taylor not made a terrific save to stop ex Redmires player John Mellor from giving Southey the lead, but once Knaggs started their was no stopping him. He had scored all his four before Matt Campbell netted Southey's consolation, but Redmires had the final say with a Liam Clarke goal. That win saw Redmires climb up to second.

Redmires 3 Handsworth OB 1(League, 21st April)

UP, UP AND AWAY
After the euphoria of the great win in the Cup Final there was always a chance that there may be a backlash and this game certainly proved that. The pitch was very hard and bumpy in places and the lively ball made control difficult. Handsworth looked a different team to that we had played in the early season and had come to prove they could compete. We had a great chance early on and Andy Birks was very unlucky to see his great volley smack against the bar. We did score soon after however when Nick Hickson rose to head home Dave Knaggs corner and in the main we were on top. Handsworth did have a few attacks and Karl Taylor looked uncertain for the first time this season, particularly when one of their players went in unnecessarily hard after he had got the ball. All the team with perhaps the exception of Dave Knaggs were having difficulty judging the pace of the ball and the ball control was not great and we came off at half time a bit frustrated. HALF TIME 1-0. The second half went much the same as the first with Handsworth playing better than us at times but with little penetration which was mainly due to centre backs James Kirkham and Andy Jones. Against the run of play we scored our second goal when Knaggs was played through by Birks and he lobbed the keeper which seemed to take forever  to go in, but go in it did. Handsworth pulled one back shortly afterwards and we had a fight on our hands from a determined team playing for pride, already relegated. A third goal was essential and it was that man Knaggs again, who had given their right back a torrid time all night who banged in number three. Not one of our best performances but much of that can be blamed on the bone hard ground, but we got the right result. Lets hope we get some rain before next weeks home match. Dave Knaggs was man of the match for us.

Official view: Redmires Knagged to promotion - Redmires clinched promotion back to the CBC Premier at the first attempt as two Dave Knaggs goals helped them to victory at Handsworth Old Boys. Andy Birks hit the Handsworth bar early on, but Redmires made the breakthrough before half time when a Dave Knaggs corner was headed home by Nick Hickson. Knaggs finished off a good move to double the lead after half time, but Handsworth got back into the game with a Tom Houghton goal, until Knaggs played a one-two with Dale White before hitting his second to complete a 3-1 victory.

Arbourthorne SWD 2 Redmires 4 aet (Junior Cup Final, 17th April)

REDMIRES ARE SHEFFIELD & HALLAMSHIRE JUNIOR CUP WINNERS
A beautiful day for the staging of the cup final at Bracken Moor stadium, we arrived at the game confident we could put on a good display having trained well on Thursday night. We knew nothing about our opposition except that they were second in their league and had thrashed The Vine 4-0 in the quarter final, who had subsequently beaten us 2-0 in the league. They had also beaten Carpenters Arms who had put out Southey Social earlier in the competition. We opted for a 4-5-1 system and we had very much the best of the earlier play without being quite able to make the most of our opportunities and much to the delight of their big following in the stand they got in front when they took advantage of a defensive mix up to go one up. It seemed like it was not going to be our day when their sharp striker and best player scored another against the run of play. Much to our relief  we pulled one back when Nick Hickson scored after a good move just before half time. This gave us the boost we needed and we continued to dominate play. HALF TIME 1-2. We knew we were right back in the game and we had several chances to equalise and kept pressing their goal with a great dribble down the right and a superb cross to the back post by Dave Knaggs left Andy Birks with a simple task to head the ball home from close range. We continued to press hard for the winner and their keeper made a terrific save from close in by Ben Palmer. Arbourthorne were incurring the wrath of the referee for their performance and several of their players were booked. We continued to be the side playing the football and eventually the referee lost patience with their attitude to the game and sent one of their players off causing an outburst of expletives from their supporters. This incident seemed to have a strange effect on our players who for a good quarter of an hour could not find each other at all with the ball. James Kirkham and Andy Jones had shackled their strikers by now and our goal was hardly threatened except for one effort that Karl Taylor pushed over the bar. This chance seemed to focus our minds and got us back to where we were before the incident. We had a few more chances but the game went to extra time. FULL TIME 2-2. We came out for the extra time very confident that we could win the game not just because they were down to ten men, but the fact that they looked out on their feet and we decided that an early goal could win the game for us. It couldn’t have gone better. Knaggs got the ball on the right and he passed the ball inside to Birks and he played a superb return ball down the right wing right in Knaggs stride and he let fly an angled shot, the keeper seemed to not be covering his near post and the ball rocketed into the net. This settled us right down and we began to enjoy a lot of possession and it was no surprise when another great cross from Knaggs down the right fell nicely for Dale White to score from close in. Arbourthorne tried hard to get back into it, but only having ten men and having to chase around to try to get the ball back meant they got very tired with several players going down with cramp, plus more indiscipline and more bookings. We also had two players booked for poor tackles. There were some very good performances in particular Hickson, Kirkham and Knaggs but this was very much a team effort and a great performance by the team to overcome a two goal deficit and for this reason the 15 man squad is entered in full. KARL TAYLOR,  JAMES O’CONNELL, CHRIS COTTERILL, ANDY JONES, JAMES KIRKHAM, LUKE SIGGS, NICK HICKSON, ANDY BIRKS, DAVE KNAGGS, BEN PALMER, DALE WHITE, LIAM CLARK, TOM HANNAWAY, RICHARD WAGA AND SEAN DOWNING... What a team !!!!

Official view: Redmires lift the Cup - In a dramatic Final at the Look Local Stadium, Stocksbridge, Redmires became the third Blades Super Draw League side to lift the County FA Taylor & Emmet Sunday Junior Cup when they came from two down to beat Rotherham League side Arbourthorne SWD 4-2 after extra time. Although Redmires started strongly, they were rocked when Arbourthorne took the lead with a Brett Spankisman goal in their first attempt on goal. Despite Redmires still having the lion’s share of possession, Arbourthorne doubled their advantage when Brandon Wilde finished another swift break. Redmires stuck to their principles of good football though and they pulled one back when man of the match Nick Hickson scored from close range. Redmires continued to dominate in the second half and they deservedly levelled when Dave Knaggs crossed for Andy Birks to rise highest and plant a header past the Arbourthorne keeper. Arbourthorne’s chances were hit when a player was dismissed for an off the ball incident, but they held out until the end of normal time. In extra time, Redmires then made their man advantage pay and Knaggs smashed the ball home from the edge of the area to put them in front. Knaggs was again involved a minute later when another run down the line ended with a cross for Dale White to bundle the ball home and clinch the trophy for Redmires. Pictured below is Andy Birks heading Redmires equaliser, and Dale White bundling in their fourth. Also pictured is skipper Andy Jones, who had only arrived back from Lanzarotte at 2am before the game, receiving the cup from former County FA Chairman Maurice Matthews.

                       

Rivelin 0 Redmires 2 (League, 17th April)

Revelling at Rivelin
We had a short journey this week to the Gas Works ground to play Rivelin FC in what looked to be a tough game particularly as we had several key players including Andy Jones and Ben Palmer out. In fact we were down to bare eleven with the injured Dale White bravely stepping in to play. Luckily this did not reflect in our play and we still managed to play some good football in the opening half. Most of the players had one eye on next weeks cup final so were all out to warrant their place in the starting line up. Luke Siggs had dropped back to centre half to replace Jonesy and Richard Waga was given a start up front. It was his determination which helped create the first goal when he challenged strongly for the ball and the effervescent Sean Downing was able to volley the ball home, much to his and everyones delight. Its been a long time coming for  Sean this season but rewarded his excellent attitude. Rivelin did a lot of chasing to try to get back in the game but the half chances they created came to nothing. HALF TIME 0-1. The second half was much the same as the first with us looking the better team but Rivelin always offering some threat. We had said at half time that a second goal was what was needed and when Dave Knaggs cleverly hit his shot wide of the keeper the fight went out of Rivelin a bit, although they still tried hard. James Kirkham and Siggs looked strong in defence ably assisted by James O'Connell and Chris Cotterill and in midfield Nick Hickson was having a massive game for us. A tough game we were glad to come through on top with having so many players missing. As a footnote it was nice to see old Redmires friends/players Ian and Craig Gambling on the touchline.

Official view: An Andy Birks double and one from James OConnell saw Redmires get their title bid back on track with a midweek win at Aston Swallownest and they made it two wins a few days later with victory at Rivelin. Richard Waga set Shaun Downing up to give Redmires a first half lead and after the break Waga was again the supplier for Dave Knaggs to make the three points certain.

Aston Swallownest 0 Redmires 3 (League, 10th April)

BACK TO OUR BEST
After two defeats on the trot it was imperative that we got back to winning ways against the young Aston side at Lodge Lane Rec, and it was good to welcome back Andy Jones at centre back alongside James Kirkham. From the outset we took the game to Aston and they were finding it hard against the clever play of Dave Knaggs and Andy Birks. It was Birks who opened the scoring following some very good interplay to set us on our way and with that surge of confidence we began to play some very fine football. It was no surprise when we went further ahead shortly afterwards although it was a surprise that the scorer was right back James O’Connell who ghosted onto a great ball from Knaggs to score his first of the season. We looked very solid at the back and the Aston strikers were being well controlled. HALF TIME 0-2. We entered the second half full of confidence and played some excellent football .Sean Downing down the right was perhaps having his best game of the season and the link up play of Ben Palmer was very good. Midway through the half saw another good move bring another goal for the mercurial Birks and Knaggs was having his best game for a long time. We finished the game well on top and keeper Karl Taylor had one of his quietist games for a while being hardly tested. A good win this and onwards to a tough away match on Sunday against Rivelin who have been doing well of late.

Official view: Andy Birks finished off a five man move to give Redmires the lead at Aston and full back James O'Connell added a second before the break. Aston struggled to make any impression in the second half and it was no surprise when Birks added his second and his team's third.

Redmires 0 The Vine 2 (League, 4th April)

EVERYTHING ISN'T VINE
Following our first defeat on Thursday night we played close rivals The Vine on a sunny morning at Phoenix. Unfortunately we received an early blow when skipper Andy Jones cried off due to a home problem and we again called on the services of Tom Hannaway who had played on Thursday night, deputising for Jones who was working. Ironically it was our other centre back James Kirkham who has had a brilliant season, who gifted their striker with an early goal when he misjudged the bounce of the ball, leaving keeper Karl Taylor with no chance. We overcame this early blow and created a few chances ourselves but could not find the net. Kirkham kept a tight shackle on their dangerman for the rest of the game but their other striker was causing Hannaway problems with his pace. HALF TIME 0-1. At half time we came out battling and the game swung from end to end with Taylor making some good saves for us and their keeper also doing well. We kept trying to score but it wouldn’t come and the more we forced it the less we looked likely to score. The inevitable happened towards the end, when their other fast player went past Hannaway and raced away to hit it past Taylor for their second. It was a good fast game of football well refereed by David Evans and The Vine fully deserved their win. We know now that we are going to have to get a good result against third placed Aston on Thursday to keep up our challenge for the league title.

Official view: That was quickly followed by Redmires first home defeat as The Vine took home all three points to go second in the table. A James Kirkham error allowed Will Blakeney to thread a ball through for Rikki Davidson to give The Vine a tenth minute lead and after Craig Wolley had gone close to hitting a second, Danny Seaman outpaced the Redmires defence to clinch it ten minutes from time.

Millhouses Thermolast 1 Redmires 0 (League, 31st March)

POINTLESS AND THREE POINTS LESS
We lost our 100% record in the League this year on a very windy but sunny night at old rivals Millhouses HSBC ground. What was to have been a 6.15 kick off which meant we would have got 90 minutes in, ended being a kick off time of 6.30 agreed by the referee in the afternoon and only playing 70 minutes of the match, this to enable some Millhouses players to get there for kick off. We were all there for 5.45. In the match itself there was hardly any good football played by either side with a bouncy ball, wind and sun, in addition to the sloping pitch meaning that both teams were unable to get the ball down to play. It quite often developed into a match of which goal keeper could kick the ball the furthest in the wind and Millhouses got their goal in the second half from one such clearance when their forward shot from inside the box and it went in off defender Tom Hannaway. We left the ground not too despondent because at least we had not been out footballed by Millhouses but beaten by the conditions and late kick off. The ironical thing was that our earlier match against the Vine when it was 0-0 and abandoned after 80 minutes due to an injury to Dave Knaggs, has had to be replayed.

Official view: Redmires had won all their previous ten games and had the chance to go top when they travelled to Millhouses Thermolast in midweek, but their record ended when Sam Barthram’s shot was deflected past his own keeper by Tom Hannaway for the game’s only goal.

Loxley 0 Redmires 3 (League, 27th March)

THE ROBBING OF LOXLEY
We visited the Oughtibridge WMC ground for the first time in a number of years to face a Loxley side that had had two good results in the last two weeks, beating Rivelin 1-0 and drawing 1-1 with second placed The Vine. It was quite a lively pitch with the bounce of the ball causing problems for both sides. We were without Nick Hickson and skipper Andy Jones but this did not effect us in that Tom Hannaway had a good game and Dave Knaggs was back to form in the midfield. It was fairly even in the first half with Loxley having more attacks that frittered away to nothing and us looking far more likely to score. With about five minutes to go before half time we opened the scoring when a long ball over the top from Chris Cotterill caught Loxley shy at the back and Ben Palmer ran on to put the ball coolly past the oncoming keeper. This was a great boost to the team as we had not quite hit our form in the first half. HALF TIME 0-1. In the second half Loxley appeared to tire a bit particularly in midfield where Andy Birks, Luke Siggs and Knaggs began to take charge. After several promising attacks we finally got a second when Birks hit a great volley into the roof of the net to keep up his current form in front of goal. At the back James Kirkham ably assisted by Hannaway was having a great game and dealt with everything that Loxley had to offer and not letting the Loxley strikers have any chances. With the flying Dale White on to replace Sean Downing down the right we continued to give them plenty to worry about and it was a great four man move involving Siggs, Knaggs, Birks and finally an excellent finish by White that put the game out of Loxleys reach. Another good solid performance particularly in the second half with Kirkham man of the match for the second week running.

Official view: Right behind them though is Redmires after they kept up their perfect record with victory at relegation threatened Loxley. Chris Cotterill crossed for Ben Palmer to gives Redmires the lead and Andy Birks volleyed a second before a four man move ended with Dale White applying the finishing touches

Redmires 2 Niagara 0 (Junior Cup Semi Final, 20th March)

NIAGARA FALLS 
Another unbeaten team to play in Niagara from the division below us who had done well to get through to the semi final. We were able to recall Dave Knaggs and skipper Andy Jones for this important game in the clubs history to see if we could be the first team from the Blades Super Draw League to get to the final twice. Niagara were well up for the match and they took the game to us for the first twenty minutes or so with Karl Taylor being called into action a few times. We knew they had fast players up front and James Kirkham would have to be at their quickest to cope. We made a few chances ourselves but it was not until half way through the first half that a great move saw Joe Gray tuck the ball away with his left foot. Niagara responded well, but the goal settled us down and we began to play some lovely one touch football with Andy Birks, Ben Palmer and Knaggs linking up well. There were no further scores up to half time. HALF TIME 1-0. We went out very up for the second half and played with great determination not to let the lively Niagara score. They did have a couple of chances but failed to finish them off and we were giving their defence plenty to think about. It was great that we had referee and assistants as their supporters were giving them plenty of stick which all added to their teams frustration. We changed our system after seventy five minutes to give us greater width and the ploy worked well when Joe Gray cut in from the left to score with a low shot to the keepers left. Niagara had a chance to pull one back but their big centre half headed over from a corner. We carried on playing our football and Niagara just could not break down our defence in which centre half Kirkham barely put a foot wrong. Full backs James O’Connell and Chris Cotterill both had excellent games and Luke Siggs and Nick Hickson were outstanding in midfield. The team can now look forward to the final which will be against Rotherham League side Arbourthorne SWD. We’d like to dedicate this result to the founder of Redmires FC Roger Milnes.

Official view: Niagara fall as Redmires land final spot for a record second time - Division One Redmires created history by becoming the first Blades Super Draw League club to reach a County FA Cup Final for a second time when they won their all-Blades Super Draw semi final tie with Division Two Niagara thanks to two Joe Gray goals. It was no stroll in the park though as Niagara gave them a real test, but with Andy Jones and James Kirkham firm at the back and Andy Birks outstanding in midfield, Redmires just about deserved it. They were also thankful to some terrific saves by keeper Karl Taylor who showed why they have only conceded four goals in the seven rounds so far. A four man move midway through the first half gave Gray the chance to open the scoring and a cross from the left saw Gray produce a smart finish for his second after the break. Niagara can count themselves unlucky though, with Daniel Cooper hit the bar with one effort and Danny Bainbridge hitting the keeper when clean through. Ben Dronfield also headed over when well placed and they had a good shout for a penalty turned down near the end, but try as they might, Niagara couldn’t find a way through and Redmires marched on to their historic second final where they will face Rotherham League side Arbourthorne SWD.

Malthouse 2 Redmires 8 (League, 13th March)

2,4,6,8, WE WERE GREAT
At first glance this looked on paper a hard match for us, given that Malthouse had won their previous three matches and that we were without Dave Knaggs, Andy Jones, Dale White, Liam Clark and Andy Dalby. Our worries were very quickly dispelled though when Joe Gray scored with a great left foot shot in our very first attack. Sweet revenge for Joe who had taken a bit of stick for missing a number of chances last week. The Malthouse goal had a few more narrow escapes but they looked lively in attack and we were shocked when they equalised with a lob that eluded big Karl Taylor. We kept playing our football however and always looked likely to score. Andy Birks in great form put us in front again with his left foot and Ben Palmer finished off a good move for number three. We continued to dominate and Birks added another really good goal before half time. HALF TIME 1-4. Malthouse lost a bit of heart and we continued to press their goal and put their keeper under pressure which he was finding difficulty coping with. It was hard to believe we were that much on top but chances continued to come and only briefly did their forwards trouble our defence. Birks added another goal again with his left foot and Palmer scored a header after a long clearance from Taylor from close in to make it six. A great inswinging corner from Chris Cotterill which deceived their keeper made it seven and Birks added another to give him four on the day. They scored a consolation towards the end and they were sporting in defeat. The match was well refereed by Gary McFarlane.

Official view: In the First Division, with leaders The Vine and Southey Social not playing unbeaten Redmires grasped the chance to go top of the league despite being without several regular first teamers against a Malthouse side that had won its last three matches. Things could not have started better for Redmires when they scored with their first attack through winger Joe Gray eager to make up for missed chances last week. Malthouse showed they were up for the battle however when a slight mix up left keeper Karl Taylor unable to keep out a lob from Lee Campbell. A great goal by the rejuvenated Andy Birks saw Redmires get right back on top and he and Ben Palmer added further goals to go in at half time 4-1 up. After the break a further two from Birks, Palmer (header) and a Chris Cotterill inswinging corner saw Redmires well on top with Lee Campbell pulling one back for Malthouse near the finish.

Redmires 4 Brinsworth Whitehill 0 (League, 6th March)

FOUR NOT FOURTEEN
We were a bit worried by this team at the outset having seen them defeat Southey recently and also that they had scored four goals against us last time although we won 5-4 in the end. We soon found out that our worries were unfounded because a great performance by the team absolutely nullified Brinsworth. We started off briskly and had several opportunities to score in the first 10 minutes but the most we got was a booking for left back Chris Cotterill who complained too vociferously for Mr Hogg’s liking when he said “I was in line and it wasn’t offside ref” it was a good job Chris didn’t swear as he may have got sent off. However, we then got on with the game and went on to pull Brinsworth’s defence apart with some lovely flowing football. Dave Knaggs opened the scoring with a great volley after 15 minutes and we had loads of corners and a couple of “goals” that were disallowed for offside. Brinsworth rarely had any attacks and Karl Taylor was not tested at all. We hit the bar twice before Nick Hickson having a great game put us two up with a good strike. Ben Palmer went close on a couple of occasions and we went in at half time feeling that we should have been a few more up. Half Time 2-0. The second half was very similar to the first and it became very frustrating that we couldn’t add to our score with chance after chance being squandered. Brinsworth still felt they could get back into the game and in their one attack in the second half they came close to scoring. This seemed to spur us on even more and again we battered the Brinsworth goal and that next goal just would not come with Knaggs, Palmer and Joe Gray missing chances they would normally have taken. It was that man Knaggs who finally broke Brinsworth’s will when he chased a through ball and clipped it past the advancing keeper. We continued play very good football Knaggs claimed a great hat trick when he powered a shot from the edge of the box past the keeper . The manager of Brinsworth was very sporting at the end and said they were flattered by the scoreline, but boy, did we play well, perhaps the best football we have played for a number of seasons.

Official view: New title favourites are Redmires after they maintained their all-win record with a 4-0 victory over Brinsworth Whitehill. Dave Knaggs gave them a tenth minute lead and he then turned provider for Nick Hickson to double it before half time. With Luke Siggs pulling the strings in midfield, Redmires continued to dominate in the second half and they hit a third when Knaggs raced onto a through ball from Andy Birks before Knaggs completed his hat-trick for the fourth.

Redmires 4 Anston Athletic 1 (League, 27th February)

SCHOOL IS IN SESSION
We tried a different system for the visit of the young Anston team having beaten them away 2-0 recently. The combination of Ben Palmer and Andy Birks with Dave Knaggs just behind looked good on paper and we played very well in the first half with good movement and it was Knaggs who opened the scoring when he hit a drive which the referee stood right on the line adjudged to have gone over the line much to the surprise of both teams. This put Anston on the back foot and some very good football saw us miss some excellent chances notably from midfielder Luke Siggs. However we did take a further lead when Palmer latched onto a through ball and cleverly took it around the keeper. HALF TIME 2-0. We again started well in the second half and Anston‘s attacks were few and far between with the returned skipper Andy Jones having a fine game at the back. To their credit they did fight hard and there was some relief for us when Birks who couldn’t seem to get going on the sticky pitch scored a great left shot from out of the blue which hit the top corner. Just as we were about to give the subs a run Anston breached our defence to get one back and they began to pressure us a bit more. We did make one change though bringing on Joe Gray for the tiring Palmer up front. With Siggs winning the ball a lot in midfield we were still playing some good football although at times frustration at not being able to score more began to set in  it was no surprise when Birks added a further goal, following a close effort from James Kirkham. We were able to make a final change with Liam Clark coming on for Chris Cotterill at left back. A good performance but Southey's conquerers Brinsworth are expected to be a tougher opposition at home next week.

Official view: Birks lifts Redmires Redmires look to be an even bigger threat though after they continued their perfect record with a home win over struggling Anston Athletic. Redmires took the lead when referee Mark Bennett adjudged Dave Knaggs’ effort to have crossed the line and Ben Palmer later rounded the keeper to double the lead before half time. Andy Birks added a third with a rasping left foot shot and although Matt Roebuck pulled one back for Anston, Birks had the final say when he finished off good work by the impressive Luke Siggs.

Redmires 6 Loxley 0 (League, 13th February)

LOXLEY HIT FOR SIX
A first ever meeting between the two sides in the league saw us take our unbeaten run in the league to six with a resounding win against a Loxley side lacking in confidence maybe because of players missing. We couldn’t have had a better start when in our first attack we scored when Andy Birks and Dave Knaggs combined well for Birks to finish. We went further ahead after ten minutes when again good combination play saw Knaggs slot the ball nicely past the keeper. We had several further attempts at goal but just failed to score. The defence was easily dealing with the few attacks Loxley had, with Tom Hannaway covering at centre back in place of the again absent skipper Andy Jones. We came off at half time in full control of the game in the knowledge that another goal would settle the match. HALF TIME 2-0. We did not have to wait long to get another goal and this came when another good move left Liam Clark bang in front of goal on his trusty left foot and he made no mistake. Sean Downing had a couple of good chances to put us further ahead but his luck deserted him. However he worked very hard up and down the right hand side. In the meantime the combination play of Birks, Knaggs and Andy Dalby was a joy to watch. In fact the whole team combined very well and Loxley became more and more ragged. Birks, standing in for the absent Ben Palmer was having perhaps his best game of the season with excellent positioning and ball control. Knaggs played a great ball through to him and he waltzed around the goalkeeper for number four. With Nick Hickson (absent last week) champing on the bit as substitute, he was brought on in place of Clark with Dalby moving to the right. The substitution brought instant success when Hickson was played in by the busy Knaggs who hardly stopped running the whole match and Hickson powered home our fifth. The same combination brought our sixth and Hickson’s second goal. A word here for the defence that looked as solid as a rock. The game was well refereed by Andrew Morris. A much tougher match awaits in the form of The Vine next week on their sloping pitch.

Official view: Redmires is now the only side to have won all their league games, a run they kept going with a 6-0 home win against Loxley side now looking over their shoulders at the teams below them. Dave Knaggs set up the opener for Andy Birks and Birks returned the compliment for Knaggs to make it two. Knaggs then set up Liam Clark for number three before a Birks solo run ended with number four. Knaggs continued to cause problems for the Loxley defence and he set two more up for sub Nick Hickson.

Anston Athletic 0 Redmires 2 (League, 6th February)

TOP OF THE LEAGUE REDMIRES GO SIXTH!
A long journey saw us away at a young side Anston who we had never met before. We were again without Andy Jones and Nick Hickson and it was good to see Dean Robinson on the bench for his first match this season following injury. Student Andy Dalby also stepped up for his first start of the season and showed lots of nice touches and a good range of passes. It looked like we were in for an easy ride when we scored with our first attack, with some quality passing and a great headed finish from Andy Birks from a pin-point Dalby cross. Anston didn’t lay down however and were quick on the ball and we had to be wary of the ball over the top which did cause us a few problems. One of these through balls caused James Kirkham to up-end their centre forward and give a way a penalty. Luckily with the practice Karl Taylor has been having with these (two penalty shoot outs in the last three weeks) he saved the penalty expertly down to his left. We had the better of the first half but couldn’t convert the chances we made. We also had a shout for an effort that appeared to cross the goal line but the referee from where he was standing gave the advantage to the defence. HALF TIME 1-0. The game became a bit of a slog in the second half on the heavy pitch and it was definitely not our best performances. At times we didn't look quite right in midfield and neither Dale White or Sean Downing on our flanks were making any impression. Robinson was brought on in place of Downing early in the second half and Joe Gray replaced White ten minutes later. The introduction of Gray did make us look better as we were going forward but despite a lot of corners we couldn’t get that vital second goal, including when we again had an effort two yards passed the goal line disallowed by the deteriorating referee. It looked odds on that Anston were going to equalise against the run of play, but we managed to get a goal ten minutes from the end when ace poacher Ben Palmer shook off his marker to lash home a pass from Dave Knaggs. As said before not our best performance but a win is a win.

Official view: Southey’s main challenge now looks set to come from the Taylor & Emmet Sunday Junior Cup semi finalists Redmires, who made it five wins out of five with victory at Anston Athletic. It took Redmires just five minutes to get their noses in front when Anston gave the ball away in midfield and Andy Birks was set up for the type of chance he rarely misses. With man of the match James O'Connell pulling the strings, Redmires had more chances in the first half, but two were cleared off the line and one came back off the bar, but Anston missed the best chance of the lot when they were awarded a penalty. Simon Herberts took the spot kick, but Redmires keeper Karl Taylor pulled off a terrific save to deny him. Both sides had chances in the second half, but it was Redmires that wrapped the points up when Ben Palmer beat the keeper at the near post.

Redmires 2 Millhouses 2 (aet) Redmires Lose 4-3 on pens (League Cup, Round 3, 30th January)

COTTER WILL MISS
The long awaited match against Millhouses saw us without ace defender Andy Jones but capable deputy Luke Siggs stepped up again to partner James Kirkham at centre back. Millhouses were without their leading scorer but he arrived later to come on as a substitute. Aside from Jones we retained the team that had played so well the previous week. As expected  the game flowed one way and the other in the early skirmishes, but we certainly had the best of the first half although Millhouses scored first after 15 minutes and it was left to Dave Knaggs to equalise 15 minutes later when he ran on to a peach of a pass from Andy Birks to cleverly guide the ball past the keeper. We played our best football in this spell with some good passing movement which stretched their defence but we were unable to increase our score. HALF TIME 1-1. The second half was much the same as the first half and both teams were vying for the lead and it was Millhouses who struck the first blow but this was equalised when Birks was brought down inside the box. Knaggs stepped up to convert the penalty. Millhouses were always a threat but Karl Taylor in goal was in superb form and the defence were very strong as usual. With our midfield of Birks, Knaggs, Nick Hickson, Dale White and Sean Downing working very hard we always posted a threat to their defence. Up front Ben Palmer was well contained but did tie their defenders up allowing Knaggs valuable space. The game went into extra time and we had a couple of golden opportunities to win it when both Knaggs and Downing maybe should have scored but it went to penalties as in the match against Earl Marshall. We started off really well with Knaggs, Siggs and Palmer scoring and Taylor making a great save on one of the Millhouses pens but we couldn’t sustain it as Cotterill, Hickson and Dalby all missed for Millhouses to win 4-3. A good competitive game enjoyed by both sets of players and very well refereed by David Evans. A shame to go out in this way but we lost our first match this season on penalties. We can at least concentrate on our League position for a few weeks until the S & H cup semi final in late March.

Official view: The day’s other Macron Cup tie did go to penalties as Millhouses Thermolast became the first team this season to stop fellow Division One side Redmires from winning. Millhouses were first to strike as Thomas Higginbottom nipped in between the keeper and last defender to put them in front, but Redmires were level before the break when Andy Birks played Dave Knaggs in for the type of chance he doesn’t miss. The second half saw Millhouses go back in front when Rob Gardiner’s free kick was met by his brother Tom, but Redmires levelled a second time when Simon Berry brought Knaggs down in the area and referee David Evans pointed to the spot. Knaggs picked himself up to score, but extra time came and went without any more goals so it went to penalties. Millhouses keeper Mark Davies became the hero as he saved three Redmires penalties before stepping up to hit the winning spot kick.

Redmires 3 Sprotbrough 1(Junior Cup, Quarter Final, 23rd January)

SPROT ON
On paper this match looked to be our toughest task against Doncaster side Sprotbrough who were unbeaten in their league for the past three seasons. In the early skirmishes it was easy to see why this side had a good reputation with their keep ball style. They were young keen and a good technical side, but having got the cobwebs out our head from last weeks poor performance we started to play how we can play with all our determination and skill. We had had an early setback when James Kirkham unusually failed to turn up with no explanation. As we always have done we adapted and Luke Siggs was moved back to centre back with Nick Hickson coming into midfield alongside Andy Birks who had looked out of position last week on the right. The whole team looked much better and we began to show Sprotbrough what we were made of. Ben Palmer put us in front after 20 minutes with an opportunist goal and 10 minutes before the break Dave Knaggs put us further ahead with an exquisite chip when he saw their keeper off his line. They were still playing some very good football and kept Karl Taylor busy without ever creating a clear cut chance. HALF TIME 2-0. They changed their system in the 2nd half to 4 3 3 and did put our goal under a lot of pressure. Our defence even without Kirkham played magnificently and it was only 10 minutes from time when they scored. Sean Downing played his best game for quite a while on the right hand side of midfield and worked tirelessly up and down the flank helping James O’Connell nullify their dangerous left winger. Taylor pulled off some great saves during the second half  but we created a few good chances ourselves. We tied the match up when sub Andy Dalby put Knaggs through for him to slip the ball past the keeper to put us out of sight. Sprotbrough can hold their heads up high for their performance but we had a magnificent match. A semi final against Niagara now awaits us.

Official view: Niagara and Redmires through to semi finals Division Two Niagara and Division One Redmires both saw off strong opposition to land places in the semi finals. Redmires entertained Doncaster side Sprotbrough and took the lead after fifteen minutes when Ben Palmer scored from close range. The visitors responded and it needed some stout defending, but Redmires always looked likely on the break and Dave Knaggs grabbed their second just before the break with a great solo effort. More defending was needed in the second half, but Sprotbrough thought they were back in the tie when they scored with ten minutes remaining, but any thoughts of forcing extra time were quickly dismissed as Andy Dalby crossed for Knaggs to hit his second and Redmires third.

Earl Marshal 1 Redmires 1 (aet) Redmires win 4-2 on pens (Junior Cup, Round 5, 16th January)

FOUR OF A KIND SEES REDMIRES THROUGH
A home draw against another team from the Imperial League. Saw us scrape home by a narrow margin, mainly thanks to some inspired goalkeeping from big Karl Taylor. After a long lay off due to the weather we started the game a bit unconvincingly although we had much the better of the early exchanges. Marshal could thank their goalkeeper for some excellent saves and he always seemed to be in the right place to foil our forwards but was aided by the crossbar on two occasions. We were struggling to get any fluency to our play and misplaced passing was the order of the day. Marshal took the lead against the run of play when the referee gave Marshal a penalty after the ball was fired against James Kirkham's hand in the box, which to fair he had no chance of avoiding. HALF TIME 0-1. In the second half we seemed to get a bit more ragged and our team play was not as good as it has been in the last few matches. However we got back into the game after several attempts when their player put through his own goal. James O’Connell and Chris Cotterill were doing their best to push us forward but the moves kept breaking down. We got more and more frustrated and this gave Marshal the spur to take the game to us. They definitely got on top towards the finish and big Karl made two great saves towards the end of extra time which kept us in it. FULL TIME 1-1. Extra time saw few chances for both side, so down to the penalties and they went first. Luckily for us they missed with Taylor reading the kick. Dave Knaggs stepped up to take our first and hit his shot into the corner. They scored with their next one, but Luke Siggs then scored his to put us 2-1 up. They then missed their next one and Ben Palmer scored for us. They scored their next one and it came down to Chris Cotterill to claim the glory for us to put us into the quarter final against Doncaster team Sprotborough FC.

Official view: Karl is spot on for Redmires The Blades Super Draw League has two sides still in the Taylor & Emmet Sunday Junior Cup after Division Two Niagara and Division One Redmires both claimed places in the last eight. Redmires game at Imperial League earl Marshall was a much closer affair. Both sides were unbeaten before the tie and although Earl Marshall took a half time lead from the penalty spot after James Kirkham was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area, Redmires kept their unbeaten record when a defender turned a Dave Knaggs cross past his own keeper. Extra time couldn’t bring any further goals so it went to penalties and after Knaggs had drilled home the first, Redmires keeper Karl Taylor saved Earl’s first. Luke Siggs, Ben Palmer and Chris Cotterill all then converted their penalties before Taylor saved a second spot kick to send his side through.

SUJB Old Boys 1 Redmires 4 (Junior Cup, Round 4, 21st November)

BLADES CUT DOWN TO SIZE
We faced the team that was bottom of our Division two and so were full of confidence following our good run of results. With skipper Andy Jones back at centre back and Andy Birks resting his hamstring on the bench, we still had a strong side out. The main task was to get ourselves off to a good start and that came with James Kirkham leaping high above everybody from a Dave Knaggs corner to put us one up with a great header after ten minutes. We went further ahead ten minutes later when a back pass was collected by the lively Ben Palmer who waltzed around the goalkeeper to make it two. To the credit of the Blades they did not get too dispirited and they had a few good players who belied their lowly position. However we went further ahead when Luke Siggs back in midfield spotted their keeper off his line and hit a great shot over him from midway in their half, his first goal for a while. Blades still would not lie down and they caught our defence out of position to score with a header just before half time. HALF TIME 1-3. This goal just before half time gave Blades a bit of confidence and they began to make a game of it, although never really pressing our goal. For much of the time they were having to chase shadows as some of our play was very good and a joy to watch. We certainly played some of our best football this season with in particular our play in midfield involving Knaggs, Siggs and Nick Hickson ably supported by the full backs Chris Cotterill and in particular James O’Connell who were always looking to get down the flanks. Palmer up front was also having a good game holding the ball and looking dangerous. Our defence looked as strong as a rock and probably we should have turned our possession into more goals but had to settle for a great one five minutes from time when Knaggs tricked two players before finishing really well into the corner. Blades can take credit from the game and should soon get off the bottom if they play like this.

Official view: Joining them is Redmires after they kept their record of wins in every game going at the expense of Division Two Junior Blades. James Kirkham headed home Dave Knaggs’ corner to put Redmires ahead after just five minutes and soon after Ben Palmer intercepted a back pass before rounding the keeper to double the lead. Luke Siggs made it three before half time and although Richard Brailey pulled one back for the Blades, Knaggs had the final say when he beat three players before slotting home Redmires’ fourth.

Brinsworth 4 Redmires 5 (League, 14th November)

BRINS WORTH 4 REDS WORTH 5
We went to the sloping pitch at Outo Kumpu on Remembrance Sunday to face a Brinsworth side who had got themselves up to second position in the league and without the brilliant Andy Jones at centre back we knew it would be a hard game. We started off really well, playing some good football. We managed to cause their defence quite a few problems and went close on a number of occasions, in particular a Dave Knaggs shot hit the bar. However as often happens when we were on top we went behind after thirty minutes when a ball down the left wing brought Karl Taylor scurrying out of his goal to make a clearance but unfortunately he smashed it against their left winger and the ball fell kindly for the forward to place his shot into the goal. Despite this setback we continued playing well and it was no surprise when the ball fell just right for Ben Palmer to score from the edge of the box with a great volley. HALF TIME 1-1. Brinsworth changed their system in the second half to a more attacking one kicking down the slope and initially we found it hard to cope with. They went ahead when their danger man hit an absolute screamer which gave Taylor no chance and they went further ahead when a hard cross was touched in. This was a position we had not been in this season and it was a matter of knuckling down and battling. Luckily we had players a plenty who were willing to do this. Palmer gave us the lift we needed when he hit another great shot from just inside the box and we pressed hard to get the equaliser which came from a good move down the right involving Knaggs and Dale White with his superb ball across goal being gleefully dispatched by Joe Gray, who had a quiet first half, but was certainly one of our danger men in the second. With our central midfield of Knaggs, Andy Birks and Nick Hickson working extra hard it was no surprise when we forced a corner that Palmer got his hat trick. A Knaggs corner was met by Luke Siggs, who headed down for the cool Palmer to finish. Brinsworth came back and equalised with about 15 minutes to go with a fortuitous goal and the game looked certain to end in a draw. We brought on Andy Dalby for the last 10 minutes in place of the exhausted Birks and he showed some nice touches to auger well for his future and 5 minutes from the end good work from Gray saw his cross hit into his own goal by one of their best players on the day. Cruel luck for them but it was probably our only bit of luck in the game. A tough but enjoyable match, now for the last 32 of the Sheffield and Hallamshire Cup against Junior Blades Old Chaps.

Official view: Redmires is one of just two sides left to have won all their games, but they were pushed all the way in a nine goal thriller at Brinsworth Whitehill. Brinsworth took the lead when Danny Marsden scored after charging down Carl Taylor’s clearance, and although Redmires levelled when Ben Palmer volleyed home after Dave Knaggs shot came back off the bar, Brinsworth were in front at half time thanks to Shaun Turner’s shot from the edge of the area. Redmires record looked set to go when Marsden netted his second, but Palmer pulled another back with another volley and Joe Gray took Dale White’s pass in his stride to level. Palmer then completed his hat-trick to put Redmires in front for the first time and although Marsden completed his hat-trick at the back post, Shaun Turner went from hero to zero by putting the ball into his own net for Redmires winner.

Redmires 6 Wordsworth 1 (Junior Cup, Round 3, 24th October)

WILLIAM GETS A THRASHING
We met our third team from the Imperial League and the result was the same an emphatic win. With a full squad available team selection was a bit tricky but in the main the team was the same as last week. We started the match in a sloppy frame and the passing was not up to our usual standard. Andy Birks had replaced Ben Palmer up front and what was easily apparent was the combination he had with Dave Knaggs. The combination was soon in evidence as Knaggs hit our opening goal after 15 minutes when he hit a superb volley over the keeper into the net. We had a few more chances but it was Wordsworth who equalised on the half hour when Tom Hannaway having his first start at centre back slipped over allowing their forward to take advantage. This unsettled us a bit for a while but both Hannaway and the team began to settle down. Good combination between Knaggs and Birks allowed the latter to give us a second just before half time. HALF TIME 2-1. In the second half we began to play much better, with our passing greatly improving, the Wordsworth defenders were having a torrid time trying to keep pace with our fast moving runs. We scored a third when Knaggs made a good run and the ball fell kindly for Liam Clark to fire home and it was at this point when the fight seemed to go out of Wordsworth, looking strong at the back again we were in complete control of the game. Both full backs, Chris Cotterill and James O’Connell whose passing could have been better in the first quarter of an hour had really got on top of their game and skipper Andy Jones was reading every move. Knaggs, who by his own standards had not had a great first half really came to the fore in the second half and his combining with the resurgent Birks was excellent to watch. It was Knaggs who completed a fine performance by notching the other three goals to put us comfortably through to the next round. We look forward to next weeks league match against The Vine.

Official view: Four Dave Knaggs goals and one each for Liam Clark and Andy Birks saw Redmires go comfortably through against Wordswoth.

Redmires 2 Aston Swallownest 0 (League Cup, Round 2, 17th October)

HARD TO SWALLOW FOR ASTON
Another cup game, this time the League cup match that was postponed from earlier against Division One newcomers Aston. They proved to be a stronger side than the two Imperial League sides we have played in the other cup. Again we had to make late changes to the team with James Kirkham and Richard Waga crying off very late on Sunday morning in addition to Nick Hickson and Joe Gray who were unavailable. Student Liam Clark who had made his debut the previous week retained his place on the left and it was he that opened the scoring in almost our first attack when their keeper and defender collided leaving Clark with an easy task to put the ball in the net. For the next thirty minutes it was quite a close game and we made a few good chances with Dave Knaggs and Dale White making surging runs from midfield, but not able to capitalise on our possession. Eventually it fell to Ben Palmer to make the breakthrough and put us two up with a well taken goal. HALF TIME 2-0. We played some good football at times and kept possession very well. Our back four again looked very solid and Aston were restricted to a few long shots easily dealt with by big Karl Taylor. We have a much more “together “ look about us this season and were well in command of this game. It was good to see Andy Birks back in the side after an absence and although not quite at his peak fitness, it augers well for the future. The impressive thing was the work of the midfield players who all worked very hard. With the four students we have signed looking good prospects we have what is a very strong squad for the season ahead.  The big task now is to keep everyone happy and that is why staying in these cups is important.

Official view: Redmires go through - The all Division One Macron cup tie saw Redmires take a first minute lead against Aston Swallownest when Liam Clark took advantage of a mistake between the keeper and defender. Ben Palmer doubled Redmires lead in the last minute of the first half when and although Aston saw plenty of the ball in the second half, they rarely threatened the Redmires goal.

Hillsborough Club 0 Redmires 5 (Junior Cup, Round 2 , 10th October)

HIGH FIVE
For the second consecutive time we were drawn away to a team from the Imperial League and the result was the same, a comfortable win for the team. With Dave Knaggs returning from holidays, but Joe Gray and Dale White unavailable we were able to blood four of our new signings Richard Waga, Liam Clark, Andy Dalby and Tom Haggerty, with Clark starting on the left and the other three coming on as subs. The match could not have started better when after early pressure we scored a goal when a shot from Ben Palmer was deflected into his own goal by one of their defenders. We then launched into many attacks on their goal but with pitch a bit bumpy and long grass we did not seem able to get that 2nd goal. After another half an hour of pressure we went further ahead when Knaggs fired in a free kick that Nick Hickson turned in. Karl Taylor in our goal had rarely had a touch of the ball and it was only when he miskicked a clearance did Club have a chance but this was squandered. HALF TIME  0-2. Soon after half time Luke Siggs had to come off with a pulled hamstring and Waga came on. It was not long before we went further ahead when new boy Clark latched on to a crossed ball to get in front of the defender to slot the ball home. Club then really did collapse and it became a question of how many we might score. As it was we only managed another two, one from the effervescent Knaggs and the other a piledriver from Waga close to the finish. We did have any number of chances in the second half but with our defence so well marshalled by Andy Jones ,Taylor never had a shot to save in the whole match. The outstanding player for us was without doubt James O’Connell who barely put a foot wrong at right back.

Official view: Dave Knaggs hit two as Redmires completed a comfortable victory at Hillsborough. An own goal set Redmires on their way, but they need little help against opponents that failed to get a single shot at goal. As well as Knaggs double, both Liam Clark and Richard Waga marked their debuts with goals. 

Ecclesfield Albion 0 Redmires 3 (Junior Cup, Round 1, 19th September)

THE MAGNIFICENT ELEVEN
Redmires progressed into the last 128 of the Junior Cup with a comfortable away win against a side from the Imperial Sunday League. With James Kirkham, Dave Knaggs and Andy Birks absent, Luke Siggs moved back into the back four, Ben Palmer moved into a centre midfield slot and Joe Gray was recalled into the left of midfield. With Sean Downing taking up a forward position, Stuart Mackley got his first start of the season at right midfield. Redmires started much the brighter of the two sides and took the lead through Nick Hickson. A second was added from Chris Cotterill, who's deflected shot looped over the hapless goalkeeper. HALF TIME 2-0. The second half was similar to last weeks League match, we decided to have an easy 45 minutes and settled to add just one more goal, rather than helping ourselves to as many as we wanted. Ben Palmer netted his first competitive goal for the club and Karl Taylor kept his second clean sheet of the season. The draw sees us travel to Hillsborough Club on October 10th in the second round.  

Official view: Redmires also went through comfortably as Nick Hickson, Chris Cotterill and Ben Palmer strikes gave them a 3-0 victory at Ecclesfield Albion.

Redmires 3 Colley 1 (League, 12th September)

REDS KEEP COLLEY ON A TIGHT LEASH
An unknown quantity for our third league match, newly promoted Colley. James Kirkham returned to the team as did Nick Hickson, however we were without Alex Ward who had made a good impression. Kirkham returned to the defence and Ben Palmer led the attack. We started off very well again and immediately put Colley under pressue with some good fast moves that opened their defence on a number of occasions. We missed a number of chances and it looked for a while that we were going to miss Ward’s finishing, but during a period of sustained pressure one of their defenders handled the ball and the referee gave a  penalty, which Dave Knaggs converted with confidence. Further pressure led to a second penalty when Knaggs had gone on a mazey dribble which ended with him being fouled inside the box and he again converted the penalty. Colley had a few chances of their own and were certainly not folding. However, we got a third when Nick Hickson was on hand to head in a corner. HALF TIME 3-0. The second half saw a complete changeover with Colley making a few changes which gave them the ascendency for long periods of the half. We made our old mistake of dropping too deep and although we defended very well, we found that clearances kept coming back and Colley went close quite a few times. We were restricted to only a few attacks of our own and they managed to pull one back with ten minutes to go. Although they tried hard they couldn’t break us down again and we were victorios in an interesting match.

Official view: Redmires Knagged into top spot - A Dave Knaggs penalty double helped Redmires go top of Division One with victory against Colley. A handball in the area gave Knaggs his first and he was brought down for his second and a Nick Hickson strike had Redmires three up at the break. Colley had a much better second half, but they had to wait until five minutes from time before summer signing Karl Fox grabbed a consolation.

Handsworth OB 0 Redmires 3 (League, 9th September)

NOT TOO OLD TO LEARN BOYS
Following last Sundays good opener we travelled to Handsworth Old Boys on Thursday night, minus Dean Robinson who had been injured in the first half. Also absent were James Kirkham and Nick Hickson, Ben Palmer, Sean Downing and Joe Gray were brought in to replace them with Luke Siggs dropping back to centre back. Kicking down the slope first half, we got well on top and missed a few chances before Dave Knaggs dribbled through only to be brought down inside the box. He himself took the penalty and gave the keeper no chance. We continued to press with Dale White relishing a change of position in the centre of midfield continually driving at the OB defence and Palmer linking the play nicely. Alex Ward caused their defence problems with his pace and a through ball saw him outpace his defender to hammer the ball past the keeper to put us two up. HALF TIME 2-0. In the second half, we withstood some early pressure, but again Karl Taylor was hardly tested as the back four looked very strong. We continued to control the middle of the park with Knaggs and White working well together and following further pressure and fine work down the left by Joe Gray, a good cross found the pacey Ward too quick for the defenders to put us three up. We played some nice football with many good passing movements but could not add a further goal. A match which gave us good confidence for the next match against Colley.

Official view: Ward double sends Redmires top - Alex Ward netted twice as Redmires beat Handsworth Old Boys to go top of Division One,

Redmires 2 Millhouses Abercrombie 1 (League, 5th September)

TEN YEARS... BUT WORTH THE WAIT
The opening game of the season saw us play one of the teams that were relegated with us last season and who had beaten us twice. However the team was full of confidence after beating two Premier teams and drawing the other match against one of the favourites for the Premier title, Civil Service. We started off very well and put Millhouses under pressure with our fast play. This was rewarded when Dave Knaggs cleverly chipped the keeper following a through ball from Luke Siggs. Our midfield were controlling the game and we went close a few times before new striker Alex Ward latched onto another through ball and smashed the ball past the helpless keeper to put us two up. We were having much the best of the half and keeper Karl Taylor did not have a shot to save. HALF TIME 2-0. Millhouses came out strongly in the second half but found our back four in very good form in particular James O’Connell at right back. The centre back pairing of Andy Jones and James Kirkham was proving very hard to crack and with the work rate of the whole team very good we were able to withstand their best attacks. They did score a very good goal, when their substitute scored with a header towards the end but this was the only chance they were allowed. An excellent start to the season for us and the first time in 10 years that we have won our opening match.

Official view: After Dave Knaggs had chipped the keeper and Alex Ward's speedy second, Redmires just held on against Millhouses Thermolast after they had pulled one back when Ally Berry converted Tom Higginbottom's cross. Danny Turner went close to equalising for the visitors but with centre backs Andy Jones and James Kirkham outstanding Redmires took the points. Redmires were also grateful to Millhouses Rob Gardiner who did a good job as stand-in referee.