Last seasons’ Euro Soccer Nottinghamshire Senior League Premier Division runners-up, and NSL Senior Cup winners, Collingham, are sitting second after the opening half dozen or so games, three behind early pacesetters Borrowash Victoria, who’ve a game in hand.
Having begun the current campaign with five wins from seven, Collingham have already passed the twenty-goals scored mark, thanks to a 3-0 home win over Radcliffe Olympic on Saturday afternoon, William Hollingsworth bagging a hat-trick to double his tally for the season thus far, moving home level with George Asplin.
Victory against Radcliffe sees them stretch their current winning run to four games, despite they having shipped eleven goals in the defeats on matchdays two and three, one of which came against Cotgrave who, along with Keyworth United, finish off the three Notts clubs in the top five.
Keyworth leapfrogged FCV Grace Dieu to move into third place, United winning 2-1 on the road thanks to goals from Joshua Till and Ryan Tinsley, they on a six-match unbeaten following their opening day defeat to Collingham.
Cotgrave meanwhile sit fifth and, despite the 5-2 season opener against Collingham, Patrick Ferguson with a treble, and a 5-0 win at Dunkirk two games back, their remaining three have been low-scoring affairs; sitting fifth, Cotgrave are seven off the early pace-setters as sides continue to jostle for position.
Last season’s Division One champions, FC Cavaliers, are taking a little time to adapt to life in the Premier Division, but a 4-0 win in their last outing, at home to Wollaton, saw them jump up to seventh in the table – Conor Croft’s hat-trick boosting their game average to five.
At the bottom end of the table meanwhile, four points presently split the bottom five of Awsworth Villa, Southwell City Reserves, Wollaton, Radcliffe Olympic, and bottom club FC Sez, the latter two already in a negative double figure goal difference.
The standout score on Saturday was the eight-goal thriller between Aslockton & Orston, and basement club FC Sez, the hosts taking the three points with a 5-3 win; Tyrell Gordon bagged a brace for the hosts whilst there were also goals from Noah Aynsley-Johnson, Jack Robb, and Oliver Stevenson.
Division One sees both AFC Colsterworth Sports & Social Club, and Kimberley Miners Welfare Reserves, with maximum points from their opening three games each; Colsterworth lead the way on goal-difference following a comfortable, 4-1 home win over Sandiacre Town last time out, Oliver Maltby with a treble, and Kimbo’s Reserves have won each of their last two outings, 4-2, against visitors Clifton All Whites, and Hucknall Town Reserves.
Away from Colsterworth’s won on Saturday afternoon there was a seven-goal thriller at Rushcliffe, visitors Bingham Town winning 4-3, and a six-goal game at Clifton All Whites Reserves, who won 4-2 against visiting Keyworth United Reserves; Kieran Stanley bagged a brace for Bingham Town in their win whilst the battle of the Reserves would see six different scorers.
They both sit on nine points, two ahead of a chasing pack that sees five sides split by a point; AC United and East Leake Robins on seven, whilst Rushcliffe, Ravenshead and Bingham Town are on six apiece.
Although they’ve played more than those around them, Notts Olympic have moved top of Division Two having won two and drawn one of their four to date, Saturday’s eleven-goal thriller seeing the hosts pick up an impressive, 8-3 win, over visiting Reindeer FC.
Oliver Connor, Lloyd Patterson and Olaf Milewicz snatched braces for the Olympic, they being joined on the score-sheet by solo efforts from Chistopher Lothian and Corey Smeed, whilst Matthew Hubbard (2) and Kyle Chadburn replied.
Four sides sit on six points each, FC Pelican leading the quartet which also consists of Gedling Southbank, Elston United, and Arnold Town Reserves with Saturday also seeing Greyfriars win 6-4 at home to Wollaton Reserves, and Gedling Southbank seeing off visitors The Rossoneri, 5-1, Stephen King causing nightmares for the visitors with a hat-trick.
As for Division Three, the beautifully named Langwith Whitestar lead an interesting pack of sides, they, along with AFC Parabellum, and Collingham Reserves, having not dropped any points after a couple of games, Langwith and Parabellum both enjoying free-scoring starts.
Langwith won 5-1 away to Nottingham Greens on Saturday, Owen Biddle with a double, whilst Parabellum won 8-0 at home in midweek against Phoenix Athletic, Dylan Roberts three and Ryan Krause two in the win.
Saturday’s (7 September) NSL Premier Division fixtures are as follows –
Beeston vs, Cotgrave; FC Sez vs. Wollaton; FCV Grace Dieu vs. Borrowash Victoria; Keyworth United vs. Awsworth Villa; Radcliffe Olympic vs. Ruddington Village; Southwell City Reserves vs. Aslockton & Orston; Woodthorpe Park Rangers vs. Collingham
*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @CollinghamFC it’s been a good start for last seasons runners up Collingham.
