West Yorkshire League: Boroughbridge not going back up just to enjoy ride

That draw thanks to Chris Simpson’s double, including a penalty, extended their undefeated run in the league to six games, a streak which has proved vital to their successful campaign.

Club secretary Andy Young said: “We had three tough away games coming into this one – Newsome, Featherstone Colliery and Kirk Deighton Rangers. All of those we won but I think the players were feeling that a bit in the Otley game, though it isn’t an excuse.

“Ten points out of a possible 12, most of those earned on the road, it’s a great effort.”

The club have achieved the targets which they set themselves at the start of the season and insist they do not want to go up just to enjoy the ride.

“Myself, Daz Ekin, our manager, and Alastair Hogg, our assistant manager, sat down and said we want to get promoted and reach our County Cup final, and we have achieved both goals,” explained Young. “We don’t want to go into the Premier Division and go straight back down, we want to consolidate there.

“We want to be competitive, but we know there are some extremely good sides in there – such as Carlton Athletic, Leeds City and Beeston St Anthony’s who have been there for years.

“We’re not looking to compete with them, in the first instance our aim is to build on our promotion. We’ve waited too long to get back into the Premier to be a yoyo team.”

Going up as Division One champions is still well within Boroughbridge’s reach, but Young claims the club are not even entertaining the notion of getting caught up in such ideas.

“We’ve got Hall Green United, Aberford Albion and Hartshead to come. Three massive games all at home in the space of seven days,” he stressed.

“How we perform in those games could have a say on where the title goes, but right now we are just focusing on Hall Green. It’s not a case of if we beat Hall Green, we can win the title, we’ve told the players to enjoy promotion, but that’s it, we’re not even looking at the tile. If we start saying all we have to do is this and that to be champions it will totally backfire on us.

“The players have worked hard to get promotion, so they’re definitely allowed to celebrate, but that’s it until the end of the season then. It’s a one-off and next week is business as usual. Hall Green are a very good team.”

Hall Green laid the gauntlet down for their upcoming visitors after they thrashed Oxenhope Recreation. Tom Fowler netted four, including a first-half hat-trick, and a four-minute brace from Jamie Miller and strikes from Daniel Critchlow and Clifton Firth completed the demolition.

Aberford faced much-improved Wetherby Athletic, and ran out 4-1 winners. Toby Hardaker put Athletic ahead after two minutes, with Ryan Hepinstall’s goal and Joshua Wilson’s brace ensuring all the damage was done in the first half. Jamie Jobarteh’s double and one from Carl Sykes ensured that Newsome squeezed past East End Park 3-2, but Hartshead went down 3-2 at home to Kippax.

Rothwell also beat Pool 4-1 to secure three vital points against their relegation rivals.

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CARLTON Athletic continued their stranglehold on the Premier Division, running out 2-1 winners over Leeds City, writes JAMIE WOODHOUSE.

Joe O’Neill and Liam Moore secured the points with a pair of devastating headers, stretching Athletic’s lead at the top over Beeston to four points.

Ilkley Town were in destruction mode, trouncing Whitkirk Wanderers 9-0.

Tom Fleming, Toby Harris, Tom Smith and James Hudson all netted twice, and Dave Hancock put the icing on the cake. Ilkley have a six-point gap over Hunslet in fifth after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Robin Hood Athletic.

Abdou Bojang’s first-half double earned Horbury Town a 2-0 win over Rawdon Old Boys, while Huddersfield Amateur were held to a 1-1 draw by Knaresborough Town Reserves.

Sherburn White Rose inflicted a 3-0 defeat on Salts to worsen their predicament, while Field defeated bottom-side Wyke Wanderers 5-1 in the Bradford derby.

Glasshoughton Rock secured promotion to Division One at the first attempt with their 4-0 win at Shelley Reserves.

They lead the way in Division Two on goal-difference, but with also-promoted Campion Reserves enjoying four games in hand, it is clear who the title favourites are. The Bradford side ran out 6-0 winners against Old Centralians in midweek to prove that point.

That loss for Shelley against Rock could have cost them dearly in their promotion fight, but Huddersfield YM could not take advantage after they drew 2-2 with Brighouse Old Boys.

Swillington Saints are right in the promotion picture after Danny Wiltshire’s brace and goals from Tom Day and Matthew Marshall earned them a 4-3 win over Altofts.

Ripon City beat rock-bottom Baildon Trinity Athletic 9-4, while Tingley Athletic defeated Knaresborough Celtic via a walkover.

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Golcar United’s wait to secure the West Riding County Amateur Football League title goes on as Littletown defeated Lepton Highlanders 2-1, writes THOMAS RITCHIE.

Joe Jagger’s brace helped the visitors past Lepton Highlanders, who are consigned to the bottom of the table as Mark Godley’s strike was not enough for his side to take anything away from this game.

Lepton have completed their campaign, taking just seven points from their 22 games, losing their last 10 games of the season.

Second-placed Littletown are unbeaten in their last 11 games, winning their last six.

They have three games remaining, and trail the league leaders by seven points with their hopes of the title extremely slim.

PFC’s season also came to an end at the weekend as they fell to their eighth straight defeat, as Route One Rovers ran out 4-1 winners.

Rovers led 3-1 at the interval before consolidating their lead in the second-half, as Awais Khan hit a brace, with Danyal Yasin and Alam Mohammed also found the back of the net.

Faisal Khan’s first-half strike was as good as it got for the hosts, who will finish 11th with 10 points from their 22 games.

Route One Rovers are unbeaten in their last six games, and lie sixth in the division with 38 points from their 19 games.

Next up for Rovers in the league is the trip to Littletown on April 20.

Elsewhere, the game between TVR United and Ryburn United was postponed at the weekend due to no pitch being available.

At the weekend, only a Littletown victory over Ovenden will prevent Golcar United, who are out of action, from wrapping up the title. TVR and Ryburn will try to play their game once again in the only other fixture.

The final day of what is the last County Amateur League season after 97 years is set to be on May 4.