Football shorts: League leaders Pilkington maintain 100% record, St Helens show quality

AFC Blackpool 0-2 Pilkington FC

Catch us if you can! That’s the defiant message from table-toppers Pilkington FC after they extended their 100% record in the first division of the NWCL to nine matches at Jepson Way on Saturday.

They have been on fire since the opening day of the season - plundering 27 points and boasting a 31/7 goal difference - and have already established a five point advantage over second-placed Euxton Villa.

But they didn’t have matters all their own way in a goalless first half when clear cut chances were few and far between. It took half-time pep talk to liven up the Glassmen who responded in a clinical fashion.

Callum Laird broke the deadlock in the 54th minute - tapping the ball home following a quick counter attack down the right flank - and then a 70th minute second goal from Bruno De Almeida Severino wrapped up three hard-earned points.

AFC Blackpool: Hall, Moxon, Walder, Robinson, Chippendale, Higham, Gregory, Poole, Duffield, Dolby-Armstrong, McHale. Subs: Sillett, Bleaker, Hallam, Owens.

Pilks: Hilton, Cottington, Presho, Giglio, Kenny, Severino, Laird, Preston,Gilchrist, Sharp, Gomes. Subs: More, Prescott, Lawrence, Paton

AFC St Helens 2-0 Streeton

AFC St Helens are starting to adjust to the quality needed to compete in a higher level of football in the pyramid system.

The North West Counties League newcomers notched their third win of the competition on Saturday and lie 11th in the table.

It’s a reasonable start, if not a specular one, but once they fully find their feet then results can get even better.

The Windleshaw club struck first after 26 minutes through Joe Barker and had one or two other chances to double their tally in the opening 45 minutes. Streeton also worked one or two nice openings but their finishing was not too clinical when it mattered most.

AFC St Helens needed a second goal to put themselves in the comfort zone and it came in the dying embers of a closely-fought game from substitute Ryan Mason.

The result could have gone either way but in the end AFC St Helens triumphed on the back of some fine goalkeeping from Joe Mason.

AFC St Helens: Mason (J.), Ashton, Ball, Stretch, Riley, Bradshaw, Graham, Dutton-Kay, Barker, Houghton, Sweeney. Subs: Weaver, Bott, Edgerton, Reade.

Streeton: Catlow, Lynn, Buttle, Warren, Morgan, Anjum, Subhani, McKiernon, Sangster, Briggs, Townsend. Subs: Walne, Baldwin, Humphries, Makula, Baldwin.