While everyone (except Stahlburg Rovers) hates Treason, North Laithland are one of the four clubs (along with Stahlburg City, Brinemouth and Chatswood) who can lay a fair claim to being Treason’s most hated rival. Stags fans see the Spiders as Laithlander hicks from the middle of nowhere. And they aren’t wrong, either. But the boys from the backwater come in with a point to prove and nothing to lose… and a permissive referee, even by Nepharan standards. Elaine Koeller generally likes a bit more elegance in her teams, but if her high-pressing method leaves a few scars, so much the better; still, who could have expected this? Three minutes in, Bersant Sale is chased into an error and coughs up the ball to Bellona Sadler on the edge of the box, who promptly curls a strike low across Senninger. The Stags chase, and are gutted on the break; it’s 3-0 by half-time, 4-1 by the end, and North Laithland leapfrog their rivals into fourth place on the ladder.
At least Treason aren’t alone, with the top two both dropping points. The Chariots dominate most of the game against the Tanners, but their offside trap comes hilariously unstuck, deputy rightback Mirko Steffen caught terribly out of position as Forestier unleashes the run of jet-heeled Lieschen Kuzener, racing free into acres of space, drawing Ursula Gavaris out before cutting back for Murin to drag home the leveller. Crisisbless have a more standard ‘can’t buy a goal’ day against South Laithland, whose goal is slick and finished by Forward but who are mostly indebted to Donovan Velazquez’s eight saves. By contrast, Brinemouth pulverise Parrhesia, making hay from a high line that doesn’t effectively pressure their passing, 1-0 by half-time but the floodgates truly opening in the second half, Söderström scoring once and assisting three. It’s a bad day for Chenoworth Rovers; not only do the Hawks overturn a half-time deficit to beat them, but South Laithland, the Harriers and Belgrave all win… which also dumps Starling in the automatic relegation places, despite a creditable point earned against Athletic.
The Derby of the Canal pits Diamondqueen against Raven River. David against Goli-- well, David against A Large Man, anyway. But Diamondqueen are a slick, modern and well-run club, and River lurch from crisis to crisis, finding another here when their sister club massacre them 4-0. 21-year old Renate March is imperious, having stepped up flawlessly from the third tier and looking a good bet to make it into the first, whether with the Diamonds or not. Lukas Sparr puts a moratorium on his funeral as his charges - unapologetically defensive here - hold out against a Chatswood side who had clearly anticipated they’d be allowed to waltz through freely on the break like basically everyone else who’s faced the Bohemians this season, while CNL edge out their fellow promoted side Rochford 2-1, striker Anibal Troche making all the difference.
Gareth Penrooke is still underrated in some quarters. He was that sort of a player, the kind who just got a job done without a fuss and could easily be overlooked over the course of a match in midfield but was always of use. But he’s quietly got along with the sizable job of getting Newrook into shape. It’s that word, ‘shape’, which springs to mind as they host a ragged-looking Starling, one admittedly ravaged by injuries - Roebling, Novick, Dostalok and Charisteas all missing, Flaxwood restricted to a cameo off the bench - but at no point are the Passerines able to break through Newrook’s compact, disciplined midfield. How they could use, right now, a player of Pernille Brand’s class, deftly nipping the ball out from Stone’s feet before feeding Zumalakarregi with a sly lofted chip, the Astograth international chesting down and lashing home the only goal of the game in the 61st minute. At the other end, Paiva Shimski has little to do to keep it that way.
In another relegation clash, Creed United have enough to beat Chenoworth Rovers. The Alhambra Pike era may already be over for the Rovers, but 20-year old deputy Cordelia Norwood, despite some lively, incisive runs, misses one clear-cut chance and another damning far-post tap-in. In the second half, Aquila Kovac proves he’s far more clinical, lashing a brace into the bottom corner beyond Dundalk’s reach. The Chariots and Crisisbless drop points again; the former partake in a hugely entertaining scoreless draw against Sabrefell Moths, concussive tackling and pressing on both sides, and some exceptional goalkeeping from Gavaris and Markgraf required; the Heelers, meanwhile, can’t find a way past Vincent Robshaw in the Stags midfield, with the Euran midfielder’s heroic performance capped off by providing a deft through-ball that Michael Ribbeck converts for the game’s only goal.
Two absolute stunners this week. On the garbage end of the table, Lukas Sparr makes a compelling case not only to keep his job but to earn the keys to the (north side of the) city, the Bohemians cantering to a 5-1 win over a Cranequin side that just sit too deep, allow too much space. Perilous Whiteside, if allowed to build up a head of steam chugging in from the left wing, becomes a whirling dervish, and chalking up two goals, one assist from open play and earning a penalty by falling theatrically under the pressure of Filip Barker. At the top of the table, meanwhile, promotion hopefully Crisisbless United get crushed within their own city, Goodfeather seizing ahold of the centre of the park, refusing to get caught up in the Chequers’ high press - and ably defending the space caused by their lack of a conventional striker when they are - as Dashaun Howard continues to look too good for this level with two of what turn out to be four unanswered goals.
The Gargoyles and Harriers might be mired at the bottom of the table, but they’ve both shown at times that they’ve a little more to offer. It’s just about finding that consistency, and where better than against one another? The Harriers strike first, Xara Seidler pouncing on a loose ball from Ness to play in Soltesz, whose clever dinked cross is chested down and leathered into the ceiling of the net by Baba Warrington. Six minutes in with a commanding advantage, the Harriers could be forgiven for sitting back and trying to hold firm, and perhaps they ought to. Belgrave twist them and pull them in every direction, and it’s only late on that the Harriers stop trying to prowl for that killer second, overmatched in midfield, and bring on teenager Jens Rutter for best player Donato Girardi in a proper ‘time to park the bus’ moment. It doesn’t work; Rutter’s immediately caught out of position as Andrea Prentice’s one-two with Steward cuts him out of the game before letting her thread a shot into the bottom corner, a magnificent save from Luther flicks a strike from Krause onto the crossbar, only for it all to come unstuck in the 93rd minute, fans crying for the final whistle even as Palla Koenen misses a header that floats past her, to Belgrave winger Krause, whose cutback finds… Baba Warrington? Blessed relief that he’s tracked back for once. Less relief when Casey Steward wrests the ball from him and plays in Augustine Slate to slam home the winning goal for Belgrave.
It’s only the reversion to the mean, sure. But Lisa Amos gets a hero’s reception on return to Starling, both before the game and after full-time, after her Crows cough up a 5-2 defeat in Chardonnay. Isperia Marrish scored first, flighting in a beautiful strike from 30 yards to give the Passerines faithful a sinking feeling, but she also coughed up the ball that Stone roamed forward with, before centring for Leif Flaxwood to drive home. 1-1 at half-time, it was the second that began to drive the dagger in. South Laithland edge Creed in a truly dire game, muscularity all over the pitch proving the difference, and a bizarrely balletic header from Kanerva Herron looping over the stranded Hartigan. The Chariots and Rams, meanwhile, are too busy kicking lumps out of each other to ever really go for the throat; the Rams end with nine men, after a red card to Koutros and a bloody head wound to young winger Dimitri Pallas, forcing the referee to lead him off the pitch despite ample protestations he was good to go on. In the end, a magnificent double save from Raluca Garamond denied Zazagan, then Lopar, from snatching an Aries win at the death. And take a moment to pity the Saints; not only do they lose again, but they’ve had two straight games be away days in Chenoworth. Chenoworth!
Corinthians No Longer gave Iron City a scare already, pegging them back 2-1 before two late goals saw them succumb to a 3-2 defeat. But they go one better against Stahlburg Rovers, Klein, Bouman and Fenyvesi scoring three crisp strikes, all out of the area (and, okay, two were deflected) to sink the Rovers in the first half. Speaking of Iron, they visit fellow relegated side Leichhardt, and the match displays the different degrees of transition present in the two sides as the disciplined, seasoned Stargazers simply overwhelm the Cataphracts, former Stahlburg City man Malachite Riester popping up with a goal in each half. Chatswood retain their unbeaten run thanks to an offside flag against Dashaun Howard in the 91st minute, after he dragged a deft shot agonisingly past Williams; fortunately for the Woodsmen, they get the reprieve.
The Saints can finally come marching back to Vermillion, but having taken just one point from their travails in Chenoworth, they absolutely need to beat South Laithland. The issue is that South Laithland are better than either Chenoworth side. On the bright side, though, the home fans are in fine voice. That’s not always a good thing. The Parrhesia faithful are… notoriously unafraid to call a spade a spade, and a weak, failing team a weak, failing team, and Persephone Xidhas the world’s greatest traitor since Cain. But while they have an unrelenting fury at the board, they back both Emeka Obasi - whose entire ensemble is varying shades of yellow - and their young team of honest strivers. Davor Kurtishi, their athletic striker, misses a tap-in three minutes in, but with the backing of the home fans comes back stronger, winning and converting two flying headers in the second half to overturn the deficit and grant the Saints an invaluable win.
The Starling renaissance is put to a violent end as quickly as it had begun. Brinemouth made short work of them, winning 4-0 with two goals in each half, Ewald Heuser barely challenged. More galling, key men in rue Cazade, Shone and Almwood were rested, with teenage leftback Rhyme Besler driving home her first professional goal in the 79th minute. “We would have been disappointed not to deal with a relegation candidate so conclusively,” said a dismissive Ilyana Brosch, who also scored off a corner. Ouch. But at least Starling aren’t alone, fellow strugglers in the Harriers getting mauled 3-0 by Vermillion while Creed ship six to Treason. Belgrave’s run of crucial good form continues, Syrene Fleetwood with a goal and an assist to break down a Chenoworth Rovers side that seem to be hunkering down from the first whistle.
Chatswood have a problem. Yes, they’re absolutely impervious to harm at the back, and the midfield duo of Vishca and Bischoff dominate games. But it’s becoming too apparent that if you come at them entirely willing to take a scoreless draw, that’s what you get; Rochford have zero ambitions for anything more, and come away with an invaluable point as goalkeepers Williams and Malanta spend the entire match kicking their heels. Strong performances from Corvette - here they obliterate Barossia 4-0, Brummer and Hawker Banks each in fine goalscoring form - generally trigger Zenith scouts to deploy the eyes emoji and see which young Valesider hick to plunder next, but actually this is a side largely in their prime, getting strong together. Which just means now it’s midtable sides looking for a short-term hit, not the long-term; Brummer’s already being linked with basically every Zenith club in the bottom ten.
The Nepharan sides largely disgrace themselves once again, though in fairness to Treason they found themselves in a brutally unforgiving group. Even so, the Stags’ failure to pick up more than a single point from their home games consigns them to the Challengers Cup. Athletic slink home without a win at all, and get maimed 6-1 by Royal Rumiatzi on home soil. Only Brinemouth acquit themselves well, edging out a tightly-contested group to finish top.
Starling’s dreadful form unsurprisingly mirrors in IFCF, finishing bottom of a winnable group and haemorrhaging goals all the way. The Moths, by contrast, find a more disciplined edge, and an impressive 3-0 win over Bastion headlines their progress in second place.
The Harriers progress thanks in large part to an eyecatching 5-0 win over Marketville; Creed and Chatswood do not, finishing on a solitary win apiece.
All is not well in west Sabrefell. Adalheid Metzelder isn’t referring to herself as the greatest manager in history anymore, and results are absolutely tailing off. She’s a boom-bust manager, but hasn’t been able to push the Moths into title contention; they’d take alternating top and 12th finishes, but the issue is she doesn’t have laurels to cling on. Still, when two well-taken strikes from Lyzolda Petrov put the Moths 2-0 up over Coret within 15 minutes, it feels like they’re going the right direction. The side are playing with poise and confidence, and-- that’s a cheap turnover in midfield to Rekawic, and two crisp long passes to Marner, then Romaine, allow the Starblaydi to pull a goal back just three minutes after the Moths’ second. After that point, Sabrefell are lucky just to ship one more - a corner, Dragora Steelhenge nodding home nigh-unmarked - and it’s only the next day that Metzelder becomes the first managerial casualty of the season.
There’s two sides wearing purple in the relegation mix, but they’re of a radically different character. One of them is Metzelder’s former club, Belgrave, now run by her former assistant - the warmth shared by the two really shines through when, during the pre-match presser, a journalist informs Lexus Ulreich that Metzelder’s got the sack. Ulreich laughs. But it’s Gratia Barker of South Laithland, the other purple side, who gets the last laugh, when her side notch up a late equaliser in a manic 2-2 draw. Injury-prone Kurtis Conrad overhits a cross, Franca Pallas comes stumbling out to claim it but can only mount a two-fisted punch straight into the sizable midriff of Kanerva Herron, the ball bouncing sadly over the line. Treason, confident in their central midfield, play two up front against Parrhesia; both Uster and Ribbeck notch a brace in a complete team performance en route to a 5-0 win that underlines that as another string to their bow. North Laithland pulverise Crisisbless 3-0, an eyecatching result predicated on an excellent, disciplined high press that unsettles a side of far superior quality on paper.
Chatswood concede for the first time in… years, probably, it feels like? Iron City sit placid for the first half, but Ashdown strikes a fire into them at the interval and they come out playing for keeps. Christian Imhoff should probably concede a penalty, hauling down Vermouth as they both went for a high cross, but it’s judged shoulder-to-shoulder; still, there’s something karmic when a perfectly-hesitated pass from Snowpoint strikes at just the right time to let Silke Gutenberg race in behind the entire Chatswood back line, bearing down on goal before cutting unselfishly back to let Igrene Vidler drive home the only goal of the game. An excellent Faraj Han in the 92nd minute stops Remeikis’ snapshot from levelling the scores, and ensures Chatswood’s unbeaten record erodes away. CNL pick up another surprising and valuable win, this time in Brookford, 20-year old leftback Avarice Province not only clearing a scrambled corner off the line to save CNL from going down but launching the cross for the assist for Troche’s winning half-volley, a screamer that leaves Wright with no chance.
The big dogs are at the table. Strephonage, for one, see their giant-killing days violently curtailed; they may have put one past Iron, they do put one past South Laithland, but an Aron Riise hat-trick leads the Southrons to scoring six at the other end. North Laithland go one better, beating Rochford Pilgrims 7-1 after one of the less forgiving commutes to the east coast. There’s an unlikely Chenoworth derby, the Teutons going toe-to-toe with the Harriers. The Conference West side are under the cosh all game, to nobody’s surprise, but hold on until the 61st minute before quickfire goals from Cervenka and the teenager Jens Rutter finally give the Harriers the win. Still, 2-0 is a very respectable defeat to a top-flight side. Aries Chariots vs. Aries Solitaire actually isn’t a derby - Soli aren’t based in Sabrefell - but the Chariots are taken deep regardless, ultimately winning on penalties; Annabelle Press will hope that her three saves there overshadow her poor performance during the 120 minutes. A dreary 1-1 draw between Riverkey and Crisisbless United inexplicably sees five goals in extra time, Riverkey completely falling apart, Zuza Martin seeing red for an exhausted sliding challenge that takes out two different United players, and yet an awkward cross from Coe is somehow bundled home by Stryger regardless… only for United to ruthlessly take revenge at the other side, winning 5-2 by the end. A genuine screamer from Scout Morwen leaves Shimski with no chance to let the Otters beat Newrook in extra time, while a second-string Creed are exposed in a comically route-one defeat to Vermillion Wanderers, neither side too interested in making use of the middle 33% of the pitch, the deft schemer Ida Lancer looking increasingly frustrated. In the only two Zenith-vs.-Zenith ties, Treason smash Belgrave 3-0, while a towering header from Saara off the bench sees the Hawks beat Athletic in extra time.
Crisisbless and Aries were at the forefront of the table not so long ago, but their momentum has been badly stalling. Crisisbless have been making chances but not quite clicking in the final third, the Rachel Arniston as false nine project not paying immediate dividends; manager Michael Brandon sacrifices Moira Woakes to play Valentine Germain up front with the Schottia international. The Chariots make the opposite change, trying to pack an extra body in midfield at the expense of striker Coleman, with Taleb in a false nine role with 34-year old Rowena Sierra back in situ on the right wing. Neither tactical change… works. Though in fairness, the Heelers will feel the game should have been theirs, denied a number of times by Ursula Gavaris. By the same token, however, Sierra felt she did enough to draw a penalty when she cut inside Strassman and bounced off her thigh. No dice, though, and no goals for either side in a frustrating stalemate.
Under caretaker charge, the Moths labour to a 2-1 win in Creed, Shiida Roesler bailing them out with a thundering free kick into the underside of the crossbar that leaves Hartigan without a chance, and they look to Coret to see Elaine Koeller’s North Laithland body the Hawks 3-0. Righto, then. The ambitious Koeller, a Moths youth product as a player, promptly agrees terms, and the Spiders are now in a position where they have to find a new manager in the middle of the same season twice in a row. The two favourites for the next axe play one another, and Stefan Crowton’s Rovers run roughshod over Tim Maitfield’s Starling. The fact that Maitfield has multiple Manager of the Year awards in recent history is all that’s keeping him in the job, but if they were willing to be ruthless with legitimate club legend Lisa Amos, that doesn’t bode well. Speaking of Amos, her Crows come unstuck against a disciplined, technical Newrook, losing 1-0 on home soil; could Rooks manager Penrooke be in the frame for Starling?
Cranequin Wanderers only really exist these days as a spoiler, it seems; their days as a high-flier at ease in the top tier are long over. The sense of going to Iron and coming away with a point after a scoreless stalemate isn’t “hey, great, we got a point,” it’s a long sigh and a lethal overdose of ennui. They aren’t even developing much fresh new talent this season. Slightly less depressingly, CNL score in the 2nd minute, a diving header from Xavier Barron after he arrives late in the box on the end of a looping Erinys Hart cross, and cling to it for 80 minutes… before an unlucky handball call goes against Pepper. Vedder’s penalty is saved by the geriatric Hartmuth but converted on the rebound by Keynes, before Ida Lancer made the most of a rare start by jinking through four men, including both ancient central defenders, and lofting the ball over the stranded ‘keeper. Chatswood turn on the style against Stahlburg Rovers in a 3-1 away win, while Brookford have three goals disallowed in what feels like it ought to be a win in Leichhardt.
A triumphant homecoming for Chariots captain Ihazintzu Malkorra, laying on both assists in a composed 2-0 victory in Astograth.
Elaine Koeller isn’t faced with the toughest of opening matches in situ at the Moths, but they’ve been making pretty heavy weather of fixtures that have… well… not seemed like they would be. That tendency seems to rear its ugly head again when Davor Kurtishi rises dynamically above Brabanzon in the fifth minute to nod home a cross from Swann… only to be found offside. Pity Kurtishi drags home a genuine opener just three minutes later, weirdly unmarked in the box. The Saints have the better of the play throughout the first half, but typically fail to put the ball past Markgraf; that allows Koeller to make the difference in the interval, sending the team out with a rocket under their backsides, substitutes Kweon and Reach each get on the scoresheet with curling strikes from outside the box before a rather more ordinary tap-in from Petrov secures the points.
In Koeller’s absence, North Laithland’s match sees former Pasarga manager Meriadoc Griffiths in the stands. He won’t be impressed by a staid performance from the Spiders, one which sees their front three completely fail to find space against a disciplined, compact Creed. Teenage winger Zaza Kirkland comes close in an impressive 76 minute showing, at one stage gliding off Islinger like water off a duck before shooting, disappointingly, straight at Hartigan. At the other end, Deborah Salas chops inside her marker before firing past Cameron’s near post to steal the points. Starling’s defeats are starting to lose their novelty, but dropping the points at home to South Laithland and a late Aron Riise half-volley will be a sickener; Coret become the latest side to steal the show in Crisisbless, an all-action performance from Rekawic rewarded by two clinical finishes from Istria Saara, when the Heelers’ finishing is anything but.
North Sabrefell’s brief golden period appears over, a scoreless draw with Rochford endearingly high on effort but woefully low on inspiration. Sparr took the entirely understandable decision to drop Whiteside, a mercurial and sporadic inspiration, but lacks anyone to replace him; from the Owls’ perspective, they’re suffering for the inability to provide Danica Heward with any service. The 33-year old has scored twice from 16 appearances, and provides literally nothing else at her age, the dynamism of her earlier years having abandoned her. Chatswood clip Diamondqueen’s wings in trademark brutalist fashion, no-selling all the pretty passing in the world as Vanessa Mulder profits from pinpoint crossing, while Cypher put CNL back in their place in a vital six-pointer.
The Chariots never quite catch alight, but they’re defensively solid and get the result they came for, though they’re indebted to a brilliant save from Press towards the end of the game.
Predictably, the Taeshani side come to Brinemouth looking to spoil, and an early set piece routine gives them a lead to cling to. In the second half, however, Brinemouth turn the tide through a convincing audition from Rebecca Laskaris to get more minutes.
Meriadoc Griffiths does duly take over at the Spiders, bringing back some good memories, believe it or not. Remember, the Spiders’ golden age was under Blake Lawless, another attack-minded Brenecian manager fresh off an international experience. Griffiths talks a lot about developing talent, and has a fine record of the same at Belgrave and Kingsgrove. He wants to look in unexpected places. Perhaps that’s why he starts Arnesa Darroze against Parrhesia United, the midfielder’s second league start of the season. Little does he know Darroze isn’t underutilised, just not very good. Not to worry, though; both sides are poised to strike with high lines and the defensive errors on show give each side plenty to exploit. The difference comes, once again, up front; Kurtishi for the thousandth time of the season can’t convert the myriad chances he carves out, while Lazelis can, and does, to help North Laithland win 2-1.
You know Tim Maitfield’s out of ideas. You know he’s out of ideas. You know how you know? It’s not that Treason score four unanswered goals to bury the Passerines by the hour mark, it’s that they put those goals past Elida Katter, otherwise known as Not Sean Smordal. You do not drop Sean Smordal, Tim. Ever. The best manager in the league on aggregate over the past five years is unceremoniously given the shove. Starling are literally in the relegation places, so it’s fairly impossible to blame the board. South Laithland chalk up another impressive win, crushing Southfell 3-0 in a match that proves direct football isn’t necessarily defensive provided you have the cutting edge required; veteran Chariots forward Rowena Sierra rolls back the years with two goals and an assist to sink Coret with an inspired performance.
AFC Serpentine are proving something: sometimes to keep your head above the waterline, you just need a large guy with sharp elbows to lead the line. Uther Johnson, a Leichhardt reject, has been a revelation, and Mantlegrove have no answers for him as he crashed through them like a wrecking ball. He strikes up a header and a rough right-footed shot, and would make it three were it not for a scruffy goal off a corner that he scored after essentially piledriving goalkeeper Kolaghan. Rochford are left fuming after a rather more telling missed chance of their own, keeping the Maulers out of the danger areas consistently but failing to cut through themselves. Danica Heward is injured in the course of winning a penalty, and would be the best penalty-taker; in her stead, Diana Kaskanis blazes over.
Blackthorn takes a strong side to Taeshan, and it pays off; first-half goals from Tauscher and Jackson allow the Dockers to take the foot somewhat off the gas in the second half, securing an ultimately comfortable victory.
Brinemouth sweep Aries aside with an air approaching contempt, dominating possession and only seeing Heuser tested once en route to a 2-0 win. The Chariots cling to third, but Treason continue to open up the gap above them with a narrow win over Southfell, while right up behind them, Griffiths’ Spiders smash six past Belgrave. Are we sure Koeller moved up? Crisisbless do themselves a world of good, finally clicking together in a comprehensive defeat of Parrhesia, while Stahlburg City close out what is looking increasingly like it will be a top six, not seven, judging by the continued underperformance of Zenith sides in IFCF tournaments.
Like Belgrave, South Laithland are shelled for six goals, in their case by the Rams, but both sides in purple look relatively secure thanks to the haplessness of the bottom-feeders below. Newly promoted Harriers and Creed also currently enjoy a four-point gap from danger; it’s currently Starling in the danger, though taking a point away from a visit to Stahlburg is far from awful. And it’s an additional point above the automatic places, Parrhesia languishing in 19th, while Chenoworth Rovers are edged out narrowly by Newrook, who shortly thereafter agree terms to allow Starling to sign on Gareth Penrooke as manager. Newrook, in turn, quickly acquire Kurtis Rakeruth from AFC Serpentine.
There’s two clear pace-setters at the top, and each showcases why in a different way. The Chequers pulverise Cypher Town 4-0, their lack of a striker no object against a staid defence, goalkeeper Anna Rochester more than a little culpable for a couple of them, while Diamondqueen are reduced to ten men after a brutal challenge from striker Helmina Turner badly injures Ida Roesling, but prove karma is fake with a goal in the dying seconds of the first half. Chatswood and Leichhardt are in the chase, after uncharacteristically high-scoring matches; Chatswood conceding two late goals in a 2-2 draw with Vermillion Wanderers, while Leichhardt overturn a half-time deficit to put four past Raven River. Chatswood dropping points opens up the gap between second and third to five points, but it remains hotly contested.
Armstrong and Serpentine occupy a little island, five points below Cranequin but four above the cluster of teams at the bottom, after a 1-1 draw that ably suits both; Cypher and CNL are narrowly safe despite heavy defeats. The Bohemians part ways with Lukas Sparr, after a run of six winless games. It looked for a brief time as though they’d turned a corner, but patience wore thin. He’s jobless for all of three days before AFC Serpentine pick him up, in the wake of losing Rakeruth to Newrook. Mantlegrove leapfrog Rochford at the bottom of the table after a crushing 3-0 win over CNL; it’s clear to everyone that Alexandra Lazarou’s legs have gone, but she can still put one free kick onto Cash’s forehead and another directly into the top corner.
ZENITH
Pos Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Brinemouth 19 15 3 1 56 12 +44 48
2 AFC Treason 19 13 4 2 46 17 +29 43
3 Aries Chariots 19 11 5 3 31 17 +14 38
4 North Laithland 19 12 1 6 39 21 +18 37
5 Crisisbless 19 12 1 6 27 16 +11 37
6 Stahlburg City 19 10 4 5 22 15 +7 34
7 Sabrefell Athletic 19 9 3 7 39 32 +7 30
8 Sabrefell Moths 19 8 5 6 38 21 +17 29
9 AFC Corvistone 19 8 5 6 26 29 -3 29
10 Vermillion Rage 19 8 4 7 31 23 +8 28
11 Coret Hawks 19 7 3 9 28 34 -6 24
12 Southfell United 19 7 2 10 34 30 +4 23
13 Newrook City 19 7 2 10 24 33 -9 23
14 South Laithland 19 6 3 10 25 33 -8 21
15 Belgrave 19 6 2 11 27 50 -23 20
16 Chenoworth Harriers 19 5 4 10 20 31 -11 19
17 Creed United 19 6 1 12 20 43 -23 19
18 Starling 19 4 3 12 18 42 -24 15
19 Parrhesia United 19 4 1 14 21 45 -24 13
20 Chenoworth Rovers 19 3 2 14 21 49 -28 11
FIRST DIVISION
Pos Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Crisisbless United 19 13 3 3 34 15 +19 42
2 Diamondqueen 19 13 2 4 30 15 +15 41
3 Chatswood 19 9 9 1 24 9 +15 36
4 Leichhardt 19 11 3 5 21 10 +11 36
5 Goodfeather FC 19 10 4 5 28 18 +10 34
6 Raven River 19 9 7 3 28 23 +5 34
7 Iron City 19 10 2 7 22 17 +5 32
8 Corvette Maulers 19 9 4 6 28 22 +6 31
9 Brookford Otters 19 8 6 5 27 23 +4 30
10 Stahlburg Rovers 19 8 5 6 30 23 +7 29
11 Vermillion Wanderers 19 8 4 7 23 20 +3 28
12 Barossia United 19 8 3 8 21 23 -2 27
13 Cranequin Wanderers 19 7 3 9 13 20 -7 24
14 AFC Serpentine 19 5 4 10 25 29 -4 19
15 Armstrong 19 5 4 10 16 25 -9 19
16 Cypher Town 19 5 0 14 19 28 -9 15
17 Corinthians No Longer 19 4 3 12 17 37 -20 15
18 North Sabrefell 19 3 5 11 18 35 -17 14
19 Mantlegrove 19 2 6 11 10 24 -14 12
20 AFC Rochford 19 1 7 11 7 25 -18 10
SECOND DIVISION
Pos Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Peregrine 19 12 5 2 44 15 +29 41
2 Greygate 19 11 5 3 21 11 +10 38
3 Locksley 19 10 6 3 42 23 +19 36
4 Alliance Barossia 19 10 5 4 27 19 +8 35
5 Aries Solitaire 19 10 3 6 37 23 +14 33
6 Bishop 19 8 5 6 35 27 +8 29
7 Morningstar 19 8 5 6 24 20 +4 29
8 Cranequin City 19 8 5 6 20 22 -2 29
9 Gonen's Bridge 19 7 6 6 32 28 +4 27
10 Pillars of Southfell 19 7 6 6 20 17 +3 27
11 Latin Enclave FC 19 8 2 9 36 41 -5 26
12 Boltcroft Thorns 19 6 7 6 26 29 -3 25
13 Chardonnay Rangers 19 6 6 7 27 27 +0 24
14 The Strongest 19 6 4 9 39 38 +1 22
15 West Brinemouth 19 6 3 10 18 27 -9 21
16 Crisisbless Athletic 19 5 5 9 21 28 -7 20
17 New Oakstone Phoenix 19 5 4 10 29 44 -15 19
18 Mapleford 19 5 2 12 18 35 -17 17
19 Falston United 19 3 4 12 13 33 -20 13
20 Ritter Town 19 3 4 12 18 40 -22 13
