College football round-up

Goodricke find themselves on 10 points, sitting top of the league on goal difference, having won their first three games and drawn 0-0 with a resolute Vanbrugh side last Sunday. However, skipper Grafham has struggled to get out his best team for most of the season, with the ruling of only one university first team footballer allowed per team upsetting the balance of his side, resulting in some rather lacklustre performances. However, his own form and that of centre-back Adam Lewis has seen Goodricke get the results that matter. Their remaining fixtures are against James, Halifax and Alcuin - their three main competitors for the Autumn term title.

James have been the dark horses of this campaign, and find themselves in second place on 10 points. A battling win over Alcuin has epitomised their campaign - a strong work ethic and excellent communication all over the park. Also, the aerial domination of Worrall and Holdsworth in the middle of the pitch has been integral to an excellent term so far. They will be hoping to take all three points from their crunch game with Goodricke today, but then also face a potentially tough game with Halifax, and a weakened Derwent side.

Alcuin are third in the table on nine points. Having started the season brightly, a disappointing loss against James has hurt their title chances. However, the form of new boys Jack Crane and Dan Cox has given Alcuin some hope that the title could yet still be theirs. A massive game against their bogey team Vanbrugh awaits them today. Vanbrugh haven't lost to Alcuin in three years.

Halifax have found their way after a thumping 3-0 defeat on the opening day of the season to Alcuin. They currently sit on seven points, but skipper Fahey has found it hard to get out the team that he would like every week. Their chances surely rest with the form of stalwart Nightingale, and one of York football's big talents, Jeroen Oomen.

The gap between the top four and the bottom four has opened up considerably, with Vanbrugh the best of the rest on a mere four points. An opening day win over Langwith was followed with two successive thumpings at the hands of James and Halifax, and left skipper Sweetman wondering what to do. However, a battling draw with Goodricke will put Vanbrugh in good spirits for their crunch game with Alcuin.

Wentworth find themselves on three points after a historic 1-0 win over Derwent. Although they've found themselves thumped 11-1 and 8-0 by Goodricke and Alcuin respectively, the two goals from near the halfway line by skipper Depledge have certainly been college football highlights this term.

Below them, Langwith and Derwent find themselves on a solitary point. Langwith, who won this league this time last year, have certainly missed the talismanic figure of 'Langwith' Shaun, as their inability to score goals has left the talented De Souza isolated for many games, before his impromptu 'retirement' from college football has effectively left them with no options. Nevertheless, a 1-1 draw with James showed the battling qualities of Langwith that have made them the (almost) iconic figures of college football.

Derwent, the reigning college cup holders, have a single point against Halifax to their name. The mass exodus of strikers has left skipper Lavender with only the out-of-form Murphy at his disposal. While Derwent's 1sts seem to be going through some dark days, their seconds are powering away with the second team league, which shows that Derwent football isn't completely finished yet.

The season so far has seen the emergence of many new faces in a variety of different teams, and with many twists and turns guaranteed in the race for the title, college football is as alive and well as ever.

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