Hope Valley Football League sides dominate Derbyshire Divisional Cup North

7 of the 10 Premier Division squads were in cup action, with 4 sides completing ‘in-house’ Derbyshire Cup fixtures. The first fixture of the day saw Chapel Town Firsts welcome Central Midlands Alliance Division 1 East leaders, Shirebrook Soldiers, to Rowton Park. Shirebrook are unbeaten in their respective division currently, as are Chapel Town, indicating a close fixture if statistics are to be trusted. Statistics do not lie, as the fixture could not be settled in 90 minutes! Joey Hollamby and Josh Wood both scored for Chapel as the fixture finished 2-2, meaning penalties would be required to determine a winner. Chapel got the job done and progressed through to the next round, defeating Shirebrook 4-3 via the penalty spot.

Hayfield Firsts were up next and travelled to the picturesque Cromford Meadows to face off against Central Midlands Alliance Premier Division South outfit, Cromford & Wirksworth Town. Hayfield knew there would be a tough test ahead of them, but their league form put them into a prime position to complete a potentially fantastic win. Cromford took the lead in the first half, but Hayfield held firm and gave it their all in the second half. Their attitude paid off come the final whistle, as they progressed through to the next round by overcoming Cromford’s 1 goal lead. Joe Armstrong stole the headlines again, with his 9-minute brace flipping the game on its head completely. Joe now has 20 goals across all competitions in just 7 games.

Dove Holes Firsts were looking to put last week's defeat to Dronfield FC (Baslow) behind them and would need to defeat the prestigious Glapwell of the Central Midlands Alliance Premier Division North to do so. Dove made amends, beating Glapwell 4-1 and ensuring that the league had 3 teams into the latter stages of the Derbyshire Cup. Tom Forder and Dan Gilbride each grabbed a goal, with Ben Bagshaw netting a brace to secure a fantastic win for Dove.

The 19th Hole and Buxworth Firsts completed the first Derbyshire Cup fixture to feature two sides from the Hope Valley Football League of the day, with both teams having made good starts in the premier division. A close game saw Buxworth edge their way to victory, joining Chapel Town Firsts, Hayfield Firsts and Dove Holes Firsts in the next round. Jordan Cooper and Andrew Ramwell secured Buxworth’s cup run for another round at least, with the 19th Hole’s only reply courtesy of Jamie Prince.

Dronfield Woodhouse capped off the Premier Divisions County Cup fixture, welcoming Bamford to Dronfield Woodhouse Recreational Ground. Bamford overcame Dronfield eventually, winning the tie 2-0. Goals from Conor Maskrey and James Thompson confirmed Bamford’s victory. The win confirmed that FIVE Hope Valley Football League teams are into the next round, confirming to the county what league officials and clubs already knew, that the Hope Valley Football League possesses immense quality.

The A Division saw 3 squads continue their journey in the Derbyshire Junior Cup North, with 2 league fixtures scheduled alongside the cup feast. Calver were up first and travelled to Glossop North End Community Club of the Manchester Football League Division 2. It was not to be on the day, as Glossop progressed into the next round beating Calver 6-1. A similar fate awaited Hayfield Reserves, who travelled to Bakewell to play their development side who ply their trade in the Central Midlands Alliance Division 1 West. The young reserves lost 7-0 but will take some valuable lessons away from the fixture which is a positive for the squad moving forward.

Chapel Town Reserves completed the Derbyshire Cup schedule for the weekend, as they made the 71-mile round trip to play Langwith Whitestar of the Nottinghamshire Senior League Division 3. Again, it was not to be for the Hope Valley outfit, as they succumbed to a 6-2 defeat. A trip of that distance was deserving of a more pleasing result, but football can be a cruel mistress.

The only Premier Division fixture played on the day saw Tideswell pick up a fantastic win against Furness Vale. The 2-1 victory will provide Tideswell with some much-needed confidence going forward, which will be needed if they want to grab another victory next week against Dove Holes Firsts. The A Division saw 2 fixtures played, as Blazing Rag went searching for their first win of the season against Hathersage. Hathersage continued their impressive form, with a convincing 6-1 victory over Rag. A result which sees them maintain their 4th placed status in the A Division.

Youlgrave hosted Dove Holes Reserves in the final fixture of the weekend, and after last week's brilliant victory over Chapel Town Reserves, Dove needed a reliable performance to overcome a rightfully confident Pommie. They did just that, winning the match 3-0 thanks to a hattrick from Ryan Bradd. The result sees Dove move two points clear at the top of the A Division, creating a thrilling title race just 6 games into the season.

Joe Armstrong remains unchallenged at the summit of the Premier Division’s golden boot race with 18 league goals in 6 games. Calver’s Ayr Barker remains top of the A Division golden boot race, but Ryan Bradd is on his tail after his stunning performance this weekend, with a single goal separating the two.