RYDE ACADEMY - 6 A SIDE - THURSDAY NIGHT

It was brilliant to have all our sides pumped and ready to go for week 8 of our Thursday night 6 a side season at Ryde Academy last night, thankfully the rain that had pelted down all day dispersed for the duration of our match night and we were all set for another epic round of games in one of the Isle of Wights most competitive leagues. 

There was no change in the Premier League standings with leaders Sat Fesh joined in picking up 2 points by 2nd placed Puyol Pants Down and Guns n Moses who continue to recover following a less than impressive start to the season. It was normal service resumed for Sat Fesh though after dropping a point last week they were back to winning ways with a good 6 - 3 score over Unathletico Madrid. Valentine Isac leading the way with 3 to keep his nose firmly in front in the golden boot race while Sam Higgin, Brad Austin and Paddy Omeara all chipped in to maintain their teams 3 point gap at the top. Puyol left it late to ensure they didn't lose touch with the leaders this week, scoring the winner in the dying moments of the game to register an important 3 - 2 win. Guns n Moses have rediscovered their form from last season recently and continue to improve as the campaign unfolds. It's possibly too little too late for another title challenge but who knows, all they can do is win games of football and they did that this week with an impressive display against Roverners, coming away with 2 more points and a 7 - 2 score line in their favour. It was some game that followed to round off the prem action for this week as relegation threatened Goldies claimed their 2nd win on the bounce in dramatic fashion. This game had everything as both sides gave all they had in an end to end match up that really could have finished with any score. Goldies just sneaked it 9 - 8 but Ryde Galacticos certainly played their part in what was one of the best games of this season so far. Harry Groves' 4 goals doing the business for his team. Well done to both sides and a crucial win for Goldies who are now in touch with the pack of teams in mid table.

There was a big shift in momentum in Division One this week as all of the top 5 except leaders Butlins Bandits picked up wins, opening up the title race completely and drawing 2nd placed Khedira Pin Drop level on points with their old rivals. Khedira's 2 - 1 win over Chamakh came with a goal each from Jarrad Fisher and Luke Warde who settled in quickly in his 1st game of the season for the team. Can they push on from here and become real title contenders? There is a long way to go but they must have eyes on the prize and certainly be in with a good shout for promotion from this point. Butlins will be disappointed to have slipped up but they faced a strong Royal Mail-Drid side this week who had Spence Munsie in fine goal scoring form, banging home 4 of his teams 9 goals. Butlins didn't play badly and Dan Whitham's hattrick probably deserved to get something from the game but the league leaders will have to regroup and go again next week if they don't want their title push to unravel. Two sides who will be ready to pounce on a promotion chance if either of the top two slip up again are Hant's FC and Milfcarters both of whom had good wins again last night. The Milfs saw off Vectis Rovers 7 - 4 with 4 goals from Isaac Glynn backed up by a couple for Shay McGloughlin while Hant's had a great night against Grand Theft Porto as Dan Izzard smashed in 5 and Samuel Howard 3 in their comfortable 10 - 2 win to keep them within 2 points of the leaders in 4th place. 

So another brilliant week of games at Ryde, this league is really strong at the moment with some excellent and fully committed teams taking part each week. Nick and Pete did a great job on the whistles again and as we move towards the business end of the season there is loads to play for in both divisions. Well done to all involved, especially the captains who are doing a fantastic job in keeping their teams together. 

See you all next Thursday gents, keep up the great work.