NPL season enters final third

League leaders Cuckney take their 27-point lead to Radcliffe-on-Trent where. despite both sides achieving winning draws last week. mindsets may be different.

Radcliffe should be buoyed by their result at Rolls, one that sees them now 30 points clear of the bottom two.

The Bears on the other hand will be concerned that they have now gone four matches without a win.

After their win last week over Welbeck that saw them rise to second in the table, Clifton Village travel to Mansfield Hosiery Mills with thoughts of closing the gap to Cuckney.

The Millers will have renewed confidence as, despite losing last week, they gathered enough bonus points to climb off the bottom of the table for the first time this season.

Caythorpe were able to lift themselves to third after their convincing display at Ordsall last time out.

They now play host to the NCB Academy with a 12-game unbeaten run to defend and a 29-point deficit on Cuckney to close.

For their part, the Academy have been on a good run themselves lately, going five without defeat and lifting themselves into mid-table.

Indeed, they could leap over Caythorpe with a big enough win.

Plumtree now lie fourth in the table after they lost to the Academy last week, and it doesn’t get any easier as the defending champions, West Indian Cavaliers, come to the PCG.

Despite the defeat, Plumtree are still only 31 points behind Cuckney, but only seven in front of fifth-placed Cavs.

To underline the Cavs’ lack of consistency this season, they haven’t lost in four games, but, haven’t won in four away games.

They will, however, be able to draw on the boost of having secured the NPL Twenty20 trophy last weekend.

Rolls Royce Leisure came out on the wrong side of the draw with Radcliffe last week, and subsequently slipped into a tie for sixth with the Academy.

They face an interesting trip to Welbeck Colliery this week with neither side in prime form.

Rolls have gone four games since their last win, while the Colliers have gone eight, and now sit just 30 points above the relegation zone, tied in ninth with Radcliffe.

Kimberley Institute are another side struggling for form lately, it’s been eight matches since they took maximum points in a game, although they have only lost two of their last 10 fixtures.

With their cushion to the relegation places being just 41 points, they will want to get the better of their visitors, Ordsall Bridon.

Bridon slipped to the bottom of the table after they ended up with zero points against Caythorpe for the second time this season.

All games are scheduled to commence at 12.30pm.