Football: City skipper out for the season
RIPON City will be without captain Paul Vincent as they face three games in seven days that could decide their season.
Charlie Brown's men play Otley Town in the West Yorkshire Premier Division tomorrow, sandwiched between cup ties against Beeston St Anthony's and Knaresborough Celtic.
The team are just 90 minutes away from the League Cup final – and two matches from the same stage of the Whitworth Cup – but must bounce back from the weekend's defeat without Vincent, who is expected to be out for the season with a knee injury.
"The injury looks like putting paid to Paul for the season, which is a real shame," Brown said.
"We've lost a quality player and our team captain."
City were set to take on Beeston St Anthony's in their league cup semi-final last night, before a league clash with Otley Town at Mallorie Park tomorrow (2.30pm) and Wednesday's Whitworth Cup hosting of Knaresborough Celtic (6pm), with the winners set to play Kirk Deighton for a place in the final.
"This week is massive," Brown said on Tuesday.
"It could get us into one final and a step closer to another.
"We've got an awful lot to play for."
Brown said the Beeston match was massively important to his players.
"We are 90 minutes away from a major cup final and that would be a massive achievement," Brown said.
"This is the biggest game of the season, without a shadow of a doubt.
"Beeston are high up in the table, but we'll work hard and, fingers crossed, we can get a result."
He said the quarter-final against Knaresborough Celtic was "a potential banana skin", with City needing to go out and prove just why they are odds-on favourites to progress.
"You would say on paper we've got to be looking at getting into that final, but they will come to Mallorie Park with nothing to lose," Brown said.
City lost 1-0 to Rothwell on Saturday, with the manager admitting it had been a turgid encounter not helped by poor weather and an "awful" pitch.
"We knew if there was a goal that was likely to seal it, and that's how it went, but a draw would have been a fair result," he said.
Apart from Vincent, City should have a full squad to choose from for this week's three fixtures.
BOROUGHBRIDGE are hoping a run of home games can secure them a top-five finish, after they slumped to a second successive defeat.
Manager Daz Ekin said Saturday's 1-0 loss at Altofts was a "travesty", with missed chances and some questionable refereeing contributing to a "bad day at the office".
"We were very unfortunate," Ekin said.
"We played very well and to lose 1-0 was a travesty. We created enough chances to win it and there were some bad decisions by the referee."
Ben Jones had two early one-on-ones with the Altofts 'keeper: after having his first effort saved, he elected to dribble round the 'keeper second time, but missed with his finish.
After that, the game was fairly even, with Paul Eagling failing to convert a couple of chances for 'Bridge, before Altofts took the lead with a controversial strike.
"The linesman was flagging for offside, but the referee played on," Ekin said.
"That went against us, but we put that behind us in the second half, took the game to them and had chances. We just couldn't take them.
"If we had still been there on Monday morning, I don't think we would have scored."
Ekin said that while he didn't want to make excuses, the referee had contributed to the defeat.
"One of their kids was booked for a foul when he should have been sent off and the goalkeeper only got a yellow card for handling outside his area – big decisions that went against us," he said.
"But we don't want to feel sorry for ourselves; it just wasn't our day."
Next up is Whitkirk on Saturday (2.30pm), one of five home games 'Bridge face between now and the end of season, compared to a single away match.
Ekin hopes the kind fixture list will help the side reverse its fortunes following successive defeats.
"We are second in the league and while Bardsey are the out-and-out favourites, we still think we can finish in the top five this year," he said.
"That has always been our aim, and if we can end the season in second or third, that would be fantastic."
The manager revealed that one player would be left out of the squad for Saturday's match, having failed to report for the Altofts game.
"We've been let down by a few players and this one didn't turn up on the day, which was disappointing," Ekin said.
Andy Layton and Richard Mullens will return to the squad for what promises to be a bruising encounter.
"Whitkirk is always a tasty game; they're a very fiery side," Ekin said.
"We need three big points and hopefully we can take our chances now we're playing at home."
BRIDGE A overcame Carlton Athletic Reserves 4-1 to ease their relegation concerns.
A 'Bridge own goal from Steve Kirby put them on the back foot, but strikes by James Cooper, Ryan Watts (penalty), Stephen Coles and Dave Coffey won the day.
BOROUGHBRIDGE's Claro League side went down 5-2 at home to The Ship in a miserable morning for the side.
Paul Scaife and man of the match Andy O'Hare got the goals for 'Bridge, who played the first ten minutes with ten men.
BOROUGHBRIDGE VETS were 1-0 winners over Bardsey Vets, completing a League and Cup double.
Steve Coghlin gave them an early lead and only some great saves by the Bardsey 'keeper prevented 'Bridge adding to their tally.
West Yorkshire League Pld Pts
Bardsey 21 46
Boroughbridge 24 41
Beeston St Anthony's 20 37
Sherburn White Rose 19 36
Leeds City 20 34
Altofts 22 33
Whitkirk Wanderers 22 32
Knaresborough Town 18 31
Field Sports & Social 22 28
Rothwell Athletic 24 26
Pool 19 25
Ripon City 19 24
Otley Town 24 23
Aberford Albion 22 21
Carlton Athletic 20 19
Ossett Common Rovers 20 12
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Weather for Ripon
Thursday 09 February 2012
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