L3 | S2 | W18: Shin Kickers knock out West London Blue as Richmond seal the title

📰 Week 18 in Review – Season 2

Week 18 was the week the Supremos Cup Last 16 arrived – and it did not disappoint. The biggest story of the night was not on the league table at all: Shin Kickers put West London Blue to the sword 2-0, knocking one of Division 1’s joint leaders straight out of the cup and leaving Loz Newbold’s side to regroup for the title run-in without a cup campaign to carry. Elsewhere, Richmond finally, officially, mathematically put Division 3’s title conversation to bed. Yakubu saw to that.

In the league, the four-way Division 1 race tightened into something more dramatic. South Park Cows lost at home to West London Blue – a result that hands WLB a three-point lead over Kevin Haney’s side – but the headline WLB result of the week came hours later in the cup, where Shin Kickers dismantled them. Division 2 saw Frenchy’s Dons finally separate themselves from Alveley Wolves after a 3-1 win at Carrotasaray, while Wolves could only draw at home to Supremos. Division 4 is still Tantany Rangers and Grove Old Boys, with a two-point gap and twelve games to settle it.

🏆 Division 1 – The Cup Wrinkle

West London Blue arrived at Week 18 level with Mighty Greens on 38 points and went into the league fixture at South Park Cows needing three points to stamp their authority. They got them. Gudjohnsen settled it at 28 minutes, the Cows unable to find a response, and WLB moved to 41 – three ahead of South Park Cows, who have now lost two in a row after looking genuine challengers just a fortnight ago.

💡 Indie Kids United quietly moved to third on 35 points, edging above South Park Cows. Mark E Smith’s side drew at BK Rovers last week and have now gone five games unbeaten. They may not be the headline act but they haven’t gone away.

The real talking point, though, is the cup. Shin Kickers – eighth in Division 1 on 23 points – produced a result that will define their season. Power scored at 11 minutes and again at 59 to put Nigel McGee’s side through to the quarter-finals and leave West London Blue without a cup campaign. Loz Newbold’s side lost both goals early and never really recovered. A fortnight ago Shin Kickers looked like a mid-table side scrapping to keep their head above water. Now they’re into the last eight and have beaten a title challenger to get there.

At the bottom, Leicester Lightening’s misery deepened. Another defeat – they’ve now lost six on the bounce, with zero away goals this season across five road trips in that run. Patrick’s side are nine points and counting from safety. Grange Hill Rovers remain bottom on nine, and the gap above them isn’t closing.

⚠️ Leicester Lightening: P18, W2, D2, L14. Nine points. Mathematically alive but the body language of a side that knows what’s coming.

💙 Division 2 – Dons Break Clear

After weeks of deadlock between Frenchy’s Dons and Alveley Wolves, Week 18 finally opened a gap. Nick Bristow’s Dons were comfortable at Carrotasaray – Lang with two goals either side of a French finish – while Wolves could only manage a goalless draw at home to Supremos. Dons now sit two points clear at 41, with Wolves on 39. It’s not a comfortable lead, but it’s the first time either side has had any daylight since before the halfway mark.

🔍 Supremos earned that point at Alveley. Willie Winit’s side are now six from the top and showing no signs of dropping off – their record at the Imperium Arena has been strong all season. Supremos in the top three at the halfway point isn’t where most expected them to be.

Kaapstad are quietly doing their work in fourth. Ndoumbe bagged both in a 2-0 win over Crazy Aces – his 72nd and 89th minute strikes settling any nerves. Simon Cleworth’s side are four points off second and still showing signs they mean business. Meanwhile, Camden Town are starting to make a case for themselves in sixth after a 2-0 win at Tayside Royal – Bullet twice – their third win in the last five.

Trumpton’s remarkable away barren run continues. Münchn Biscuits beat them 2-0 to extend their road drought to nine away games, nine defeats, and still not a single goal on the road all season. Stuart Merry’s side have the home points to stay off the bottom for now, but the away record is genuinely extraordinary in its awfulness.

❤️ Division 3 – Yakubu Seals the Deal

It’s done. Richmond are champions. Ted Lasso’s side went to Portsea City and won 3-0 – Yakubu completing his hat-trick with goals at the 2nd, 62nd and 80th minute. Richmond now sit on 50 points from 18 games, sixteen clear of Fulchester United in second. The title was a formality for weeks. The hat-trick was the full stop.

💡 Yakubu has been Richmond’s engine all season. Fifteen goals before this week, seventeen now. With twelve games still to play and Richmond already over the line, the real question is whether anyone can stop him reaching twenty.

Behind Richmond, the battle for the second and third promotion spots is very much alive. St Venage Borough climbed to third after a 2-0 win at home to Woodhouse Imperial, with Quigley and Maamria both on the scoresheet. Wayne McCauley’s side are a point behind Fulchester United with the same games played. AFC Navenby won 2-0 at home to Waterside Rovers – Richie and Ribeiro doing the damage – to stay in fourth. This second-to-fifth cluster is going to run the length of the season.

In the cup, Gwent Saints beat South Park Cows 2-1, eliminating one of the D1 title contenders and making it through to the quarter-finals. Justin’s side have been steady without drawing many headlines – the cup run may be the story that brings them more attention.

⚠️ Mount Florida AFC remain rooted to the bottom on 9 points – a solitary win all season. With Westhill Town and Tottenham Coldspur both still without managers in the dugout, the bottom of Division 3 remains one of the more uncomfortable corners of the Unreal Academy.

💛 Division 4 – Middle of the Pack

Tantany Rangers and Grove Old Boys remain the Division 4 story, though that two-point gap at the top – Rangers 37, Grove Old Boys 35 – remains stubbornly similar to last week. Lee Von Cleef’s Rangers won 1-0 at Joburg Shongololo through Simmonds in the 9th minute; Stuart Bartholomew’s Grove Old Boys beat Stoke Prior 1-0 with Stephenson scoring early. Both sides winning, neither budging the gap. It’ll take one of them to slip for the picture to shift.

The more interesting story this week sits in the middle of the table, where a cluster of sides are quietly making their case for the third promotion spot. Thetford Tigers climbed to fifth with a 3-2 win at Tottenham Mustangs – Gilding twice and Hibbert in between for the Tigers. Paul Rawlings’ Abbey United also made ground, coming from behind to beat Woodfarm Warriors 2-1, with Hoolahan and Dublin turning it around after Rigg had given Woodfarm an early lead. Neither side is yet close enough to make it a genuine three-way race at the top, but both are in the conversation for that third spot with twelve games to go.

🔍 Hillgrove United are quietly building something. Anthony Augustus’s side beat Quinton Athletic 1-0 – Ferguson early – and have won three of their last four. They sit eighth on 25 points but their recent form (W3, D1, L1) places them among the division’s better sides right now.

At the bottom, Tintagel Knights lost again, dropping to 15th on 15 points. Tom Cropper took over in Week 16 and has yet to pick up a win. The appointment was supposed to stabilise things – there are signs of effort but not yet results. Woodfarm Warriors, without a manager, continue to drift.

🏆 Supremos Cup – Quarter-Final Draw

The Last 16 produced some excellent results and the quarter-final draw is now confirmed for Week 23. Clubs knocked out at this round received £150,000 in prize money. The teams who made it through:

The quarter-final draw throws up four intriguing ties:

💡 Grange Hill Rovers are still bottom of Division 1 but they’re in the cup quarter-finals. They beat St Venage Borough 2-0 to get there. Football does occasionally produce moments like this and Geoff Baxter deserves credit – the cup campaign is the one bright spot in what has otherwise been a difficult season.

Teams going out at this stage collect £150,000. The semi-finals are worth £400,000, with the final runner-up taking £600,000 and the winner £1,000,000.

🗞️ Around the League

Wayne McCauley of St Venage Borough was the score draw winner this week, picking up £800,000 after correctly identifying the draws. One correct guess from the managers pool – well done to Wayne on a tidy bit of extra income for the Borough.

Crowd trouble hit three grounds in Week 18. The worst of it was at Joburg Shongololo vs Tantany Rangers, where 77 arrests were made, 13 officers were injured and £90,253 of stadium damage was caused. Busby Babes United vs Plymouth Parkway saw 73 arrests and £91,680 of damage. München Biscuits vs Trumpton added 52 arrests and £60,401 of damage to the week’s police reports – a rough evening all round for those stewarding teams.

On the attendance front, Team Van Holland continue to draw the biggest crowds in the division – average home gate of 38,106 over the season, nearly 6,000 more than the next best. Colesbourne Rangers lead Division 2 at 31,939. Gwent Saints and AFC Navenby are the D3 crowd pullers – 30,908 and 30,192 respectively.

In transfers, West London Blue won the bidding for Gianluca Conti from the Supremos Circuit at £4,100,000 – eight clubs submitted bids for the 15-year-old midfielder rated at 65%. St Venage Borough landed both Juan Pena and Jaap Visser from the circuit this week, adding a youth player and a spy to their setup. Wayne McCauley’s side are clearly investing. Kaapstad picked up Basir Polat in goal for £1,255,000 and Grange Hill Rovers secured defender Nestor Chinchilla for £2,900,000 from the circuit.

Richmond loaned out Manfred Von Richtofen to Ilkeston Rams for 10 weeks – with the title wrapped up and the squad already well-stocked, Ted Lasso clearly feels he can afford the generosity. Ilkeston will be glad of the help; they sit tenth on 20 points.

The Gossip Sheet flags Alveley Wolves as carrying 244 disciplinary points – the highest in Division 2 by some distance, more than three times the next closest. Andy Pierce may want to have a word. On the positive side, the Heroes in Boots section notes some good community work from players across the league this week – Tom Weber of Kaapstad, David Muratovic of Real Braintree, and Saw Paing of Blackheath Town all putting time in outside of matchday.