There was no change at the Premier Division summit with all three top sides, BRADFORD PARK AVE, RETFORD UNITED and BOSTON UNITED winning without conceding a goal. Boston’s win was the most spectacular with seven against next to bottom OSSETT TOWN whilst Retford hit four at BURSCOUGH.

Leaders Bradford, however, will have been content with just two at home to STOCKSBRIDGE which maintained their five point cushion. Fourth place NORTH FERRIBY UNITED had a difficult looking trip to the in-form FC UNITED of MANCHESTER and so it proved as they let a two goal lead slip to share six goals.

GUISELEY closed to within a point of Ferriby after beating bottom club DURHAM CITY 2-0 whilst sixth placed KENDAL TOWN lost ground and their unbeaten home record stretching back more than a year to BUXTON. At the opposite end WORKSOP TOWN put a safety net between themselves and the relegation places with a point at MARINE and given their poor away record fourth bottom FRICKLEY ATHLETIC will have been pleased with a share of the spoils at HUCKNALL TOWN.

Elsewhere MATLOCK TOWN continued their fine recent form with a 3-1 win over WHITBY TOWN whilst ASHTON UNITED finally got a home win after losing five on the bounce when beating NANTWICH TOWN.

LANCASTER CITY maintained their six point advantage at the head of affairs in the First Division North when they ensured that HARROGATE RAILWAY left for home still without a win on their travels.

However it is SKELMERSDALE UNITED who are now their closest rivals after two wins in the week, the second of which came in the Division’s match of the day at COLWYN BAY who dropped two places from last week.

CURZON ASHTON consolidated fifth place edging past PRESCOT CABLES but there was a shock for FC HALIFAX TOWN who, after beating bottom club ROSSENDALE UNITED in midweek, went down to only their second league defeat when losing to the resurgent RADCLIFFE BOROUGH who have certainly enjoyed life since the turn of the year.

Midweek had seen them add TRAFFORD to their scalps but the latter bounced back on Saturday with eight goals at Rossendale. BAMBER BRIDGE registered their first away win in eight attempts as SALFORD CITY’s poor home form continued, OSSETT ALBION have now taken just six points in thirty after losing at AFC FYLDE, LEIGH GENESIS enjoyed a first away win in six in great style at CHORLEY, MOSSLEY came from two down to beat CLITHEROE whilst WOODLEY SPORTS and WARRINGTON TOWN shared six goals.

In the First Division South it was a terrible week for second place BELPER TOWN with a shock defeat at BRIGG TOWN followed by LEEK TOWN keeping their unbeaten home record with a 2-1 win over the “Nailers”.

Those defeats enabled MICKLEOVER SPORTS to increase their lead to seven points when they made it a dozen wins on the trot with a narrow 3-2 success against LOUGHBOROUGH DYNAMO. Third place GLAPWELL were turned over at home by GRANTHAM TOWN whilst CHASETOWN keep fifth after the narrowest of wins at bottom side WILLENHALL TOWN.

With only 12 points from the previous 27 WITTON ALBION badly needed three points against STAMFORD who have hit a run of poor results and it duly came with a 3-1 victory that pushes them up a place to sixth.