Four-some Wenny rack up another win

And they did it in style too ­– by putting four past Shifnal Town at the Cottage Ground to move up to fourth in the table, 16 points off the summit but with three games in hand.

After a fairly even first 25 minutes, the hosts grabbed two goals in the space of four minutes, which placed them firmly in control of the game.

Former Shifnal striker Kyle Montague rifled the ball into the bottom corner from 15 yards to open the scoring, and this was followed by Harry Cunningham tucking home Brad Sharman’s right-wing cross from six yards.

Shaquille Lee thundered a shot against the crossbar, before Charlie Baker saved Mark Habbershaw’s follow-up with his feet.

But Wenny did make it 3-0 in the 59th minute when Montague tapped home, before Jamal Pinnock wrapped up the scoring in stoppage time with an unstoppable 20-yard strike into the roof of the net.

Tividale remain the side out in front, but they were held to a 1-1 draw by Malvern Town, who slipped to fifth.

Darragh Bustin’s equaliser five minutes before half-time secured Tivi a vital point, meaning they are seven clear of second-placed Haughmond having played two games more.

Haughmond closed the gap by overcoming Smethwick Rangers 3-1 on Saturday. Rangers remain 14th.

Wolverhampton Casuals are third, eight points behind Tividale, after a 5-1 victory at 13th-placed Bilston Town Community, while sixth-placed Black Country Rangers managed to put six unanswered goals past rock-bottom Pegasus Juniors.

Cradley Town remain 11th in the table after a 4-2 defeat at home to Hereford Lads Club, while the derby between 17th-placed Dudley Sports and 12th-placed Dudley Town ended all square at 1-1.

Darlaston Town marksman Leon Taylor hit the top of the West Midlands Division One scoring chart by bagging four goals, including a 29-minute hat-trick in the first half of a comfortable 6-1 victory against a spirited Telford Juniors.

Though they hold a five-point advantage over Worcester Raiders, it is the second-placed Raiders who possess four games in hand.

Daniel Bolzon teed up Taylor’s opener in the 12th minute, and he had to wait until the half-hour mark to double that tally after Alex Solomon had won the ball on the edge of the Telford penalty area to tee up his team-mate.

First-half substitute Ash Evans made it 3-0 before Taylor completed his treble four minutes before the interval – Solomon again the supplier on both occasions.

Taylor powered his way through the heart of the Telford defence, leaving four defenders in his wake, as he rolled the ball into the net for his 30th league goal of the season after the break.

Telford did find their way on to the scoresheet through Callum Wilson, but Town’s Noah Diallo rounded off the scoring from the spot after Tom Poole had handled Taylor’s goal-bound effort.

Elsewhere in the division, Team Dudley beat Newport Town 4-2, Old Wulfrunians drew 0-0 at Bromyard Town and Tipton Town were defeated 4-0 by Droitwich Spa.

The Midland League Premier Division’s bottom club, Wolves Sporting, had a day to forget as they suffered a 7-1 hammering at home to Coventry United.

Though Dominic Dell responded just after the break to two first-half goals from Coventry, United streaked away as Sporting faded.

Sporting Khalsa and Walsall Wood kept their title hopes alive with a pair of 2-0 away wins.

Khalsa overcame Coventry Sphinx thanks to a brace of second-half strikes from Jay Holdcroft, while Joey Butlin and Kyle Rowley scored either side of the interval in Wood’s triumph at South Normanton Athletic.

AFC Wulfrunians could not hold on to a lead given to them by Kyle Brady on the stroke of half-time as Loughborough University hit back in the second half for a share of the spoils, leaving the Wulfs eighth in the table.

Brocton ran out 2-1 winners at Leicester Road in Midland League Division One.

All the goals came in the second half, with Jack Arrowsmith firing them ahead before Matt Langham pegged them back. But parity remained for just four minutes until Andrew Davies scored the Badgers’ winner.

Missing six regular first-team players, Heath Hayes saved their worst performances of the season for their visit to relegation rivals Nuneaton Griff.

With both sides turning in a performance worthy of their league positions and neither keeper making a worthwhile save, it was Nuneaton who took the points with their only two strikes on target.

Frazer Mullis gave Griff the lead five minutes before the interval, and substitute Scott Smith wrapped up the points in the 90th minute.

Hayes are third from the bottom of the table, one place and six points better off than their opponents, and a further five points clear of rock-bottom Littleton.