Huge Sheffield FC win gives hopes of survival – but three sent off in dramatic tie

Sheffield FC have their league safety in their own hands with two games to go. (via Joe Smart/@SheffieldFC)

The World’s First have endured a tough season in the Northern Premier League East, but picked up a huge three points on Saturday as Marc Newsham and Sam Greenhouse got the goals in a 2-0 away win that saw them move up to fourth bottom of the table and out of the relegation zone.

It was a game full of drama, though, with three players being sent off in the sixth minute as the hosts were reduced to nine men and the visitors to 10 after Damien Magee was given his marching orders.

Sheffield now have two games left to save their status in the division, and will desperate to get a result over locals rivals, Stocksbridge Park Steels, on Monday after the Steels fell to a surprise 1-0 defeat to bottom-of-the-table Pickering Town over the weekend.

Stocksbridge are comfortably mid-table at present after a decent season, and Sheffield will be hoping for two more positive results against them and Pontefract Collieries in order to make sure that they avoid the drop.

They’re currently a point ahead of second-bottom Bridlington and third-bottom Frickley Athletic, with the race for survival set to really go down to the wire going into the last couple of games.

Elsewhere, Hallam FC’s title-winning season came to an end last weekend while Handsworth’s 2021/22 campaign finished a few days ago with a 2-1 win over Staveley Miners Welfare, with goals from Robert Ludlum and Sam Essien seeing them secure a fifth-place finish in the NCEL Premier Division.