It’s week four of the College Football League and, again, football was played and people liked it.

This week was especially likable should you have any kind of connection with Downing, who managed to gain some form of retribution for their (absolute annihilation/demolition/obliteration) defeat in the Cup last week against Fitzwilliam. Queens’ also liked the football this week for they managed to crush fellow newly promoted side Churchill by beating them 4-0. They continue to confound all expectations this season. Elsewhere, there were wins for Pembroke, St John’s and league leaders Jesus. Likable.

In Division Two, not many colleges like football apparently, as I have just two results to bring you this week. Robinson clearly do like playing, as they kept up their 100% record in all competitions with a 1-0 victory over Girton. They also like clean sheets, as they are yet to concede a goal in the league this season. Darwin and King’s couldn’t be more different, for these two shared the spoils in a thrilling 4-4 draw.

 

 

Premier Division

 

Jesus 5-0 Trinity Hall

Jesus: Odling, Potten-Raveshad, Law, Ashmead, Raikes

Another win for Jesus means they probably cannot be considered dark horses any more, or even Mourinho milk starved little horses either. A 5-0 win over Trinity Hall is perhaps an unsurprising result, since Trinity Hall have been, well, awful this season. But another five goals (notably scored by five different goalscorers) takes their goal difference up to plus ten, having scored eleven goals in their first three games with only one in reply. Odling, Law, Ashmead, Raikes and former Hogwarts student Potten-Raveshad all etched their names onto the scoresheet this week, sending Jesus top on goal difference. Jesus shared top spot with Queens’, who they face next week. Showdown

Trinity Hall showed more character in this fixture, but another heavy defeat leaves them in serious trouble. No points, a wretched goal difference and out of Cuppers, this season looks to be drifting away down the river Cam for them.

 

Downing 1-0 Fitzwilliam

Downing gained revenge for last week’s embarrassment against Fitzwilliam by beating them 1-0 in the league, and putting the Hill College’s title aspirations in serious jeopardy. Missing a couple of key players as well having to play players who had already taken part in one fixture before the game, Fitz were always going to find this one difficult against a normally resolute Downing side (except last week obviously #7-1). Downing scored the winner late on, with a goal that could have been given as offside but was overlooked. Back-to-back 1-0 defeats for Fitz leaves them 6 points off the pace, and with previous title winners continuously averaging above 20 points as the title threshold, Fitz will need to win all six of their remaining games to be in with a shout. Downing are likewise in a similar position, with this week’s win their first of the campaign. Fitz face St John’s next week, whilst Downing host Churchill.

 

Churchill 0-4 Queens’

Queens’: Sefton (x2), Ward, Hope

Churchill’s growing injury list was compounded by a poor performance against high-flying Queens’, who have started the season superbly. Queens’ totally dominated this fixture, grabbing a goal early on through Sefton to set the tone. Ward then doubled their advantage on the half hour mark with a well- timed half volley. Churchill were unable to rally themselves in the Second Half and were punished by a ‘terrorising’ Sefton who grabbed the visitors’ third following a mazy run. Hope finished off the route with another commanding header, making it 9 in 4 now for the man everyone believes in. Queens’ have really taken the top flight by storm, and will head into their title showdown with Jesus in high spirits. Churchill will be disappointed to lose this one in such a one-sided fashion, however, with three points from two games, they know they have everything still to play for.

 

Selwyn 0-3 Pembroke

Pembroke: Ogier, Berenson-Barros (x2)

Pembroke recorded their first win of the season with a 3-0 win over Selwyn. In what was a solid all round performance, underpinned by the uncompromising centre-back pairing of Burdett and Allan who gave the Selwyn forwards nothing to go on as well as the industrious Berenson-Barros who was a permanent thorn in Selwyn’s side with his hassling and work rate. He deserved his two goals, whilst captain Tom Ogier also found the net for the away side. Pembroke, who received a Bye in the First Round of Cuppers, have responded well to their opening day set back against Fitz and with Division Two bound Trinity Hall to play next, they will hope to rack up the points and throw themselves back in amongst the frontrunners. Selwyn, whose only win so far has come against strugglers Trinity Hall, remain a somewhat unknown entity.

St John’s 2-1 Caius

It’s back to back wins for St John’s who look to be building up ahead of steam as they seek to catch up with front runners Jesus and Queens’. Another win here leaves them just three points behind the early pace setters. However, it must be noted that their wins have come against the two sides who sit rock bottom of the league, Caius and Trinity Hall. After last week’s comfortable crushing this week looked a trickier affair, however a win is a win. They will face tougher opposition next week when they face Fitzwilliam. Caius remain without a win so far, but having faced Jesus, Queens’ and St John’s, the current top three in the league, they will take confidence from the fact that there will be easier fixtures up ahead.

 

Division Two

Darwin 4-4 King’s

King’s: Bell (x3), Daley

Darwin claimed their first point of the season in thrilling fashion as they managed to salvage something from their encounter with King’s despite trailing 4-1 with 20 minutes left to play. After last week’s ‘sunniness’ dilemma for King’s, the weather again proved to haunt them, this time in the form of gale force winds and driving rain. As did the lack of a referee, although unlike last week, this week’s volunteer escaped unscathed from the wrath of King’s captain Case. A hat-trick from converted striker from left back Elliot Bell (he now as 7 in over 140 minutes of football following the positional switch) and another from Andy Daley seemed to leave King’s on course for their second league win of the season. But Darwin had other ideas, and a combination of a rallying display and King’s inability to deal with set pieces allowed them back into the game. It finished 4-4, pulling Darwin out of the bottom two, while putting King’s into the top three for the time being.

 

 

Robinson 1-0 Girton

Robinson: Procter

League leaders Robinson continued their march towards back to back promotions with yet another win, this time against promotion hopefuls Girton. In a game that certainly wasn’t one for the purists, mainly due to the strong wind and tiny pitch rendering any tiki-taka football redundant. The first 45 was even but it would be fair to say that Girton looked most likely to score, denied only by Harrison and a last-ditch tackle from Friend. Robinson took control in the second half, though, and although Girton had a shot rattle off the post from a tight angle, Robinson kept the opposition firmly at bay and seemed best placed to win the game. The defining moment came when the ball reached Sibley in the middle of the pitch. He was able to jink through the defence and lay it off to Procter, the left-winger slotting the ball in at the near post for a rare right-footed goal with ten minutes to spare. Girton never really mounted a serious threat after that hammer blow and Robinson eased over the finish line. Binson continue the promising knack of winning despite not hitting top gear. They remain top, three points clear of St Catherine’s, while Girton sit fourth having amassed three points from their opening two fixtures.