All of the top six sides in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division won on Saturday as the race for promotion to Step 4 approaches the final straight.Emley AFC's 3-1 home victory over
Barton Town keeps them six points clear at the summit with two games in hand of second-placed
Campion who won by the same scoreline against visitors
Handsworth.
Ruben Jerome, Paul Walker and Alex Metcalfe secured Emley an insurmountable lead by the interval before Reece Moody netted a 72nd minute consolation for the Swans who stay sixteenth.
Campion, meanwhile, also had a quick start with Patrick Sykes' double putting them 2-0 up by the twelfth minute before Alfie Dodsworth halved the deficit for Handsworth early in the second period and Joseph Colley made sure of the victory with the hosts' third in stoppage time.
Garforth Town,
Rossington Main and
Thackley may be too far behind now for a title challenge with them all sixteen points away from the summit, but wins ensured they kept hold of third, fourth and fifth spot, respectively, in the promotion play-off zone.
Jamie Barkway's brace ensured a 2-0 home victory for Garforth over
Goole AFC, Gregory Young snatched a 1-0 win for
Rossington Main against visitors
Bottesford Town in the 81st minute and
Thackley beat
Knaresborough Town 5-0 at Dennyfield.
George Green broke the deadlock just before the interval before second-half goals from Thomas Greaves twice, Aidan Chippendale and Josimar Bradshaw secured the three points for the home side.
Albion Sports remain in sixth, just outside the play-off zone by a point, after their 2-1 win at
Frickley Athletic, coming from behind with a second half double from Ashley Flynn to keep within touching distance of the top five.
In the battle to avoid relegation, basement side
Maltby Main led 2-0 at home to
Golcar United with both goals courtesy of Sam Ackroyd before Lee Bradshaw and Buddy Cox ensured it was a point apiece in a 2-2 draw.
Maltby close the gap to safety to two points with Goole now their nearest rivals as
Eccleshill United leapfrog the Vikings into eighteenth with a 2-1 home victory over
Silsden AFC.
Joao Silva's opener for the Eagles was cancelled out by Nash Connolly for the visitors but Matthias Britton's 67th minute strike gave the hosts what could be a vital three points in their bid to avoid the drop.
And, there were home wins for
Hallam and
Tadcaster Albion with Iren Wilson, Brandon Bradbury and Scott Ruthven netting for Hallam as they beat
Pickering Town 3-0 whilst Oliver Norman and Joseph Crosby gave the Brewers a 2-1 success against
Penistone Church.
In Division One,
Wakefield AFC maintained their one point advantage at the top of the table as Cameron Barnett, Jack Durkin and Sebastian Losa scored in their 3-1 home win over
Worsbrough Bridge Athletic following Nathan Moss' opener for the visitors.
Second-placed
Beverley Town ran out 9-0 winners at home to beleaguered bottom side
Ollerton Town with a hat-trick for Joe McFadyen, two each for Conner Harman and Luke Suluburic, and one apiece for Benjamin Hinchliffe and Joshua Batty.
Ross Duggan's 82nd minute winner secured a 2-1 win for
Parkgate at
Nostell Miners Welfare that lifts the Steelmen up into third, three points off the summit but with seven games in hand of the leaders.
Shirebrook Town drop to fourth and
Retford United stay fifth after their game at Cannon Park was one of two postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, the other being
Retford FC's trip to
Armthorpe Welfare.
Sixth-placed
Wombwell Town missed out on a chance to close the gap on the play-off zone as they went down 3-2 at
Louth Town after Finlay Drakes, Kieran Perry and Bailey Wright had put the home side three goals up by the half-hour mark.
Edward Agnew and Kane Reece brought Wombwell back to within a goal of their hosts in the second period but Louth held on for the victory that moves them up to tenth.
Horbury Town's 2-0 home victory over
Clay Cross Town keeps them seventh but now six points away from the top five, Jock Curran and Abdul Asamoah on the scoresheet for Darren Barnes' side.
There was a hat-trick for Jack Deakin as
Staveley Miners Welfare beat visitors
Swallownest 4-1, a defeat that leaves Swallownest, alongside Ollerton, stranded in the relegation zone.
The other side in the bottom three,
Yorkshire Amateur, gave their survival hopes a boost as they won 1-0 at home to the side just above the trapdoor
Glasshoughton Welfare.
Liam Parker struck with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining to reduce the gap between the two sides to just a point but there are bound to be more twists and turns with both of them still having eleven games to play.
James Woodhouse and Jack Briscoe got the goals in a 2-1 win for
Athersley Recreation at
Dronfield Town to ease their relegation fears a little.
And, an injury-time equaliser from Mike Morris saw the spoils shared in a 2-2 draw between hosts
Harrogate Railway Athletic and
Brigg Town.
Photo: Action from Garforth Town's 2-0 home victory over Goole AFC in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division on Saturday. (Picture: Thomas Crabb)