Stingy Spalding United are on top after 7th clean sheet in a row, red card wrecked Stamford AFC hopes, Bourne Town warm up for big game in style

Danny Draper scored after seven minutes for Spalding and that was enough for the team with the meanest defence in the division.

The Tulips have now kept seven clean sheets in a row in league games ahead of two home matches against next-to-bottom Rugby Town on Tuesday (January 9) and a big one against third placed Anstey Nomads next Saturday (January 13, 3pm).

Previous leaders Harborough saw their scheduled Saturday game postponed.

Stamford AFC lost their game at Southern League Premier Division Central rivals Stratford 2-1 despite taking a first-half lead through Lee Shaw who finished off some fine approach play from Jack Duffy.

But a straight red card for Ashton Offler left the Daniels with 10 men for the final half an hour and the home side went on to score twice in the final 15 minutes.

Stamford remain sixth, one place outside the play-off places, but now level on points with seventh-placed Stratford.

There was a debut goal for Harry Grigas as Wisbech Town beat Heanor 4-2 in the United Counties Premier Division North. Toby Allen, Rob Conyard and Andre Williams also scored for the Fenman who are 10th, two places behind Deeping Rangers who went down 2-1 at home to Boston Town.

Wisbech have club stalwart Mel Mattless back as assistant manager.

Fourth-placed March Town’s promotion hopes in the Premier Division South suffered a knock as they went down 4-2 at Rugby Borough despite scoring twice in the first 15 minutes through Craig Gillies and Joseph Rider.

Leaders Bourne Town warmed up for a huge game next Saturday (3pm) against second-placed Clipstone at the Abbey Lawns with a solid 2-0 success at Radford. Bourne carry a nine-point lead into a game against the only team to have beaten them this season.

An own goal and a Will Bird strike secured a secured a 20th win from 24 league games for the Wakes.

Blackstones still have play-off hopes in this division. Nathan Rudman scored twice in a 6-0 home win over Leicester St Andrews.

Jones De Sousa gave Whittlesey Athletic a half-time lead at Leiston Under 23s in Division One North of the Thurlow Nunn League, but the hosts found a second-half equaliser.

FC Peterborough were beaten 4-1 at third-placed Holland FC.

Peterborough Sports’ National League North fixture at Banbury scheduled for Saturday was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

RESULTS

National League

North Division: Postponed: Banbury United v Peterborough Sports.

Southern League

Premier Division Central: Stratford Town 2, Stamford AFC 1 (Duffy).

Northern Premier League

Midlands Division: Coventry Sphinx 0, Spalding United 1 (Draper).

United Counties League

Premier North Division: Deeping Rangers 1 (Waumsley), Boston Town 2; Wisbech Town 4 (Allen, Conyard, Grigas, Wiliams), Heanor Town 2. Postponed: Pinchbeck United v Newark & Sherwood United;

Premier South Division: Rugby Borough 4, March Town 2 (Gillies, Rider). Postponed: Godmanchester Rovers v Yaxley.

Division One: Blackstones 6 (Rudman 2, Short, Wilson, Tudosa, Duffy-Weeks), Leicester St Andrews 0; Radford 0, Bourne Town 2 (Bird, og).

Thurlow Nunn League

Division One North: Holland FC 4, FC Peterborough 1; Leiston U23s 1, Whittlesey Athletic 1 (De Sousa). Postponed: FC Parson Drove v Stanway Pegasus; Harwich & Parkston v Holbeach United.