Heyside must guard against complacency

FIVE 'CUP FINALS' ARE BECKONING . . . Heyside captain Ryan Barnes in action against Uppermill last weekend, when he scored 75

IT'S coming up to crunch time for Heyside as their Pennine League Championship promotion tilt approaches its exciting climax.

Incredibly, with two promotion places up for grabs, the top three teams in the second tier - Heyside, Milnrow and Stayley - are all locked on 59 points with five games to play.

It couldn't be much more exciting as the Little Hey Street men gear up for what could be a pivotal weekend.

Heyside travel to mid-table Werneth tomorrow and then rock-bottom Micklehurst on bank holiday Monday. Heyside skipper Ryan Barnes is totally focused on the remaining fixtures.

He said: "On paper we will be expecting to win both Werneth and Micklehurst, I guess, but there can't be any complacency from the lads.

"We'll be treating every one of our five remaining games like cup finals.

"If we win all five, we'll go up as champions and that would be just fantastic."

He added: "We've done well overall, but there have been a few matches where we could have won and we didn't.

"Saying that, it has helped that we already knew quite a few of the teams in our Pennine League division this year as they were in the Saddleworth League with us.

"We've been familiar with a lot of the pitches and how they play, and that helps." Friarmere are still very much in the promotion mix, too. They are currently four points off the pace and face Micklehurst at home tomorrow and a trip to Shaw on Monday.

Saddleworth's Premiership title tilt will continue with a crunch home match against fourth-placed Crompton tomorrow, while a trip to leaders Littleborough beckons on Monday. On the same day, Crompton travel to Greenfield.

Meanwhile, it's Twenty20 Cup finals day on Sunday, at Greenfield, with the action getting under way at 10.30am with the first semi-final between the hosts and Crompton.

Friarmere take on Monton and Weaste at 1.30pm, with the winners set to lock horns in the final at approximately 4.30pm.

This weekend's fixtures (all league matches start at 12.30pm) -

Saturday, Premiership: Austerlands v Glodwick; Norden v Monton and Weaste; Rochdale v Greenfield; Royton v Middleton; Walsden v Littleborough; Saddleworth v Crompton. Championship: Ashton v Stayley; Friarmere v Micklehurst; Oldham v Moorside; Shaw v Milnrow; Uppermill v Hollinwood; Werneth v Heyside.

Sunday, Twenty20 Cup finals day (at Greenfield): Crompton v Greenfield (10.30am); Friarmere v Monton and Weaste (1.30pm); Final (4.30pm).

Monday, Premiership (rearranged from April 30): Greenfield v Crompton; Littleborough v Saddleworth; Middleton v Glodwick; Monton and Weaste v Austerlands; Norden v Walsden; Rochdale v Royton. Championship (rearranged from April 30): Hollinwood v Ashton; Micklehurst v Heyside; Milnrow v Stayley; Moorside v Werneth; Oldham v Uppermill; Shaw v Friarmere.