Rayners Lane 1

Willesden Constantine 2

Reigning Middlesex County League Champions Rayners Lane kissed goodbye to retaining their title after going down to champions-elect Willesden.

Willesden now need just two points from their next three games to make sure of the top spot and were obviously elated with Saturday's win as the celebrations started before they left the pitch.

Lane will have to be content with at best runner-up spot, but could gain some sweet revenge as they face Willesden again in two weeks time in the semi-finals of the Russell Grant Cup.

A strong Willesden side were influential at the back and in the midfield and had former Edgware Town striker Carl Thomas and the talented Rocky Batiste in the striking positions. Steve Bird and Ian Smith played very well defending against these two particularly talented strikers.

Lane took the lead after 20 minutes. Danny Mills cracked a 25-yard free kick into the wall and it rebounded to Steve Cott who drilled it into the top corner.

Just before the break back-from-suspension Tommy Metcalfe beat the offside trap and with only the keeper to beat, but shot wide.

Metcalfe had a chance to put Lane further ahead when he went clear down the left, but with Simon Hordern waiting for a cross to tap home number two, he chose to send in a curling shot which was saved by the keeper.

Willesden made it 1-1 with 20 minutes to go, following mistakes from Junior Smith and Chris Cowerd, Batiste dummied two defenders and scuffed a low shot through a ruck of players and in at the near post.

With 10 minutes left Lane gave away a free kick and dangerman Batiste chipped over the wall and into the top corner.

Next week Lane travel to County Cup finalists Hounslow in the league, having won the home encounter 6-0 earlier in the term. It should prove a good warm up for their match against Willesden in the semi-final of the Russell Grant Cup the next weekend.

Lane are still waiting to hear their opponents in the semi-final of the Middlesex League Cup. Stonebridge and Amersham Reserves have yet to play their quarter-final tie.

If it is Stonebridge it will provide an interesting end to the season for Lane who also have to face them twice in the league having had two previous encounters postponed due to Stonebridge's suspension for non payment of fines.

RAYNERS LANE: Randall, Cowerd, Smith, Bird, Verni, Donnelly, Cott, Hordern, Oriot, Mills, Metcalfe. Subs: Coakley, Mitchell, Middleton.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.