Comebacks and late winners mark a week in the North West Counties League

Two Division One North sides spent last Saturday afternoon behind and finished it ahead. Ashton Athletic trailed Squires Gate 2-0 at half-time, conceded in the 14th and 28th minutes, and won 3-2. Zach Conway pulled one back two minutes after the restart, Luke Crompton levelled with a header from a corner on the hour, and Joe White headed the winner from another. White was struck in the face by a shot and later left the pitch injured, according to the club. Crompton was named Man of the Match.

Thornton Cleveleys did something similar at Flixton, whose nine-game unbeaten run it ended with a 4-3 win. Jacob Aspinall scored from a corner after three minutes, but the hosts led 3-1 early in the second half. Josh Winder scored twice, the second as Flixton goalkeeper Cameron Mason was sent off for a high boot on him, and Jordan Beavers netted the winner on 84 minutes. The result lifted the Reds to second. Manager Paul Gregory called it a "massive win".

Midweek brought the first round of the Edward Case Cup. Thornton Cleveleys beat Uppermill 5-1, while Flixton won 5-3 against Darwen. Wolverhampton Casuals needed until the 93rd minute at Cheadle Heath Nomads, where Kieran Cook scored the rebound for a 2-1 win after Cheadle's Ewelike had levelled from 30 yards on 75 minutes. Cammell Laird 1907 went through 3-1 on penalties after a goalless draw at Maghull, with Josh Brooks making two saves in the shoot-out. MSB Woolton also won on penalties, 4-1, after Ben Glover equalised at 3-3 following 14 months out with an ACL injury.

Tempers flared at AFC Knowsley, where Steeton drew 1-1 in a game that produced two red cards. Andy Briggs, back on loan from Silsden, scored on his second debut, and Kieran Nagle-Kelly equalised for the hosts. Steeton's Kobe Mulvihill-Simpson was sent off after a scuffle, and Nagle-Kelly later saw red for a high, late tackle. Steeton then won in the cup at Squires Gate, and the club said its second-round tie will be played on 14 November, so its league trip to AFC Blackpool will be rearranged.

In Division One South, Wolverhampton Casuals beat Wednesfield Community 3-0 on the Saturday, with Callum Knowles, Jaden Kirk and Liam Kirton scoring inside 31 minutes. The club said the win moved them up to second.