Knowle's unbeaten league run ends as Rugby Town reach the top

Knowle spent the week finding out how hard it is to stay unbeaten at Step 5. On Tuesday 13 October they drew 1-1 at Daventry Town, where Talib Copeland put them ahead in the 37th minute and Archie May levelled in the 69th. A crowd of 76 saw a physical game with early bookings for Sebastian Pearsall and Lewis Patching, and a second Copeland header ruled out for offside before the break.

On Saturday came the first league defeat. Moulton, who Knowle said had been unbeaten in eight, won 2-1 at the Robins' Nest with a late goal, after Copeland had struck his 14th of the season in the 85th minute. The club's own reaction was candid. "It's taken 11 games to have to write a 'defeat in the league' post in Step 5," the admin wrote, adding that eighteen months ago they were battling for a title race at Step 7.

Rugby Town said the same afternoon that they now top the Premier Division South for the first time this season. They won 5-0 at Godmanchester Rovers for a ninth straight win, Sam Tye scoring a hat-trick alongside goals from Lewi Burnside and Zidan Sutherland.

Photo: Daventry Town on X

Daventry Town followed their draw with a 3-2 win at Yaxley FC, coming from two goals down.

In the Premier Division North, Belper United beat Skegness Town 2-0 and, according to Skegness's preview, started the day top with 27 points from 11 games. Hinckley AFC drew 0-0 with Hucknall Town in front of 216, the club's first goalless home draw since August 2021. Hucknall are under returning managers Tris Whitman and Aaron Large, and Whitman said after the previous week's Vase defeat at Belper that his side had no recognised centre-backs and had had one training session with the new system.

Photo: Gresley Rovers on X

Managerial change ran elsewhere. Clay Cross Town unveiled Brad Wright and Ash Barber as joint managers, then lost 8-1 at Newark Town, and later accepted an undisclosed offer for Jack Billam. Gresley Rovers lost 2-1 at home to Blackstones before announcing that Andy Gray had resigned as first-team manager. Pete Dunn and Connor Adams will share interim charge.

The Vase second-round draw sent Hinckley AFC to Staveley Miners Welfare on 31 October. The Division One side's 7-4 win over Cotgrave on Saturday was, in their words, "bizarre".