The Lent term will see the crowning of the Inter-College Football A League Champions. At the current stage, three colleges are in with a good chance of clinching the title.
This season has been one of the most unpredictable in years. No single team has dominated the league whilst thesre has not been a weak side either. Furness managed a shock victory over Fylde whilst then-bottom of the table Lonsdale managed to pick up a point against then-table toppers Pendle, showing how competitive the league has been.
Cartmel currently sit top of the table on goal difference. Very much unfancied at the start of the season, they have surprised many with their form. Their 3-2 victory over Fylde has been their stand out result and one which has made many sit up and take notice of them as potential title challengers. Having already played Pendle, Cartmel face County in the first fixture of the new term. If they can get something out of that game, they will be firm favourites for the title as they face
bottom-of-the-table Furness in their final fixture.
Pendle are currently second but level on points with Cartmel. Their stand-out result was a 1-0 win against County which put them in the driving seat for the title back in November. However, a disappointing 2-2 draw against Lonsdale allowed the others to catch up. Their biggest weakness has to be their style of play.
The team are very industrial and hardworking but simply don’t score many goals and tend to struggle against the weaker teams. Their biggest test to come will be against Fylde on the 8th of February. If they can win that fixture, they will surely fancy their chances against Bowland in their final game.
County are only a point behind Pendle and Cartmel. So far, they have had a mixed season including a number of missed chances to secure top spot. They started the season well beating Lonsdale and Bowland, but their chances were dealt a blow when they lost 1-0 to Pendle. The team recovered by thrashing Furness 7-0 which then put them top of the table. The following week they suffered another setback to their title hopes as Fylde snatched a late equaliser which knocked them off the top of the table and down to third place. They seem to be struggling against the big teams and if they fail to beat Cartmel, their chances could be over.
The next few weeks of the college football season are shaping up to be very interesting with some big fixtures in store. As we have already seen in this league, there are no easy fixtures. Anything can happen with all three sides facing difficult final games setting up for what will undoubtedly be a tight finish.
