Hope Valley Amateur Football League is back with a bang

We start this weekends report on the Derbyshire and South Yorkshire border at AFC Dronfield who welcomed last seasons champions Chapel Town FC. With the top of table closer than ever, Chapel needed a big performance if they wanted to close ground on leaders Dove Holes. Having won the reverse fixture 6-1 at Rowton Park in December, Chapel decided that a carbon copy was necessary as they picked up another huge three points with another 6-1 victory. Josh Edwards hit a hattrick in the December fixture, but it was Lewis Coates’ turn this weekend with his treble taking his total for the season to 14 goals in 12 games. James Potts, Lewis Speakman and Josh Wood also each grabbed themselves a goal, with the result propelling them into second place in the Premier Division.

Bamford played their second home fixture of 2026 and were looking to extend their unbeaten run to five games. The 19th Hole were their worthy opponents and will have travelled with the hope of picking up their first official win of the season in the league. This would not be the case for the 19th Hole as Bamford hit them for six with a 6-1 victory. Pete Richardson’s goal for the 19th Hole a mere consolation as the veteran side who hail from Buxton are now in serious danger of relegation to the A Division.

Hayfield presumably entered this weekend on top of the world following on from their county cup heroics, and it was derby day for them as they made the short journey to Western Lane to lock horns with Buxworth. Hayfield have only lost once this season and would have wanted to pressurise the teams above them in the table as they sit in a healthy position with games to spare over their opponents. Buxworth have never been a team that is known to lay down for another opponent, and they certainly put Hayfield to the sword this weekend. Both sides entered the break goalless and in need of some inspiration to get a vital win. Joe Armstrong grabbed his routine weekly goal, but Jayden Holland levelled the scoring and ultimately secured a point for Buggy. Hayfield can still go into second place if they win their games in hand, however, this will only now be by a margin of one point IF results swing their way.

The final game of the Premier Division this weekend gave Gamesley a chance to make amends for their defeat at Chapel last weekend. However, in order to do this, they would need to either share a point or give Dove Holes their first loss of the season, something that was yet to happen in nine league games for the title hopefuls Dove. Gamesley have shown spells of brilliance this season, proving to the league that their decision to enter at Premier level was a warranted one, and this weekend only strengthened their case. Michael Dewhurst’s brace put Gamesley 2-0 up at half time, provoking a response from Dove. Ben Bagshaw halved the deficit and provided Dove with hope, but Jamie Baker shattered their hope with his strike on the seventieth minute mark to send a shockwave across the Premier Division. The game finished 3-1 and has shown the division that Dove can bleed when they are cut.

The A Division saw a clean sweep this weekend with all 5 scheduled games completed. Blazing Rag kick us off as Tideswell made the short journey across the A6 to Buxton. Tideswell have endured a fairly even start to the season and will see this second half of the football calendar as an opportunity to make a late promotion push. Harrison Watson opened the scoring for Tideswell before Rag equalised, but it was veteran Josh Hall who scored the all-important, three-point winning goal for Tideswell as they won the game 2-1. If the boys in red can win their game in hand, they would be just seven points away from promotion with eight games left to play.

Chapel Town Reserves take centre stage next as Buxworth Reserves were pencilled in for a game at Rowton Park. After three draws in a row for Chapel, a statement win was needed if they wanted to remain in contention for silverware this year. The first half was a tornado of goals for Chapel as James Golpin, Huxley Largan, Nathanial Oldfield and a Alfie Ellis brace blew Buggy away as Chapel went into the break 5-0 up. The second half was a much quitter affair, with Buxworth’s Joe Bishop the only man to hit the back of the net with his consolation goal. This 5-1 puts Chapel into a healthy position as if they win their game in hand, then can leapfrog Hayfield Reserves into third place, just five points behind second placed Calver.

With Chapel’s result on the minds of both second and first placed Dove Holes Reserves and Calver, a tense fixture was anticipated as this top of the table clash was highlighted as the game of the weekend for any neutral looking for a local fix of football. If you were lucky enough to be in attendance, you will have witnessed a surreal eight goal thriller! Rhys Bramwell put the champions ahead, with Alfie Bunting doubling Doves lead just one minute later. Luke Evans made it 3-0 to Dove seven minutes later, before Bunting completed his brace before half-time to see Dove enter the changing rooms 4-0 up. Rob Littlewood gifted Calver a lifeline in the final third of the game, but this was quickly cancelled out by Billy Halsey’s goal to make it 5-1 to Dove. Jack Madin and Ayr Barker mounted a late comeback attempt, but the game finished 5-3 to Dove who overtook Calver into first place as a result.

Fairfield FC went into this weekend at the bottom of the A Division table as they continue to find their feet as a newly formed club for the 2025/2026 season. Youlgrave arrived with a hope of getting their first win since November 2025. With both sides seeking a vital win to boost their morale and aspirations for the season, it would be Pommie who left Buxton with all 3 points after a 3-1 win supplied them with 3 crucial points. Rohan Hall’s consolation goal wasn’t enough for Fairfield who are still turning up come rain or shine with low numbers. This alone commands a high level of respect from anyone who gazes upon their situation, and the best wishes of all associated with the league should be felt by Fairfield as their spirit is not going unnoticed.

The final game of the weekend showcased Hayfield Reserves and Hathersage. Hayfield have seemingly turned a positive corner after their last loss in November to title contenders Calver, and this was displayed yet again as they defeated an experienced Hathersage 4-1, changing their league position from fifth to third in the space of ninety minutes. Hathersage controlled the first half and entered the break 1-0 up, with Hayfield needing a second half charge to overcome the hurdle they faced. The first sign of a comeback came courtesy of a James Clancy goal, but it was the veteran servant of the club George Howell who stole the show with his second half hattrick that gave Hayfield a very well earned three points.