ANY team that harbours title dreams has to be able to bag goals from all quarters - and that talented trait is certainly high among the qualities of Bishopthorpe White Rose Under-14 footballers.

Though currently relying on how other rivals fare, the Bishopthorpe brigade can still lift the British Sugar Association Minor League U14s division one crown.

They nudged a little closer to a three-cornered championship contest which also includes rivals Rawcliffe and Thorpe United after an 8-1 battering of plucky Wigginton Grasshoppers.

One of the facets of the great-eight show was that the Bishopthorpe scoring ranks featured no fewer than six marksmen - Adam Stelmach (2), Johnny Kilmartin (2), George Middleton, Nathan Kiernan, Stevie Hood and Tom Richardson.

And, arguably another bizarre aspect was that the squad's leading goal-poacher, Simon Jarrot-Smith, who not so long ago helped himself to a six-goal haul in a cup conquest of Brooklyn, was not even on the scoresheet.

Enthused the U14s manager Geoff Fisher: "There are a lot of goals among the squad, which makes us difficult to defend against.

"An opposing team can set up to blank out one of our lads, but there's always another who can weigh in with goals. That's one of our strengths, I suppose."

Fisher has been in charge of the current group of players since many of them were in the club's under-9s team, and that has helped to foster a good understanding.

He added, though, that the White Rose performances had been sharpened since he has been assisted by Mick Kiernan. "His arrival has helped with an improvement over the past year or so," added Fisher.

"The lads are not all from Bishopthorpe, they're from all parts of York actually," explained the manager. "But they've been together a long time and so have built up a good understanding and they all like to play good football."

Of the triumph over Wigginton, which extended a good run of form spanning six or seven games, he said: "We played quite well, though to be fair to the Wigginton lads they never gave up for a minute.

"Indeed, for a spell of about 15 minutes at the start of the second half they put the pressure on. They competed well and played with a very good attitude."

Fisher was now hoping the White Rose solid upswing could continue to flourish as the campaign reaches its business end.

"The best thing about the title race is that it's been quite open. There are no teams running away with it - it's been quite close and it's good for the lads that not one team is miles better than any other."

RESULTS AND FIXTURES

York British Sugar Minor League

Under-13s

Div 2: Pickering Town 3, Strensall 0.

Under-14s

Div 1: Bishopthorpe WR 8, Wigginton Grasshoppers 1; Brooklyn 2, Pocklington Town 2.

York Mitchell Sports League

Div 1: Wigginton Grasshoppers 4 (D Wilson 3, D Gallagher), Woodthorpe Wanderers 2; Heworth 0, Thorpe Utd 2 (D Marram, J Smith); Nestlé Rowntree 3 (H Wilson-Shield, J Lazrak, M Smith), Ryedale Sports 1 (L Glaves); Fulford 3 (J Mannix, C Smith, S Evans), Rawcliffe 4 (J Littlechild 2, L Rhodes, J Parnell).

Div 2: Strensall v Tadcaster Magnets postponed.

Tomorrow's Games

York British Sugar Minor League

Under-13s

Div 1: Wigginton Grasshoppers v Bishopthorpe White Rose; Nestlé Rowntree v Haxby Town.

Div 2: Wilberfoss v Copmanthorpe; Ulleskelf v Thorpe Utd; Poppleton v Hamilton Panthers.

Div 3: Rawcliffe Bulls v Pocklington Pumas; New Earswick Eagles v Carr Vikings; Huntington North v Tockwith.

Div 4: Wheldrake v Easingwold Harriers; Fulford v Heworth; Skelton v Old Malton St Mary's.

Under-14s

Div 1: Wigginton Grasshoppers v Easingwold Town A'; Rawcliffe v Bishopthorpe White Rose; Pocklington Town v Copmanthorpe.

Div 2: York College v York RI.

Under-15s

Div 1: Fulford v Thorpe Utd; Pocklington Town v Hamilton Panthers; Poppleton v Copmanthorpe. Div 2: Dunnington v Brooklyn; York RI v Osbaldwick.

Div 3: Pickering Town v Easingwold Town; Duncombe Park v Huntington; Elvington Harriers v Tadcaster Magnets; Wheldrake v New Earswick Eagles.

Under-16s

Div 1: Strensall Tigers v Dunnington; Real Cliffe v Pickering Town; Pocklington Town v Tadcaster Albion; Heworth v Hamilton Panthers. Div 2: Huntington v Rawcliffe; Brooklyn v New Earswick Eagles.