Harlie Price was simply unstoppable, firing a magnificent hat-trick to inspire the Centurions to a fully deserved away victory at Mangotsfield United on Saturday 20th December 2025.
Played in front of a healthy crowd of 231 at Cossham Street, the league’s leading marksman wasted no time in underlining his quality, netting all three goals inside the opening hour. Each finish was delivered with trademark composure and ruthless efficiency, leaving the home side with no answer.
Price’s clinical treble sealed a vital three points on the road and further strengthened his grip on the Golden Boot, adding yet more goals to an already outstanding season tally. A dominant individual display, a professional team performance, and a night to remember for the travelling Centurions.
The Hellenic Football League is deeply saddened by the tragic fire that occurred within the Brimscombe community over the recent holiday period. This devastating incident has profoundly affected loved ones, neighbours, and the wider community at Brimscombe & Thrupp Football Club, and at times like this football rightly takes a back seat.
We would like to go on record in expressing our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to all those affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts are with the entire Brimscombe community during what must be an unimaginably difficult time.
In response to the profound impact of this event, a fundraising appeal has been established to support those most directly affected. We respectfully encourage anyone who is able to contribute — no matter how small the donation — to consider doing so as a way of showing solidarity and support in this darkest of hours. Donations can be made here: Go Fund Me
The Hellenic Football League stands ready to offer support in any way it can, and we are committed to working with Brimscombe & Thrupp Football Club and the local community as they begin the process of healing and recovery. We hope that our collective compassion and generosity can provide some comfort and practical assistance at this time.
As 2025 draws to a close, it’s hard to believe how quickly the first part of the season has flown by. With games played right up to the end of the year and the first full round of fixtures in 2026 kicking off on 3rd January — mercifully giving everyone plenty of time to sober up after New Year’s parties — both the Premier Division and Division One now head into the business end of the season with promotion races, play-off battles and relegation scraps all very much alive.
Premier Division: Pressure at the Top, Tension at the Bottom
At the summit, Roman Glass St George end 2025 setting the pace. With 52 points from 26 matches and a healthy +26 goal difference, they have been the benchmark so far. However, with a clutch of teams below them holding games in hand, there is little room for complacency as the chasing pack lurks.
Slimbridge sit second on 48 points from just 21 games and boast the strongest goal difference in the division. Their form suggests they are primed to make a serious push in the New Year. Droitwich Spa remain firmly in the hunt in third place, their consistency keeping them well within touching distance of the leaders.
Just behind, Corsham Town occupy fourth and remain well placed to capitalise on any slip-ups above them. Cirencester Town and Worcester Raiders round out the top six, both well positioned to make their presence felt as fixtures begin to stack up in early 2026.
The middle of the table is where things become particularly congested. Longlevens AFC, Westfields, Hereford Pegasus, and Tuffley Rovers are separated by only a handful of points, meaning one good run — or one bad one — could dramatically alter their outlook.
Further down, Fairford Town, Mangotsfield United, Highworth Town, and Cinderford Town will be keen to find greater consistency as the season enters its defining phase. Turning solid performances into points will be crucial.
At the foot of the table, the pressure is unmistakable. Pershore Town, Royal Wootton Bassett Town, Lydney Town, Thornbury Town, Hallen, and Cribbs all face a critical period ahead. With plenty of football still to be played, survival remains achievable — but January will quickly separate those ready for the fight from those already glancing nervously over their shoulders.
Division One: Promotion Race Alive and Kicking
Division One also signs off 2025 with momentum building across the table. With one fixture still to be played before the year ends and the rest now resuming in January, the division is shaping up for a fascinating second half.
Wantage Town lead the way at the turn of the year, losing just twice in 20 matches and boasting an eye-catching +38 goal difference. However, Bewdley Town are just two points behind, while FC Stratford sit ominously in third with games in hand and an impressive win record that makes them a genuine promotion threat.
The chasing group remains tightly packed. Stonehouse Town and Redditch Borough sit level on points, while Newent Town and Cheltenham Saracens continue to hover with intent. A strong January could see any of these sides force their way firmly into the promotion picture.
Mid-table remains finely balanced, with Malmesbury Victoria, Alcester Town, Ludlow Town, and Brimscombe & Thrupp all separated by narrow margins, where consistency — or lack of it — will prove decisive.
Lower down, Woodford United, Chipping Sodbury Town, Carterton, and Shortwood United will see the New Year as a chance to reset and regroup.
At the bottom end, things are rather more bleak. Wellington and Clanfield 85 have endured a testing campaign so far, though Clanfield in particular appear to be stuck in a season where the goal difference does most of the talking. With just three wins and numbers heading in the wrong direction, 2026 may be less about climbing the table and more about stopping the slide — and finding the net with greater regularity.
Propping up the division are Thame United Reserves, for whom points have been painfully hard to come by. If nothing else, the New Year offers a clean slate — and surely the chance to improve on a return that can only go one way.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As both divisions head into January, the story is the same throughout the league: nothing is settled, and everything is still to play for. Promotion dreams remain alive, relegation battles are taking shape, and with the first full set of fixtures in 2026 landing on 3rd January, there’s just enough time for everyone to recover from New Year’s celebrations before the real work begins.
2025 may be done — but if the first half of the season is anything to go by, 2026 is where it all kicks off.
I hope you all enjoyed Christmas Day and are ready for the festive fixture list.
In the UHL Premier Division last Saturday, we had a full fixture list. Leaders Roman Glass St George travelled to Highworth Town and suffered a 2-0 defeat. 2nd placed Slimbridge travelled to Cinderford Town and won 4-1. 3rdplaced Droitwich Spa travelled to Royal Wootton Bassett Town and despite going into the break 2-0 up came away with a 2-2 draw. Corsham Town travelled to Westfieldsand won 2-1 and Cirencester Town also travelled to Mangotsfield United and won 3-1 with a hat trick from Harlie Price. Worcester Raiders hosted Hallen and won 3-1, Hereford Pegasus had a convincing 4-0 home win v Cribbs, Longlevens and Pershore Town were stuck at 0-0when a Floodlight failure caused the game to be abandoned, Tuffley Rovers had a 3-0 home win v Lydney Town and Thornbury Town won 2-0 at home to Fairford Town. It was nice to see some healthy crowds in attendance to watch the games and let us hope folks want some fresh air and the 27th December fixtures are well attended. It is still very competitive at the top and bottom of the division.
In UHL Division One on Saturday, leaders Bewdley Towntravelled to Carterton and a 91st minute Carterton goal appeared to have settled the game only for a 95th minute equalizer which saw the game finish 2-2. Wantage Town v Thame United Reserves finished a resounding 7-1 win to Wantage who scored 6 goals in the 2nd half after leading 1-0 at half time. FC Stratford hosted Malmesbury Victoriaand won 2-0. Redditch Borough’s away game v Brimscombe & Thrupp was postponed on Friday due to Seven Trent Water pipes suffering a breach and the far end of the pitch away from the clubhouse was very waterlogged. (Update – it appears that Seven Trent have rectified the situation so hopefully Brimscombe & Thrupps’ next scheduled home games will be ok to be played). Newent Town travelled to Shortwood United and won 4-1 to stay in the final play off place. Stonehouse Town who are in great form hosted Woodford United, won 4-0 and kept close to the play-off pack. Cheltenham Saracens v Clanfield 85 ended 1-1 and Chipping Sodbury Town v Ludlow Town was postponed as Ludlow Town could not raise a full team.
One game in Alliance East saw Marlow Res beat Hambleden away and onegame in Alliance West sawHighworth Town Res beat Bourton Rovers Dev away.
In the Batemans Sports Alliance (Chairmans) Challenge Cup, Wantage Town travelled to Kidlington Dev and won 6-1.
I wanted to use this occasion to thank all of the volunteers out there in your clubs, they are the ones who make all of this possible. I also wanted to thank my fellow UHL Committee members, who like you will be hard at work over the holiday period to ensure the League can continue functioning at this busy footballing time of the year.
I will close by wishing you all a Happy New Year and let us hope that 2026 is a great one.
Highworth Town produced a composed and controlled performance to claim a deserved three points at home. Bailey Gallagher broke the deadlock on 30 minutes, steering the hosts into a half-time lead after a measured opening period. Roman Glass searched for a route back into the contest, but Highworth’s discipline held firm. The result was sealed late on when Ethan Murehwa struck in the 76th minute, extinguishing any hopes of a comeback and ensuring a professional afternoon’s work.
Cinderford Town 1–4 Slimbridge
(HT: 0–2 | Att: 135)
Slimbridge ran riot at Cinderford with a ruthless display that punished every defensive lapse. Jack Smith opened the scoring inside 14 minutes before a cruel own goal doubled the visitors’ advantage on 23. Any hope of a second-half revival was dashed when Aaron Evans-Harriot struck just four minutes after the restart. Bogdan Mora added further gloss on 62 minutes before Jaxson Hundt grabbed a late consolation for Cinderford in the 85th. Slimbridge were clinical, decisive, and dominant throughout.
Hereford Pegasus 4–0 Cribbs
(HT: 0–0 | Att: 75)
After a goalless first half, Hereford Pegasus exploded into life. Harry Pitman was the catalyst, scoring twice in the space of 23 minutes with strikes on 57 and 80. Matt Green added a third on 71 as Cribbs struggled to stem the tide, before Harrison Summers capped the performance deep into stoppage time at 90+2. A patient first half gave way to a devastating second-half assault.
Longlevens AFC A–A Pershore Town
(Match abandoned – Floodlight failure)
An unfortunate end to proceedings at Longlevens, where the match was abandoned due to floodlight failure. A disappointing outcome for both sides after preparations were undone by circumstances beyond their control.
Mangotsfield United 1–3 Cirencester Town
(HT: 1–2 | Att: 231)
The headline act of the day belonged to Cirencester’s Harlie Price, who delivered a stunning hat-trick. He struck early on nine minutes, responded immediately after Mangotsfield’s equaliser from Spike Weaver on 17, and completed his treble just before the hour mark on 58 minutes. Cirencester were sharp, incisive, and carried constant threat, silencing a strong home crowd with a performance of real authority.
Royal Wootton Bassett Town 2–2 Droitwich Spa
(HT: 0–2 | Att: 107)
A tale of two halves at Royal Wootton Bassett. Droitwich Spa stunned the hosts early, racing into a two-goal lead through Alex Dugmore on three minutes and Josh Hurdman on 40. But the second half belonged to Bassett. Rudi Hopkins struck twice in seven minutes — goals on 57 and 64 — to drag his side back from the brink and secure a hard-earned point in an absorbing contest.
Thornbury Town 2–0 Fairford Town
(HT: 1–0 | Att: 140)
Thornbury Town showed resilience and patience to see off Fairford. Harry Brock converted a penalty on 40 minutes to put the hosts ahead, and despite Fairford’s resistance, Thornbury remained composed. The result was sealed dramatically in stoppage time when Callum Chalmers struck at 90+6, sparking celebrations and confirming a deserved clean sheet.
Tuffley Rovers 3–0 Lydney Town
(HT: 1–0 | Att: 149)
Tuffley Rovers delivered a commanding home performance, blending control with cutting edge. Corey Warrington opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, setting the tone for the second period. Harley Mustoe doubled the lead on 75 minutes before Karnell Chambers converted a late penalty at 90 to complete a convincing victory.
Westfields 1–2 Corsham Town
(HT: 1–1 | Att: 136)
Corsham Town edged a tightly fought encounter in Hereford. Westfields struck first through Aidan Clark in the fourth minute, but Jake Wilson responded on 31 to level the contest. With both sides probing for a winner, it was Allow Ashton who delivered the decisive moment, netting on 70 minutes to secure all three points for Corsham in a disciplined away performance.
Worcester Raiders 3–1 Hallen
(HT: 2–0 | Att: 135)
Worcester Raiders set the platform early with first-half goals from Emmanuel Olaloko on 31 and Prince Henry on 35. Hallen rallied after the break and reduced the deficit through Cam Montieth on 76 minutes, injecting late tension. But any hopes of a comeback were ended when Keanu Miller struck on 86, restoring the two-goal cushion and sealing victory.
🔥 A Day That Had It All
Hat-tricks, late penalties, stoppage-time goals, second-half surges, and even an abandoned fixture — this was a reminder of why the Hellenic Premier Division continues to deliver drama in abundance. December football at its finest.
The weather had some effect on fixtures last weekend, but credit to all of the clubs and ground staff who did all they possibly could to get games on. I did a video call with Hungerford Town Reserves on Friday afternoon/evening when a late downpour put paid to all their efforts to get their game on v Eversley & California Reserves.!
The Isuzu FA Vase Third Round where we had 3 clubs still involved only produced one result which saw Cinderford Town going down 4-0 away to AFC Stoneham. The other two games – Hallen V Hamworthy Recreation and Slimbridge v Amesbury Town go again this Saturday. All the best to Hallen and Slimbridge.
In the UHL Premier Division on Saturday, we lost 3 games to the weather. Roman Glass St George took advantage of Slimbridge being involved in the Vase by returning to top spot with a 3-0 win over Cirencester Town. Droitwich Spatravelled to Fairford Town and despite being 1-0 down, then 2-0 down, came back to equalize and then scored a 93rd minute winner to claim all 3 points. Tuffley Roversproduced a stunning display to win 4-0 at home v 5th placed Worcester Raiders, Royal Wootton Bassett Town climbed out of the bottom three with a 1-0-win v Pershore Town, Highworth Town and Mangotsfield United shared the spoils with a 0-0 draw.
In UHL Division One on Saturday, we only lost 1 game to the weather. Wantage Town took over top spot with FC Stratford’s game being postponed and did it in style winning 8-1 v Woodford United; there were hattricks for Josh Davis and Luke Whelan. Bewdley Town won 3-0 v Clanfield 85, Redditch Borough travelled to Wellingtonand won 3-2, Newent Town travelled to Brimscombe & Thrupp and lost 2-1, Stonehouse Town continued their march up the table and won 4-1 at home to Thame United Reserves, Shortwood United won 2-1 at home to Cheltenham Saracens in a rain swept game, Malmesbury Victoria and Ludlow Town drew 2-2 and Cartertontravelled to Alcester Town and won 1-0.
All scheduled games in Alliance East and Alliance Westwere postponed.
Thescheduled Batemans Sports Alliance (Chairmans) Challenge Cup game was also postponed.
In the Vets we had 5 League Cup games on Wednesday evening with wins for Watlington Town Wanderers Vets, Didcot Town Old Boys Vets, Goring United Vets and Penn & Tylers Green Vets with a draw between Woodley United Vets and Faringdon Town Vets.
The League Exec have been holding some respect meetings with UHL PremierDivision and UHL Division One teams who have breached the respect marks during the first half of the season over the past couple of weeks. These all went well and action plans are now in place at the various clubs to address this. Hopefully this will address the matter.
With a better looking forecast for the next few days, fingers crossed we get plenty of football played,
A good selection of fixtures was played, despite the wetness. Looks like some more rain on the way tomorrow, so let us hope the fixtures do not get affected.
In the UHL Premier Division on Saturday, only Slimbridgein the current top 5 won. They beat Hereford Pegasus 3-1 at home, but the result does not tell the story of a very even game with Pegasus finding the woodwork on a number of occasions. Roman Glass St George v Worcester Raidersended 0-0, Droitwich were on the end of a dominant 5-1 defeat away v Cirencester Town with Harlie Price scoring a 2nd half hattrick for the hosts who went in 1-0 down at half time. Corsham Town lost the Wiltshire derby 3-2 away at Highworth Town with the winner from Highworth coming in the 85th minute. Longlevens continued their remarkable current run with an 85th minute winner away at Mangotsfield United. Lydney Town continued their recovery with a 3-1 away win v Hallen, Royal Wootton Bassett Town travelled to Cribbs and won 2-1 with all the goals being scored in the 1st half. Fairford Town v Tuffley Rovers ended 1-1, Thornbury Town v Westfields also ended 1-1 and Pershore Town v Cinderford Town finished 0-0. The top 3 and the bottom 5 are now all closely bunched together and the League is looking set for a very exciting 2nd half of the season.
In midweek in the UHL Premier Division we saw Lydney Town continue there escape from the bottom 3 and win 2-0 at home v 5th placed Corsham Town, leaders Roman Glass St George travelled to Royal Wootton Bassett Town and won 4-2 after being 2-1 down at half time, 2ndplaced Slimbridge popped over to Hereford and won 3-0 v Westfields, Fairford Town also travelled, to Pershore Town and won 1-0, it was late goals at Thornbury Town, who must have thought they won their game v Hallen by scoring in the 87th minute, only for Hallen to equalize in the 92nd minute to share the points.
In UHL Division One on Saturday, we lost 2 games to the weather at Alcester Town (v Stonehouse Town) and Thame United Reserves (v Malmesbury Victoria). Leaders Bewdley Town won their away gave v Ludlow Town 3-1, FC Stratford travelled to Wellington and won 4-0, WantageTown v CheltenhamSaracens played out a thrilling 5-4 after being tied at 2-2 at half time, RedditchBorough travelled to Carterton and showed no mercy hitting 7 goals without reply with James Baldwin scoring 4 of them. Newent Town won 3-1 v Chipping Sodbury Town, Shortwood United travelled to Woodford Unitedand won 1-0 with Ollie Whelan scoring in the 90th minute, Brimscombe & Thrupp v Clanfield 85 finished 2-2. At the top, it is very close with the top 4 and at the bottom, there is a gap to Thame United Reserves, but above them there are 4 teams very close together and like the Premier Division, this is going to be an exciting 2nd half of the season.
In midweek we had Wiseman Lighting (UHL) Floodlit Cupaction – with Premier Division Cinderford Town and Division One Alcester Town drawing 2-2 and Alcester Town going on to win on penalties. In the Glos derby, Tuffley Rovers travelled to Shortwood United and won 3-2.
In the Alliance East, only one game saw Banbury United Dev winning 3-2 v Easington Sports Dev.
In the Alliance West, there were two games, withHighworth Town Res v Newent Town Dev ending 6-1 toHighworth and University of Bristol winning 4-1 vCarterton Dev.
In the UHL Supplementary Challenge Cup, Marlow Res won 2-1 v Ardley United Res.
In the Vets we had 3 games on Wednesday with Goring United Vets v Benson Lions Vets finishing 7-3, Holyport Vets v Henley Town Vets ending 4-2 and Watling Town Old Boys Vets v Bicester Town Vets finishing 3-2.
Wantage Town have been crowned Uhlsport Hellenic League Division One Team of the Month for October, capping off a superb run of form that has put the Freds firmly in the spotlight.
Throughout October, Wantage delivered a series of dominant and disciplined performances, showcasing both attacking fluency and defensive resilience. Their consistency saw them collect an impressive haul of points, climb the Division One table, and record multiple clean sheets along the way.
Manager and players alike have earned praise from across the league for their focus, work ethic, and togetherness. The squad’s commitment on and off the pitch has been highlighted as a driving force behind their excellent month, with supporters also playing their part during a packed run of fixtures.
The Uhlsport Hellenic League announced the award earlier this week, noting Wantage Town’s strong results, goal difference, and overall match conduct throughout October. The recognition marks a significant achievement for the club as they continue their push for higher honours this season.
Wantage Town will now aim to carry their momentum into the winter schedule, with attention already turning to maintaining their high standards in the months ahead.
Congratulations to everyone at Wantage Town on a well-deserved award.
A complete first-half masterclass from our number 10, Josh Davis, a man clearly on a mission, and apparently allergic to not scoring goals. He delivered a blistering ten-minute hat-trick that left Malmesbury looking like they needed a group meeting, a breather, and possibly a new game plan.
The opener came when Josh reacted quicker than anyone else in the box, honestly, he moved like someone who’d just heard the last slice of pizza was up for grabs. He smashed home from six yards with so much power the goalkeeper could only wave at it politely as it flew past.
Barely had the celebrations died down when Josh was at it again. He broke through the Malmesbury back line with the confidence of a man who’d already decided he was scoring, strolled toward goal, and calmly slotted it past the advancing keeper. Cool. Composed. Clinical. Probably didn’t even break a sweat.
But the third… that one had everything. Determination, drama, maybe even a touch of comedy. Josh beat a defender, rounded the goalkeeper, and looked certain to finish, until his effort was blocked on the line by a very determined defender. No problem. Josh just picked up the rebound and hammered it home anyway, completing his hat-trick in style and confirming that yes, this was absolutely his half.
An outstanding treble in ten minutes, and a performance that had the crowd wondering if Josh had somewhere he needed to be, because he certainly wasn’t hanging around.
The team signed his match ball and Josh posed for a picture!
Rain, rain go away!!!!! We either have none or a deluge!!!
In the Isuzu FA Vase Second Round on Saturday, our 7teams left in the competition went down to 3. Cinderford Town drew 1-1 with Helston Athletic, subsequently winning 5-3 on penalties. Hallen drew 0-0 v Andover New Street away and then went on to win 4-1 on penalties. Slimbridge travelled down to Ivybridge Town and came back with an emphatic 5-0 victory; all 5 goals being scored by different scorers. Corsham Town lost 4-1 away to Bovey Tracey, Roman Glass St George suffered a 1-0home defeat v Hamworthy Recreation, Shortwood Unitedtravelled to Downton and lost 4-1. This was Shortwood United’s first time in the 2nd round for 14 years, so a great achievement. Thornbury Town were away at Hythe & Dibden, took a 2-0 lead in the first half with all looking good, but a 2nd half 3 goal comeback ended their chances to progress. The draw for the Third round has already been made with home games for Slimbridge and Hallen and an away game for Cinderford town, all due to be playedonDecember 6th. I noted there were good crowds at all the games, hopefully the crowds will flock to the next round games as well.
In the UHL Premier Division on Saturday, Droitwich Spawon the derby v Pershore Town4-1 with 276 watching, Worcester Raiders travelled to Hereford Pegasus and won 3-0, Cirencester Town continued their steady progress with a 3-0 home win v Tuffley Rovers, Highworth Towntravelled to Cribbs and won 1-0, Fairford Town who have games in hand won 2-0 at home to Mangotsfield United, Royal Wootton Bassett Town v Longlevens finished 1-1and Lydney Town turned the formbook upside down winning 2-1 at home v Westfields. Lydney Town’s win really did bring them back from being cut adrift at the bottom of the table. On Wednesday evening leaders Roman Glass St George put their Vase exit behind them, winning 4-1 at home v Cinderford Town who finished the game with 9men.
In UHL Division One, on Saturday, leaders Bewdley Townwere held to at 1-1 home draw v Stonehouse Town, FC Stratford won 4-0 away v Woodford United, Redditch Borough won 4-1 at home v Thame United Reserves, free scoring Wantage Town won 6-0 at home v Malmesbury Victoria with Josh Davis scoring a hattrick and claiming the Uhlsport match ball. Cheltenham Saracens v Brimscombe & Thrupp finished in a 2-2 draw in the Glos derby, Chipping Sodbury Town won 3-0 at home v Wellington and Clanfield 85 climbed out of the bottom 3with a 2-1 away win v Ludlow Town. In the Wiseman Lighting (UHL) Floodlit Cup on Tuesday, Newent Townwon 3-2 v Bewdley Town.
In the Alliance East, Hungerford Town Reserves travelled to Penn & Tylers Green United and won 5-0, Headington Amateurs won 3-0 v Easington Sports Dev and there was a 5-goal thriller which saw Banbury United Dev winning 3-2 v Hambleden.
Bourton Rovers Dev v Evesham United Reserves finished 1-2 in Alliance West.
The disappointing news in the Alliance West saw the withdrawal of Mangotsfield United Dev, with a lack of commitment and buy-in from the players. Their record will be expunged as per the normal protocol.
In the Batemans Sports Alliance (Chairman’s) Challenge Cup Hightworth Town Reserves won 3-0 v Clanfield (85) Reserves.
The UHL Management Committee had their meeting on Wednesday evening where we talked long into the evening. Lots of topics on the agenda which was 15 items long. One of the big ones was: how do we end the season, in terms of the play-offs as well as the cup finals. More will follow on that. From the meeting was the news that clubs no longer have to upload an image for postponed games as they would have been on a video call with either Brian or myself. The respect table was also discussed and some clubs will be invited in to have a discussion given their points tally for respect not being up to the standards expected. I will also be emailing clubs in the next few weeks for interest to host the cup finals – thanks to those whose interest has already been registered.
Finally, onto this weekend, where we are currently being blitzed by Storm Claudia. Brian and myself are expecting a good few calls and we will both be available from 09:30Saturday morning. A reminder, any Premier Division or Division One club must call Brian and any Alliance club must call myself to arrange a Whatsapp Video inspection. Obviously if things are already looking bad, make contact today and the appropriate decision can potentially be made early.
Fingers crossed we get a good proportion of our games in as Saturday’s weather looks more encouraging.
