The new IFA season kicked off last weekend, with twelve teams taking the chance to get off the mark in the first available week.
Manchester City have returned to the league for the new season and they got their campaign off to a flier against last year’s IFA League runners-up, Bury B. Stuart Manifould opened the scoring for the home team, only to see Jamie Sanders equalise just after the break. City manager Tommy Dawson secured a 2-1 win for his side late on, with a scruffy winner.
West Brom hosted Coventry in another game between two sides who had strong seasons in 2012/13, in a game that also counted towards the Midlands Cup. The home side raced into a three goal lead with strikes from Tyler Douglas, Chris Hunter and Ross Follows, while Cov grabbed a consolation through Ryan Harkin. Burton Albion also got their season off to a winning start, Tony Inwood grabbing both goals in a 2-1 win against Walsall.
Elsewhere, Kingstonian and Gillingham both returned to the IFA league after absence and played out a close game in searing heat, with the K’s Jamie Lenny scoring the only goal of the game, while two teams who will be very pleased with their starts are Southport and Grimsby. Southport beat Port Vale 7-0, while Grimsby went 2 better with a 9-0 win against Sheffield United, who fielded a number of new players.
Week One full results announced so far;
Kingstonian 1 Gillingham 0
Southport 7 Port Vale 0
Grimsby 9 Sheffield United 0
Manchester City 2 Bury B 1
West Brom 3 Coventry 1
Burton Albion 2 Walsall 1