The Cherry Red Books Middlesex County Football League Premier Division table has been given a big unexpected shake-up today after bottom side AVA withdrew.
The Romanian heritage side were on 8 points after playing 16 of their games, which is less than three-quarters of a season, and therefore the rules say their results must be expunged.
Clapton CFC men’s first lose 3 points having played AVA once, winning 3-1 at Wadham Lodge 3G thanks to goals from Noah Adejokun, Julian Austin and Charlie Fagan. The away game was due on April 22 but that is now cancelled.
Meanwhile our sole promotion rivals Shepherd’s Bush in second place lose six points and a chunk of goal difference after winning 4-1 and 6-1.
That means CCFC now have 5 games to play and are 13 points clear of second placed Shepherd’s Bush, who have 6 games left.
Two more wins for CCFC will mean we finish above the Bushmen, and therefore will gain promotion subject to the Old Spotted Dog Ground also passing the ground grading requirements by March 31.
To hit the deadline, the Old Spotted Dog Ground Trust has launched a fundraiser to help plug the shortfall in getting the changing rooms and other tasks up to scratch. If you can help, please donate or share.
However, finishing above Shepherd’s Bush doesn’t mean winning the title. Indian Gymkhana had won one and lost one against AVA which means they can finish on 58 points if they win all 11 remaining games.
So Clapton CFC need 11 points from our 5 remaining games to definitely finish above Gymkhana too and therefore win the title.
Cherry Red Books Middlesex County Football League Premier Division 2022/2023 Table
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Clapton CFC | 24 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 71 | 31 | 40 | 60 |
| 2 |  Shepherd’s Bush | 24 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 74 | 42 | 32 | 52 |
| 3 |  Indian Gymkhana FC | 24 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 54 | 39 | 15 | 44 |
| 4 |  Pitshanger Dynamo | 24 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 76 | 39 | 37 | 42 |
| 5 |  Larkspur Rovers | 24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 53 | 43 | 10 | 41 |
| 6 |  PFC Victoria London | 24 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 67 | 59 | 8 | 30 |
| 7 |  Stonewall FC | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 44 | 45 | -1 | 30 |
| 8 |  Kodak (Harrow) | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 37 | 44 | -7 | 30 |
| 9 |  Camden United | 24 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 61 | 71 | -10 | 27 |
| 10 |  CB Hounslow United Res | 24 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 48 | 61 | -13 | 26 |
| 11 |  Kensington Dragons | 24 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 36 | 54 | -18 | 25 |
| 12 |  Cricklewood Wanderers | 24 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 58 | -34 | 20 |
| 13 |  OIR FC | 24 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 43 | 102 | -59 | 13 |
We’re sorry to see AVA fold their men’s team, although their youth team appears to be going from strength to strength.
They were formed in 2016 as a youth football club by former footballer Adrian Avasâlcăi and the club name comes from his name.
In 2019 they signed a partnership with the Gheorghe Hagi Football Academy, the first ever international partnership for the legendary player.
They added the adult men’s team in 2019 and during the two Covid-19 affected seasons, notched up a whopping 15 wins and just 2 defeats.
Unsurprisingly, the Middlesex County Football League decided to lift them up from Division One to the Premier Division to fill vacancies.
Last season, their first at this level, they finished ninth out of 14. We did the double over them, winning 2-1 away and 3-0 at home.