Clipstone's relegation from the Premier Division was sadly confirmed whilst Knaresborough Town took another major step to winning the Division One title without even playing in what was a busy midweek in the Toolstation NCEL.

The action began with two League Cup ties on Monday evening that saw away wins for Handsworth Parramore and Liversedge.

The Amber Parras were comfortable 4-0 victors in their Third Round tie at fellow Premier Division side Athersley Recreation, Jonathan Hill's double added to with goals from Jed Phillips and Courey Grantham, and they will next be at home to Knaresborough.

Liversedge stormed into a 3-0 lead at Dronfield Town in their Fourth Round encounter, Rhys Davies' brace sandwiching an Aaron Fell strike, and, although the Division One hosts rallied with Mark Fereday dispatching a penalty and adding a late second, it was the Premier Division side who went through to the last eight with a 3-2 win.

Tuesday saw two of the teams chasing Premier Division leaders AFC Mansfield in action as second-placed Pontefract Collieries' ten-match winning streak was ended by visitors Penistone Church.

Aaron Moxam had put the Colls ahead in the opening period but Danny Howes levelled early in the second period and Kieran Ryan grabbed a 71st minute winner for Penistone who are looking for at least a top seven position in their first season in the Premier Division.

Pontefract remain five points behind Mansfield with four games in hand so are still favourites for the title but Pickering Town have moved level on points with them in third after their 4-1 victory at sixth-placed Rainworth Miners Welfare.

Tomas Poole gave the hosts a seventh minute lead but Billy Logan quickly levelled and the Pikes claimed the win in the last quarter of the game with goals from Ryan Blott, Ged Dalton and a second from Billy Logan.

Maltby Main now have an eight point advantage over the Wrens in fifth spot after they won 3-2 at Hall Road Rangers.

Rangers thought they were on their way to three vital points in their battle to avoid relegation after Gareth Owen and a Christopher Spinks penalty had them 2-1 up early in the second period but Steven McDonnell and Shawn Mitchell netted to take the points for Main.

Hall Road stay in the relegation zone, five points away from safety, as the side just outside the bottom three were also beaten, Harrogate Railway Athletic going down 1-0 at Barton Town where Gareth Barlow got the only goal of the game in the opening seconds.

The most dramatic encounter of the night in the Premier Division came at the Yorkshire NuBuilds Stadium where Hemsworth Miners Welfare and Staveley Miners Welfare played out an eleven-goal thriller.

Staveley trailed 4-2 at half-time but then twice pulled the deficit back to one goal in the second period through Andrew McCreadie and Kurtis Morley to make it 5-4 going into the last ten minutes before Hemsworth, with Nash Connolly and Bradley Dockerty claiming their second goals of the game, secured a 7-4 victory.

The night saw two Division One games with all four teams involved in the play-off chase and Hallam climbed up into the top six with a last-gasp 4-3 home win over the side they replace, Winterton Rangers.

The visitors looked to be taking a point thanks to a Luke Anderson hat-trick but Benjamin Thornton scored his second of the evening in stoppage time to give the hosts the victory that moves them above their visitors on goal difference.

Yorkshire Amateur strengthened their grip on a play-off place as an Ashley Flynn double added to by Fernando Moke ensured a 3-1 home victory over Selby Town, the Ammers with an eight point cushion in the top six whilst Selby are two points away from Hallam in ninth.

Meanwhile, there was heartbreak for a Swallownest who narrowly missed out on a chance to reach the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup Semi-Finals as they went down 2-1 at home to Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Premier Division side Frickley Athletic, the visitors taking the win with an injury-time penalty.

Wednesday night included the inevitable rubber-stamping of Clipstone's demotion from Step 5 with a 5-2 loss at Albion Sports.

The Cobras had to win all of their remaining matches to have any chance of staying up and found themselves 4-0 down by the interval, courtesy of a Daniel Facey hat-trick and a Kesiolu Omolokum strike, before they rallied in the second half with two goals from Jermaine Jatau.

Next-to-bottom Parkgate remain seven points away from escaping the drop after Brandon Kane's 51st minute strike saw visitors Liversedge pick up their second victory in three days with a 1-0 win.

And, there were home victories for Bottesford Town and Bridlington Town, Declan Bacon and Ben Johnson scoring in a 2-0 triumph for Bottesford over Thackley whilst the Seasiders beat Athersley Recreation 3-1 with Jake Day getting a couple to regain eighth spot that had been taken from them the night before by Hemsworth.

In Division One, runaway leaders Knaresborough now only need four points to confirm promotion as the two sides most likely to stop them both dropped points.

Second-placed Eccleshill United led twice through Jonathan Irving at Worsbrough Bridge Athletic but the home side moved five points clear of the drop zone with a 2-2 draw, thanks to Jack Wilson and Ben Grech-Brooksbank equalisers.

Eccleshill are sixteen points behind Knaresborough but now two ahead of Grimsby Borough who lost 2-1 at Armthorpe Welfare despite breaking the deadlock through James Wroot.

Wayne Brook and Luke Williams pounced for the hosts in the second period to claim a victory that moves them up to fifteenth whilst Borough stay third.

Basement side Brigg Town were ahead through Adam Gowing and then Matthew Steeper but were twice pegged back before hosts Campion took all three points with a 3-2 victory, Matthias Britton with the winner seven minutes from time.

Brigg are now seven points adrift of Worsbrough in the battle for survival whilst Campion are eight points away from the play-off zone in tenth.

And, in the only match to be played on Thursday, Shirebrook Town are through to a League Cup Fourth Round tie at home to Pontefract Collieries following a 6-0 win at Selby Town, courtesy of a goal each for Tom Cooke, Joe Naylor, Nathan Clarke, Jordan Claxton, Declan Brewin and Daniel Williams.

Photo: Action from Barton Town's 1-0 home victory over Harrogate Railway Athletic in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division on Tuesday. (Picture: Jim Nichol)

Match Highlights