ALBION Sports remain the highest of the area's sides in the Toolstation Northern Counties East League but they dropped to ninth in the Premier Division after their ten men slipped to a 4-2 defeat at Staveley MW.

The visitors were under-strength, with Matt Mathers and James Firth unavailable, Karl Hall still injured and Lee Elam unwell – and that was just what they did not need going into a tough away game.

It got much worse for Kulwinder Sandhu's men as they had youngster Kamran Basi sent off within minutes of the start, before falling a goal down after keeper Aaron Brian conceded a penalty.

Yet they battled back well and were in front by the half-hour mark, with Ferdinand Annor and Danny Facey on target.

Staveley hit back when Kurtis Morley equalised and he went on to complete a first-half hat-trick when converting a second penalty.

Remarkably the visitors could still have gone in on level terms as they were awarded a penalty just before the break but skipper Asif Hussain failed from the spot.

Jahmal Smith wrapped up the scoring ten minutes from time with the only goal of the second half.

Sandhu was disappointed with the defeat but happy with his team's display. He said: "The four players I had out are all big players for us and I had to throw a young 17-year-old lad into such a big game against a top side.

"It backfired a bit when he got sent off so early on. I didn't see the incident but the assistant referee told me that Kamran had retaliated and it was much worse than the foul. It seems he might have stamped on a player, so if he has he has been very naive.

"But to go to a place like Staveley, who are up there, and do so well with ten men for 80-odd minutes is a credit to the players."

Thackley took another point against Retford United following a 1-1 home draw.

Josh Batty nudged the visitors in front early in the second half but the Dennyboys equalised through Redmond Lee after taking all three points at Retford in the reverse fixture the previous weekend.

It was not a good away day for Liversedge as they slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Pickering Town.

Sedge would have leapfrogged their hosts with a win but three goals inside a five-minute spell late in the first half ruined any hopes of that.

Joel Ramm, Joe Danby and Chris Batchelor were on target from the 29th to the 34th minute and Danby added his second after the interval.

Eccleshill United also lost on the road as they went down 2-1 at Knaresborough Town in Division One.

Colin Heath gave the hosts an early lead, with Ben Parkes doubling their lead 11 minutes from time before Doug Stevenson hit a late consolation.