ON Tuesday night, Campion pulled off arguably the standout result of the Northern Counties East League Premier Division season so far, sensationally winning 6-1.
The Bradford side reached the play-off semi-finals two seasons ago and would have been hoping for something similar this time around.
But it has been a difficult start for Campion, and with just four wins from their opening 17 league games, they sat 14th going into their midweek game away at Tadcaster Albion.
Their North Yorkshire side had been having no such problems, and they knew a home win on Tuesday night would take them up from fourth to second, just three points behind leaders Liversedge.
But Tadcaster were blown away by a stunning first-half performance from Campion, who were remarkably already 5-1 ahead by the break.
Shay Muirhead gave the Red and Blacks an early lead when he turned home the rebound after Paddy Sykes’ shot had been cleared off the line.
Ben Grech-Brooksbank’s lobbed the keeper on 25 minutes and his shot looked to be going in, but Muirhead tapped the ball home anyway just in case.
Muirhead was running riot, and after robbing the Tadcaster full back of possession, he drove into the area before squaring the ball for Sykes to smash it into the net.
Grech-Brooksbank got his goal moments later to make it 4-0 to Campion, before Tadcaster got some brief respite when Desmond Okoro found the net.
But Muirhead was not done yet, and he headed home to complete his hat-trick, with Tadcaster already completely down and out after just 39 minutes.
Immediately after the interval, Ewan Gregson set up Sykes to score Campion’s sixth goal, but mercifully for the hosts, that was the end of their punishment.
Manager Lee Ashforth was able to ring the changes, bringing on all five of his substitutes before the midway point of the second half, as Campion saw out a massive statement win.
They now sit 11th in the table, but it will still be a tall order for them to make the play-offs from here.
Route One Rovers could make them in NCEL Division One, but their promotion hopes are suffering as a result of their inconsistency.
The Bradford side have scored 40 goals in their 10 home matches, winning seven of them, but they have picked up maximum points just twice on the road.
They suffered another away setback on Tuesday night, losing 4-1 at a strong Wakefield AFC side, the prolific Zak Khan scoring a consolation goal for the visitors.
There was better news for Guiseley in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, as they grabbed their first win under new manager Ian Richards on Tuesday night.
On balance, they just about edged their game at Workington AFC and came away with a 1-0 victory after Jack Emmett turned home Will Longbottom’s corner just before half-time.
The win was important, as it takes struggling Guiseley five points clear of the relegation zone.
