ON a dramatic weekend in the Northern Premier League East Division, Brighouse Town were officially relegated, but Silsden gained a monumental three points.
In a thrilling battle to avoid the drop, even 14th-placed Grimsby Borough, who lost 3-1 at home to play-off hopefuls Bradford (Park Avenue) on Saturday are not safe yet with two games to go.
And Brighouse, 22nd and last in the table, are the only side officially down yet.
Goal difference meant they were requiring snookers anyway before Saturday, but survival is now mathematically impossible.
The axe finally fell after they were beaten 3-0 by Consett, though wins for Silsden and Bishop Auckland meant they would have been condemned to the drop regardless of that defeat.
Silsden would have been above the relegation zone on goal difference only had they lost, with an eight-game winless run having pushed them back down into danger.
But the Cobbydalers broke that streak at the perfect time, with a 2-0 win at already-safe Hallam on Saturday.
Any suggestions the hosts were on the beach were soon quelled, with Silsden keeper Tommy Brown making several superb saves to keep them out in the opening half-hour.
But skipper and centre back Harry Coates, who was being deployed up front in Matt Cavanagh’s new-look system, started to cause the home defence problems.
And after blasting a great chance over the bar, he held his nerve to round off a thrilling counter attack by squaring the ball for Kayle Price to slam into the net past Hugo Warhurst.
The second half was more evenly balanced, Hallam now disadvantaged by playing up their infamous Sandygate slope and with the wind no longer behind them.
Price and Aaron Pickles both forced saves out of Warhurst, but the hosts still had their moments, one volley screaming just wide before Brown brilliantly tipped a header on the crossbar.
Pickles hooked away the danger just before a Hallam player could turn home the rebound, as they continued to push ferociously for an equaliser.
But that meant the home side had to leave gaps at the back, allowing Silsden to break and finish them off at the death.
Luke Brooksbank picked the ball up outside the area and curled an unstoppable strike into the top right corner to seal victory for the Cobbydalers once and for all.
There was no such joy for Brighouse on Saturday, whose faint hopes of survival were quickly extinguished, Matty Todd, Ben Ramsey and Charlie Exley putting visiting Consett 3-0 up after only 18 minutes.
However, Brig deserve credit for not completely collapsing thereafter, the young home side keeping out their opponents for the rest of the afternoon.
Northern Counties East League Premier Division champions Liversedge will be swapping places with Brig next season.
The regular league season wrapped up last week, except for Sedge and Knaresborough Town, who still had their final game to play against one another in North Yorkshire.
And it was the mid-table hosts who claimed a surprise 2-1 win, though Sedge still won the title by a massive 14 point margin.
Bradford side Route One Rovers ended the NCEL Division One season in eighth place, after losing 4-1 at home on the final day to play-off semi-finalist Wakefield AFC.
Finally, in front of a bumper crowd of over 1,200 spectators at Nethermoor, Guiseley slipped to 14th in the NPL Premier Division with a 5-2 home defeat against title-chasing FC United of Manchester.
