PILKINGTONS welcomed near neighbours FC St Helens for their last Cheshire League Division One game of the season.

It was a tense affair in the opening 10 minutes although FC survived a clear penalty shout on seven minutes when Matty Taylor was upended in the box.

On 11 minutes FC broke the deadlock when Sweeney finished neatly and seven minutes later FC doubled their lead when Smith lobbed it in.

As the game went on Pilks started to gain control of the ball and mounted some pressure on the FC goal.

With eight minutes to half-time they got the breakthrough when Luke McCausland headed home Taylor’s corner - an FC defender protested too much and was sent off.

With a more determined Pilks coming out in the second half and started to control the game.

However, they still couldn’t find the openings with Brinksman standing firm in the FC goal.

On 59 minutes Matty Taylor equalised with another stunning free-kick and a minute later substitute Adam Dixon followed up his pass to head home.

With 30 minutes to go FC lost another player when Callum Laird was sent off and Pilks now had total control and extended their lead with 25 minutes left through Graham Boylan.

With 15 minutes left, disaster struck when Pilks top goalscorer Matty Taylor went down with a suspected broken ankle.

A sad end to what has been a remarkable season for Matty that has seen him score an incredible 51 goals from 34 games.

The game restarted after a 35-minute delay and was played out more like a training session than a derby game.

The three points secured Pilks third place in the league and they now move on to the final of the Cheshire League Presidents Cup against Ford Motors at Styal FC.