IN another weekend when waterlogged pitches severely hit the programme, Silsden Whitestar progressed to the quarter-finals of the Skipton Body Repair Centre Craven League's Northern Plant Hire Trophy.

The Cobbydalers won their all-Premier Division tie 4-1 at Wilsden Athletic, thanks to goals by Andy Kay, man of the match Jack Kendall, Andy McNulty and Chris Williams, Wilsden's gong winner Dave McCarten replying.

Whitestar will now travel to either Premier Division Grindleton or Division Two promotion contenders Carleton in the last eight.

In the Premier Division, Gargrave, whose man of the match was Jamie Poulter, has climbed a place to ninth on the back of a 2-1 home victory over lowly Earby Town, while Skipton Town handed visitors Bingley Town only their league win of the season in Division One.

Substitute and man of the match Andrew Nicholson scored Skipton Town's only goal in a 3-1 defeat as they slipped from sixth to seventh.

* Football League referee Mark Haywood is the guest speaker at Keighley & District Referees’ Association's meeting next Tuesday (February 9) at Silsden AFC (7.45pm).

Mark is also a referee development officer with the West Riding County FA, and the evening is also being backed by the Keighley & District FA and Craven & District FA, both of whose areas have been affected by the national trend of a decline in new referees.

With this in mind, the theme of the evening will be to give potential referees an insight into what is involved in starting their career at grass-roots level.

Further information is available from Keighley & District Referees' Association secretary Simon Todd on 07866-089661.