LYE Town continue to top the charts this Christmas.

The Stourbridge Road side stretched their lead in the West Midlands League to 11 points after pulling off a 3-1 success over second placed Shawbury United.

Celebrations went on well into the night as the players let their hair down at the club's Christmas party.

Chairman Brian Blakemore quipped: "I'm not quite sure whether they've all gone home yet. But the party typified the spirit within the club at the moment.

 "We made a day of it against Shawbury, with all the players meeting at the club for an 11am breakfast".

The game was witnessed by Lye's biggest crowd of the season to date and the chairman claimed: "There were quite a few games that got called off locally, so that probably helped - but the crowds have been picking up all season.

 "Shawbury were a good side. They took the lead and we weren't in the game for the first 10 to 15 minutes.

"Yes, it was highly competitive, but that's what you would expect from first v second in the table.

"There was a situation where Shawbury's striker Tom Rogers was sent off after going into our goalkeeper Jakes James, who suffered a badly gashed knee as a result and had to be replaced.

"It was a late challenge, but I don't think there was any malice in it, it wasn't that sought of game.

 "Jake's having the injury assessed this week as we're not sure how serious the damage is, although I suspect he'll miss next Saturday's trip to Malvern Town.

 "We do have an experienced goalkeeper in Danny Watson who we can call upon, but in fairness, Ben Jevons, who took over from Jake, didn't do that badly.

 "He's kept goal before in an emergency and he saved a penalty, which of course he was chuffed to bits with. It's another option that is available to us".

Lye are back at home on January 4 when they host Welington Amateurs.

Blakemore believes Lye then enter a critical period where they face Sporting Khalsa on January 18 before taking on arch rivals Wolves Casuals twice within the space of a week.

And Blakemore believes Casuals are a side capable of launching a late challenge but claimed:

"At the start of the season, if you'd offered me the position we're in at the moment with 26 games unbeaten, would we have taken it ... of course we would"