Division One Preview - Saturday 27th August 2016
Fri 26th August 2016 | General | By Martin Stewart
When I was first asked to write this weekend’s First Division preview I hastily headed to the fixture list in the vain hope that Charnock Richard would be playing against Sandbach United. I wanted to be the first to christen this fixture ‘the Roadchef Services derby’.
Alas that wasn’t to be the case, so whichever lucky person does get to do that game in the future, you can have that one on me, but remember where you heard it first.
So it seems only right to concentrate on those two teams first, so we will start off with Charnock Richard who are at home to St Helens Town. The home side are one of the early pacesetters on the back of two wins and a draw in their last three games, which sees them sitting just a point off the top of the table.
The Saints have had a mixed bag of results early on but did get their season going last weekend with a 2-1 away win at table topping Litherland REMYCA.
Sandbach United are also playing hosts this weekend as they entertain fellow new boys Prestwich Heys. After a set of early results that shows the very model of inconsistency (and forms quite a soothing palindrome too LWDWL) the visitors sit in 11th place. Contrasting that are Sandbach United who moved to the top of the table on Wednesday night with a whopping 6-1 win at Eccleshall to give them 12 points from their first six matches.
Top of the travel expenses league this week will be Daisy Hill who make the 214 mile round trip to the Gillford Park Stadium, home of Carlisle City. Both sides find themselves currently in mid-table with the Lancashire outfit losing at Sandbach last weekend and Carlisle on the back of two consecutive draws.
City of Liverpool’s big purple party bus rolls into the nation’s fun capital on Saturday as they travel to AFC Blackpool. The two teams have had very differing starts to the season with the scousers enjoying the league’s only remaining 100% record, whilst Blackpool lie in 19th spot having won only one of their opening five matches.
However, manager Stuart Parker is highly experienced in this league and a match-up against his old rival from Runcorn Town, Simon Burton, promises to generate what will surely be one of the weekend’s most hotly contested games.
One of the pre-season favourites for promotion, Alsager Town, have duly got their campaign off to a flying start with 3 wins and a draw from their opening four games. They travel to Crilly Park (so called after legendary chairman Jack Crilly and not, as my grandson asked this week, Father Ted) to meet Atherton LR. The hosts got off to a poor start, but back to back wins in the last week, away to Chadderton and then at home to Ashton Utd have boosted them up to 10th in the table.
After two opening wins at home, Whitchurch Alport faltered on the road, before getting back to winning ways on Tuesday night with a 3-0 victory at FC Oswestry Town. On Saturday they travel to Stockport Town, where they will hope to notch a second away win on the trot.
Hoping to stop them will be a Lions side that looked well beaten when 4-0 down at City of Liverpool last Friday night, but then scored two quick goals to start a late comeback, causing some nervous jitters for the biggest crowd of the weekend. They followed that up in midweek with an impressive 3-1 home win against Prestwich Heys, so this game could be difficult to call.
At the lower end of the table Bacup Borough and Ashton Town will both be hoping for three points on Saturday in order to kick start their season. As the home side, Bacup will feel they have the advantage and will be boosted by 2-1 win over Silsden on Wednesday night, their first of the campaign. For their part, Ashton Town also got their first win of the season, last weekend at home to Blackpool, but lost again in midweek at Atherton LR to make it a worrying five defeats in six so far.
Litherland REMYCA got off to a flying start, winning all three of their opening fixtures right on the back of a forgettable 9-0 defeat to Prescot Cables in the Liverpool Senior Cup immediately prior to the start of the season. That run was abruptly halted by fellow Merseysiders, St Helens Town last weekend, but they will hope to get back on the winning train at Chadderton on Saturday.
Chaddy will be disappointed to not have done better so far than 2 wins from 5. But one thing they do guarantee at this moment is goals, with no fewer than a total of 37 seen at their 6 games played so far, culminating in an epic 4-5 defeat to Cheadle on Wednesday evening.
And let’s talk about the team of the moment, Cheadle Town. After their fantastic performance last week in the FA Cup, defeating Evo-stik South side Northwich Victoria 4-2 on their own soil, they host brand new side FC Oswestry Town at the Park Road Stadium. The visitors have had a difficult start to their first ever season in football, picking up one win and 2 draws in their opening 5 matches. One comfort though is that the better of those results have been so far achieved on the road so they will fancy their chances of an upset.
The Eagles take on the Vikings this weekend too. However there won’t be a shoulder pad in sight, nor sadly (for this writer anyway) no massive hotdogs on sale as this is strictly the English variety of football and we are talking about Eccleshall and Widnes. Expectations were high for Widnes at the start of the season with a number of high profile signings being made by the club.
Results have so far been mixed though and they were comfortably beaten 4-1 at home by Alsager on Monday night. Eccleshall have the uncomfortable task of propping up the whole table at the moment with 5 straight defeats from 5. New manager Jim Leech has endured a torrid opening to his tenure and faces a difficult task to turn things around against these opponents.
Last, but by no means least is Silsden at home to Holker Old Boys. Following relegation from the Premier Division last season, the Cobbydalers have endured a difficult opening to life in the First Division. They’ve won only one of their 4 league games and are currently on a run of three straight defeats.
For Holker, fresh from the disappointment of missing out narrowly on a play-off spot last season, they have had to deal with no longer being everyone else’s most looked forward to long distance away trip since the arrival of new boys Carlisle City in the summer. On the field though, they’ve maintained last season’s impressive form and sit 6th in the table having won 3 and lost 2 so far.
There is one more game this weekend, with City of Liverpool FC cleverly moving forward their previously arranged Tuesday night fixture with Atherton LR to 3pm on bank holiday Monday. However, with the propensity for the British weather to be pretty foul on a bank holiday, only time will tell whether this proves to be a wise move or not.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my rundown of this weekend’s coming First Division games and that whatever match you are going to, or just keeping an eye on, you enjoy regardless of the result.
Division One Preview - Saturday 27th August 2016
Fri 26th August 2016 | General
By Martin Stewart
When I was first asked to write this weekend’s First Division preview I hastily headed to the fixture list in the vain hope that Charnock Richard would be playing against Sandbach United. I wanted to be the first to christen this fixture ‘the Roadchef Services derby’.
Alas that wasn’t to be the case, so whichever lucky person does get to do that game in the future, you can have that one on me, but remember where you heard it first.
So it seems only right to concentrate on those two teams first, so we will start off with Charnock Richard who are at home to St Helens Town. The home side are one of the early pacesetters on the back of two wins and a draw in their last three games, which sees them sitting just a point off the top of the table.
The Saints have had a mixed bag of results early on but did get their season going last weekend with a 2-1 away win at table topping Litherland REMYCA.
Sandbach United are also playing hosts this weekend as they entertain fellow new boys Prestwich Heys. After a set of early results that shows the very model of inconsistency (and forms quite a soothing palindrome too LWDWL) the visitors sit in 11th place. Contrasting that are Sandbach United who moved to the top of the table on Wednesday night with a whopping 6-1 win at Eccleshall to give them 12 points from their first six matches.
Top of the travel expenses league this week will be Daisy Hill who make the 214 mile round trip to the Gillford Park Stadium, home of Carlisle City. Both sides find themselves currently in mid-table with the Lancashire outfit losing at Sandbach last weekend and Carlisle on the back of two consecutive draws.
City of Liverpool’s big purple party bus rolls into the nation’s fun capital on Saturday as they travel to AFC Blackpool. The two teams have had very differing starts to the season with the scousers enjoying the league’s only remaining 100% record, whilst Blackpool lie in 19th spot having won only one of their opening five matches.
However, manager Stuart Parker is highly experienced in this league and a match-up against his old rival from Runcorn Town, Simon Burton, promises to generate what will surely be one of the weekend’s most hotly contested games.
One of the pre-season favourites for promotion, Alsager Town, have duly got their campaign off to a flying start with 3 wins and a draw from their opening four games. They travel to Crilly Park (so called after legendary chairman Jack Crilly and not, as my grandson asked this week, Father Ted) to meet Atherton LR. The hosts got off to a poor start, but back to back wins in the last week, away to Chadderton and then at home to Ashton Utd have boosted them up to 10th in the table.
After two opening wins at home, Whitchurch Alport faltered on the road, before getting back to winning ways on Tuesday night with a 3-0 victory at FC Oswestry Town. On Saturday they travel to Stockport Town, where they will hope to notch a second away win on the trot.
Hoping to stop them will be a Lions side that looked well beaten when 4-0 down at City of Liverpool last Friday night, but then scored two quick goals to start a late comeback, causing some nervous jitters for the biggest crowd of the weekend. They followed that up in midweek with an impressive 3-1 home win against Prestwich Heys, so this game could be difficult to call.
At the lower end of the table Bacup Borough and Ashton Town will both be hoping for three points on Saturday in order to kick start their season. As the home side, Bacup will feel they have the advantage and will be boosted by 2-1 win over Silsden on Wednesday night, their first of the campaign. For their part, Ashton Town also got their first win of the season, last weekend at home to Blackpool, but lost again in midweek at Atherton LR to make it a worrying five defeats in six so far.
Litherland REMYCA got off to a flying start, winning all three of their opening fixtures right on the back of a forgettable 9-0 defeat to Prescot Cables in the Liverpool Senior Cup immediately prior to the start of the season. That run was abruptly halted by fellow Merseysiders, St Helens Town last weekend, but they will hope to get back on the winning train at Chadderton on Saturday.
Chaddy will be disappointed to not have done better so far than 2 wins from 5. But one thing they do guarantee at this moment is goals, with no fewer than a total of 37 seen at their 6 games played so far, culminating in an epic 4-5 defeat to Cheadle on Wednesday evening.
And let’s talk about the team of the moment, Cheadle Town. After their fantastic performance last week in the FA Cup, defeating Evo-stik South side Northwich Victoria 4-2 on their own soil, they host brand new side FC Oswestry Town at the Park Road Stadium. The visitors have had a difficult start to their first ever season in football, picking up one win and 2 draws in their opening 5 matches. One comfort though is that the better of those results have been so far achieved on the road so they will fancy their chances of an upset.
The Eagles take on the Vikings this weekend too. However there won’t be a shoulder pad in sight, nor sadly (for this writer anyway) no massive hotdogs on sale as this is strictly the English variety of football and we are talking about Eccleshall and Widnes. Expectations were high for Widnes at the start of the season with a number of high profile signings being made by the club.
Results have so far been mixed though and they were comfortably beaten 4-1 at home by Alsager on Monday night. Eccleshall have the uncomfortable task of propping up the whole table at the moment with 5 straight defeats from 5. New manager Jim Leech has endured a torrid opening to his tenure and faces a difficult task to turn things around against these opponents.
Last, but by no means least is Silsden at home to Holker Old Boys. Following relegation from the Premier Division last season, the Cobbydalers have endured a difficult opening to life in the First Division. They’ve won only one of their 4 league games and are currently on a run of three straight defeats.
For Holker, fresh from the disappointment of missing out narrowly on a play-off spot last season, they have had to deal with no longer being everyone else’s most looked forward to long distance away trip since the arrival of new boys Carlisle City in the summer. On the field though, they’ve maintained last season’s impressive form and sit 6th in the table having won 3 and lost 2 so far.
There is one more game this weekend, with City of Liverpool FC cleverly moving forward their previously arranged Tuesday night fixture with Atherton LR to 3pm on bank holiday Monday. However, with the propensity for the British weather to be pretty foul on a bank holiday, only time will tell whether this proves to be a wise move or not.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my rundown of this weekend’s coming First Division games and that whatever match you are going to, or just keeping an eye on, you enjoy regardless of the result.
