Division One Preview - Saturday 25th March 2017
Fri 24th March 2017 | General | By Kieran Ford
As the 2016-17 season reaches the home stretch, there are still plenty of key issues to be resolved at both ends of the Division 1 table…
AFC Blackpool vs FC Oswestry Town
Hammered 7-0 by an in-form Chadderton last Saturday, AFC Blackpool find themselves 2 places above the drop zone, but are 13 points clear of it. If the team in tangerine can recreate the performances of the victory over Atherton LR and draw against Stockport Town, they may be in with a chance of a good result on Saturday.
They face an Oswestry side that are marauding in mid table having had an up and down last 6 games, with 2 wins and 4 defeats. Their last game was a 4-0 defeat to title chasing City of Liverpool, and they’ll look to bounce back at the Mechanics Ground.
Atherton LR vs Litherland REMYCA
Table topping Litherland REMYCA travel to Crilly Park to face Atherton LR, a side that will still be looking over their shoulder to the relegation spots. Since their exploits in the Liverpool Senior Cup with a win over Everton, “Remy” have suffered a defeat to Charnock Richard, but bounced back with a hard fought 1-0 win over Silsden. A big win for the table toppers could see them match the 100-goal mark.
Atherton LR are near the bottom of the division, but their fortunes in the previous 8 games could have been so much different. Although they have lost 7 in this run, they have all been by a singular goal, with their solitary win coming against 2nd bottom Eccleshall. Can LR produce a big win to turn their fortunes around?
Daisy Hill vs Charnock Richard
If Charnock Richard win their games in hand, they will find themselves in an automatic promotion spot. Back to back promotions is a very real possibility for Charnock, who claimed a big win away to Litherland REMYCA 2 weeks ago. With tough games coming up against Prestwich Heys and Alsager Town, Charnock will want to take advantage at a newly refurbished New Sirs.
Daisy Hill only have position to play for, as both relegation and the play offs are out of their reach. However, the 16th place side got an impressive 3-3 draw against Sandbach United, with the league’s top scorer Ashely Stott grabbing his 26th and 27th goal of the season, can he fire the hosts to a positive result?
Eccleshall vs Carlisle City
Eccleshall find themselves firmly in a relegation battle, as they are 8 points off safety. They have lost their last 5 games conceding 17 goals, their home form isn’t much better as they have lost their previous 4. Ironically, Eccleshall made the long trip to Carlisle as the reverse fixture was contested last Saturday with Carlisle running out 2-1 winners.
The away team are in 15th after a steady 1st season in the division. Before last Saturday’s win, they had lost their previous 4 which had set them on a slope down the table. Can they grab successive wins over Eccleshall and send their opponents deeper into relegation trouble?
Holker Old Boys vs Alsager Town
Holker Old Boys are another side that are in mid table mediocrity as they sit in 17th place. Their form has petered out towards the end of the season, with no league win since January as their solitary success came in impressive circumstances in the Reusch 1st Division Cup 1st Leg.
They face Alsager Town, who are still in contention for an instant return to the Premier Division as they sit in the play offs on goal difference. A 2-2 draw at St Helens Town was followed up with a crucial 2-1 win at home to Cheadle Town as they look to keep momentum going.
Prestwich Heys vs Ashton Town
Prestwich Heys still have a chance of the play offs if they win their games in hand. This seems likely as they sit top of the form table with 6 wins in a row, including impressive successes against title chasing Litherland REMYCA and Whicturch Alport.
They will feel this is the perfect time to play Ashton Town, who are bottom of the table and have a tough task to avoid the drop. They are also bottom of the form table, with 1 impressive 5-0 win over AFC Blackpool sandwiched in between 5 defeats.
Sandbach United vs Chadderton
Sandbach are just out of the play offs on goal difference, and with a steady run of games in their previous 6, the new stand at Sandbach Community Sports Centre could be seeing some success at the end of the campaign. However, a victory to keep up this momentum will not be easy against Chadderton on Saturday.
They won the reverse fixture on boxing day 1-0, and are in a run of 4 wins in a row after Thursday's game at St Helens Town, including a 7-0 victory over AFC Blackpool on Saturday. They currently sit in 10th position and with their current form they could move up a few more places before the campaign is out.
Whitchurch Alport vs Silsden
3rd placed Whitchurch Alport are still firmly in the hunt for an automatic promotion place, however their form in the previous 6 has been that of a mid-table side. After successive defeats against Chadderton and Prestwich Heys, they bounced back with expected victories over Bacup Borough and Atherton LR.
Silsden have the same run of form as their opponents on Saturday with 3 wins and 3 defeats in their previous 6 matches. Silsden have faced 3 of the top 4 in their last 3 matches, with the 4th of these being played on Saturday. This is a horrible run of fixtures for Silsden but they sit comfortably in mid table, so have nothing to worry about.
Widnes vs Cheadle Town
Finally, Widnes host Cheadle Town at the Select Security Stadium. The hosts are in the play-off hunt, and a hard fought 1-0 victory at Holker Old Boys on Tuesday helped them get back on track after 2 successive defeats to Barnoldswick Town in the Macron Cup Quarter Final, and title chasing City of Liverpool.
Cheadle Town will be looking to take advantage of the fact that Widnes have not won in their previous 5 at home, but them themselves have lost their previous 2 after a run of 4 wins in a row. This good run of form has saw them move up to 13th in the table, as they look to close out the season strongly.
Division One Preview - Saturday 25th March 2017
Fri 24th March 2017 | General
By Kieran Ford
As the 2016-17 season reaches the home stretch, there are still plenty of key issues to be resolved at both ends of the Division 1 table…
AFC Blackpool vs FC Oswestry Town
Hammered 7-0 by an in-form Chadderton last Saturday, AFC Blackpool find themselves 2 places above the drop zone, but are 13 points clear of it. If the team in tangerine can recreate the performances of the victory over Atherton LR and draw against Stockport Town, they may be in with a chance of a good result on Saturday.
They face an Oswestry side that are marauding in mid table having had an up and down last 6 games, with 2 wins and 4 defeats. Their last game was a 4-0 defeat to title chasing City of Liverpool, and they’ll look to bounce back at the Mechanics Ground.
Atherton LR vs Litherland REMYCA
Table topping Litherland REMYCA travel to Crilly Park to face Atherton LR, a side that will still be looking over their shoulder to the relegation spots. Since their exploits in the Liverpool Senior Cup with a win over Everton, “Remy” have suffered a defeat to Charnock Richard, but bounced back with a hard fought 1-0 win over Silsden. A big win for the table toppers could see them match the 100-goal mark.
Atherton LR are near the bottom of the division, but their fortunes in the previous 8 games could have been so much different. Although they have lost 7 in this run, they have all been by a singular goal, with their solitary win coming against 2nd bottom Eccleshall. Can LR produce a big win to turn their fortunes around?
Daisy Hill vs Charnock Richard
If Charnock Richard win their games in hand, they will find themselves in an automatic promotion spot. Back to back promotions is a very real possibility for Charnock, who claimed a big win away to Litherland REMYCA 2 weeks ago. With tough games coming up against Prestwich Heys and Alsager Town, Charnock will want to take advantage at a newly refurbished New Sirs.
Daisy Hill only have position to play for, as both relegation and the play offs are out of their reach. However, the 16th place side got an impressive 3-3 draw against Sandbach United, with the league’s top scorer Ashely Stott grabbing his 26th and 27th goal of the season, can he fire the hosts to a positive result?
Eccleshall vs Carlisle City
Eccleshall find themselves firmly in a relegation battle, as they are 8 points off safety. They have lost their last 5 games conceding 17 goals, their home form isn’t much better as they have lost their previous 4. Ironically, Eccleshall made the long trip to Carlisle as the reverse fixture was contested last Saturday with Carlisle running out 2-1 winners.
The away team are in 15th after a steady 1st season in the division. Before last Saturday’s win, they had lost their previous 4 which had set them on a slope down the table. Can they grab successive wins over Eccleshall and send their opponents deeper into relegation trouble?
Holker Old Boys vs Alsager Town
Holker Old Boys are another side that are in mid table mediocrity as they sit in 17th place. Their form has petered out towards the end of the season, with no league win since January as their solitary success came in impressive circumstances in the Reusch 1st Division Cup 1st Leg.
They face Alsager Town, who are still in contention for an instant return to the Premier Division as they sit in the play offs on goal difference. A 2-2 draw at St Helens Town was followed up with a crucial 2-1 win at home to Cheadle Town as they look to keep momentum going.
Prestwich Heys vs Ashton Town
Prestwich Heys still have a chance of the play offs if they win their games in hand. This seems likely as they sit top of the form table with 6 wins in a row, including impressive successes against title chasing Litherland REMYCA and Whicturch Alport.
They will feel this is the perfect time to play Ashton Town, who are bottom of the table and have a tough task to avoid the drop. They are also bottom of the form table, with 1 impressive 5-0 win over AFC Blackpool sandwiched in between 5 defeats.
Sandbach United vs Chadderton
Sandbach are just out of the play offs on goal difference, and with a steady run of games in their previous 6, the new stand at Sandbach Community Sports Centre could be seeing some success at the end of the campaign. However, a victory to keep up this momentum will not be easy against Chadderton on Saturday.
They won the reverse fixture on boxing day 1-0, and are in a run of 4 wins in a row after Thursday's game at St Helens Town, including a 7-0 victory over AFC Blackpool on Saturday. They currently sit in 10th position and with their current form they could move up a few more places before the campaign is out.
Whitchurch Alport vs Silsden
3rd placed Whitchurch Alport are still firmly in the hunt for an automatic promotion place, however their form in the previous 6 has been that of a mid-table side. After successive defeats against Chadderton and Prestwich Heys, they bounced back with expected victories over Bacup Borough and Atherton LR.
Silsden have the same run of form as their opponents on Saturday with 3 wins and 3 defeats in their previous 6 matches. Silsden have faced 3 of the top 4 in their last 3 matches, with the 4th of these being played on Saturday. This is a horrible run of fixtures for Silsden but they sit comfortably in mid table, so have nothing to worry about.
Widnes vs Cheadle Town
Finally, Widnes host Cheadle Town at the Select Security Stadium. The hosts are in the play-off hunt, and a hard fought 1-0 victory at Holker Old Boys on Tuesday helped them get back on track after 2 successive defeats to Barnoldswick Town in the Macron Cup Quarter Final, and title chasing City of Liverpool.
Cheadle Town will be looking to take advantage of the fact that Widnes have not won in their previous 5 at home, but them themselves have lost their previous 2 after a run of 4 wins in a row. This good run of form has saw them move up to 13th in the table, as they look to close out the season strongly.
