Premier Division Preview - 31st March/1st April 2017
Fri 31st March 2017 | General | By Patrick Burke
With just four weeks to go before another Hallmark Security Premier League Division campaign draws to a close, this could be a weekend of the utmost importance as it pits four of the top five against each other.
There is one Friday night fixture, and it is at Brantingham Road as Maine Road host a South Manchester Derby against West Didsbury & Chorlton. Monday night saw the home team end a run of three straight 1-0 defeats with a fine 2-0 win against Padiham, lifting them to 12th in the process.
In contrast, West had a midweek to forget as they blew a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 against Barnoldswick Town, although it did extend their unbeaten run to five matches. Steve Settle’s side are 7th, and will be hoping to use this fixture to propel themselves towards a ‘best of the rest’ finish.
The biggest clash of the weekend, though, surely comes on Saturday at the Kensite Stadium, where it’s first against second as Atherton Collieries welcome Runcorn Linnets. Colls have won 15 of their last 16 league matches, the only blip being a narrow loss at Runcorn Town a few weeks back. Back-to-back victories against Maine Road and Ashton Athletic were an excellent way to respond, and three points in this one would send them five points clear and make them favourites.
They will be all too aware, though, that Linnets are well in the title race and an away win see Michael Ellison’s team leapfrog their hosts (albeit Colls would have three games in hand). A dramatic late winner at Bootle last weekend saw Linnets pick up maximum points for the fifth game on the spin, and they will be looking for a hat-trick of wins against fellow top five sides in this run, having won 4-1 at 1874 Northwich three weeks back. It doesn’t do this game justice to call it a ‘biggie’!
The same certainly applies for 1874 Northwich versus Bootle, which sees 5th play 3rd. 1874’s faint title hopes were dealt a further blow on Tuesday as they lost 3-2 at Ashton Athletic, but it was the first defeat since Paul Bowyer and Wayne Goodison took charge, having previously seen off Padiham and Witton Albion in the Mid-Cheshire Senior Cup. They will be sure to provide a very tough match-up for the Bucks, whose own prospects also took a hit last weekend in that defeat to Linnets.
Bootle were also eliminated from the Liverpool Senior Cup by Prescot Cables in midweek, but had won ten of their last eleven prior to those setbacks. Six points adrift of Colls but far and away the top scorers in the division with 109 goals, it would be wrong to write Joe Doran’s men off!
The other side in the mix are Runcorn Town, and they play host to a buoyant Nelson this weekend. A 5-0 triumph over New Mills last Saturday was the perfect response to consecutive defeats, and Chris Herbert’s team will still believe that they can be promoted come the end of the season, especially with 45 goal star striker Craig Cairns in their ranks.
However, their visitors’ brilliant 5-1 win at AFC Liverpool in the week will have been a gentle reminder that this will be no easy game. With Sebastien Julien scoring all five goals on Wednesday night, he will no doubt play a vital role as Nelson look to claw back at the ten point deficit with AFC Darwen just above the drop zone.
Another great game should be in prospect as Barnoldswick Town host Hanley Town, two in form teams going head-to-head. A seven match unbeaten run has lifted Barlick up to 15th having played fewer games than anyone else. Their last two games have seen them come back from 3-1 and 3-0 down away from home to draw 3-3, suggesting that there is tremendous character in the squad.
However, 6th placed Hanley Town will put that to the test after winning four of their first six games under Michael Edwards’ management. They overcame Barnton 4-1 on Tuesday, with Theo Stair’s hat-trick meaning he has now scored nine in his last six appearances.
The only team to have beaten Hanley under Edwards are bottom side Cammell Laird 1907, and Mick McGraa’s men will be hoping that relegation hasn’t dampened their spirits as they welcome AFC Liverpool to the North West Construction Stadium. Lairds at last picked up their first league win of the season a fortnight ago, beating AFC Darwen 4-1, and followed that up by defeating Hanley.
Other results relegated them last weekend, but they will look to continue their mini revival. The visitors, meanwhile, will be hoping to end their mini slump having lost at home to AFC Darwen and Nelson in consecutive matches. Kevin Dally’s side are 8th and had won three of their previous four prior to then, so they will want to bounce back here.
9th placed Padiham will be keen to avoid their season petering out, having lost their last three and won just one of their last nine. That triumph, though, was at 1874 Northwich, and 21st placed New Mills will be wary of such quality ahead of their visit to the Arbories.
Tuesday night’s 2-0 victory against Abbey Hey was just what the Millers needed after a heavy defeat at Runcorn Town on the Saturday, and means they have won two of their last three games. Calum Sykes’ team remain eleven points from safety, but will take great optimism from recent improved results and performances.
With Nelson and New Mills picking up good wins, AFC Darwen will be looking for further breathing space as they welcome 10th placed Winsford United. Darwen themselves won 2-0 at AFC Liverpool last time out – the perfect way to respond to the defeat at Lairds. They will be hoping for their first home game since 21st January, when they beat West Didsbury & Chorlton 3-0.
Winsford travel with their good form merging into inconsistent form after recent defeats to Irlam and New Mills, although they will want a repeat of the display which saw them get the better of Squires Gate last week.
Monday night’s win at Winsford was Irlam’s third on the bounce, and it moved them up to 11th in the table. It’s certainly been a very satisfactory Premier Division debut for Steve Nixon’s side. Despite Tuesday night’s 4-1 loss at Hanley, the same can surely be said of Saturday’s opponents Barnton. They are 18th and eleven points clear of the drop zone, but will seek an end to their four match winless run here.
Last but not least is a mid-table encounter between Congleton Town and Ashton Athletic. 16th placed Congleton are on a run of six games without a win, but with their last two matches ending 3-3 against Barnoldswick and 5-2 against Linnets, there are usually goals where the Bears are involved! Athletic’s form has been solid of late, winning on Tuesday against 1874 Northwich to climb up to 13th, although they have lost their last three on their travels.
Ten games in the offing which have entertainment written all over them, so why not get down and support your local team this weekend?
Premier Division Preview - 31st March/1st April 2017
Fri 31st March 2017 | General
By Patrick Burke
With just four weeks to go before another Hallmark Security Premier League Division campaign draws to a close, this could be a weekend of the utmost importance as it pits four of the top five against each other.
There is one Friday night fixture, and it is at Brantingham Road as Maine Road host a South Manchester Derby against West Didsbury & Chorlton. Monday night saw the home team end a run of three straight 1-0 defeats with a fine 2-0 win against Padiham, lifting them to 12th in the process.
In contrast, West had a midweek to forget as they blew a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 against Barnoldswick Town, although it did extend their unbeaten run to five matches. Steve Settle’s side are 7th, and will be hoping to use this fixture to propel themselves towards a ‘best of the rest’ finish.
The biggest clash of the weekend, though, surely comes on Saturday at the Kensite Stadium, where it’s first against second as Atherton Collieries welcome Runcorn Linnets. Colls have won 15 of their last 16 league matches, the only blip being a narrow loss at Runcorn Town a few weeks back. Back-to-back victories against Maine Road and Ashton Athletic were an excellent way to respond, and three points in this one would send them five points clear and make them favourites.
They will be all too aware, though, that Linnets are well in the title race and an away win see Michael Ellison’s team leapfrog their hosts (albeit Colls would have three games in hand). A dramatic late winner at Bootle last weekend saw Linnets pick up maximum points for the fifth game on the spin, and they will be looking for a hat-trick of wins against fellow top five sides in this run, having won 4-1 at 1874 Northwich three weeks back. It doesn’t do this game justice to call it a ‘biggie’!
The same certainly applies for 1874 Northwich versus Bootle, which sees 5th play 3rd. 1874’s faint title hopes were dealt a further blow on Tuesday as they lost 3-2 at Ashton Athletic, but it was the first defeat since Paul Bowyer and Wayne Goodison took charge, having previously seen off Padiham and Witton Albion in the Mid-Cheshire Senior Cup. They will be sure to provide a very tough match-up for the Bucks, whose own prospects also took a hit last weekend in that defeat to Linnets.
Bootle were also eliminated from the Liverpool Senior Cup by Prescot Cables in midweek, but had won ten of their last eleven prior to those setbacks. Six points adrift of Colls but far and away the top scorers in the division with 109 goals, it would be wrong to write Joe Doran’s men off!
The other side in the mix are Runcorn Town, and they play host to a buoyant Nelson this weekend. A 5-0 triumph over New Mills last Saturday was the perfect response to consecutive defeats, and Chris Herbert’s team will still believe that they can be promoted come the end of the season, especially with 45 goal star striker Craig Cairns in their ranks.
However, their visitors’ brilliant 5-1 win at AFC Liverpool in the week will have been a gentle reminder that this will be no easy game. With Sebastien Julien scoring all five goals on Wednesday night, he will no doubt play a vital role as Nelson look to claw back at the ten point deficit with AFC Darwen just above the drop zone.
Another great game should be in prospect as Barnoldswick Town host Hanley Town, two in form teams going head-to-head. A seven match unbeaten run has lifted Barlick up to 15th having played fewer games than anyone else. Their last two games have seen them come back from 3-1 and 3-0 down away from home to draw 3-3, suggesting that there is tremendous character in the squad.
However, 6th placed Hanley Town will put that to the test after winning four of their first six games under Michael Edwards’ management. They overcame Barnton 4-1 on Tuesday, with Theo Stair’s hat-trick meaning he has now scored nine in his last six appearances.
The only team to have beaten Hanley under Edwards are bottom side Cammell Laird 1907, and Mick McGraa’s men will be hoping that relegation hasn’t dampened their spirits as they welcome AFC Liverpool to the North West Construction Stadium. Lairds at last picked up their first league win of the season a fortnight ago, beating AFC Darwen 4-1, and followed that up by defeating Hanley.
Other results relegated them last weekend, but they will look to continue their mini revival. The visitors, meanwhile, will be hoping to end their mini slump having lost at home to AFC Darwen and Nelson in consecutive matches. Kevin Dally’s side are 8th and had won three of their previous four prior to then, so they will want to bounce back here.
9th placed Padiham will be keen to avoid their season petering out, having lost their last three and won just one of their last nine. That triumph, though, was at 1874 Northwich, and 21st placed New Mills will be wary of such quality ahead of their visit to the Arbories.
Tuesday night’s 2-0 victory against Abbey Hey was just what the Millers needed after a heavy defeat at Runcorn Town on the Saturday, and means they have won two of their last three games. Calum Sykes’ team remain eleven points from safety, but will take great optimism from recent improved results and performances.
With Nelson and New Mills picking up good wins, AFC Darwen will be looking for further breathing space as they welcome 10th placed Winsford United. Darwen themselves won 2-0 at AFC Liverpool last time out – the perfect way to respond to the defeat at Lairds. They will be hoping for their first home game since 21st January, when they beat West Didsbury & Chorlton 3-0.
Winsford travel with their good form merging into inconsistent form after recent defeats to Irlam and New Mills, although they will want a repeat of the display which saw them get the better of Squires Gate last week.
Monday night’s win at Winsford was Irlam’s third on the bounce, and it moved them up to 11th in the table. It’s certainly been a very satisfactory Premier Division debut for Steve Nixon’s side. Despite Tuesday night’s 4-1 loss at Hanley, the same can surely be said of Saturday’s opponents Barnton. They are 18th and eleven points clear of the drop zone, but will seek an end to their four match winless run here.
Last but not least is a mid-table encounter between Congleton Town and Ashton Athletic. 16th placed Congleton are on a run of six games without a win, but with their last two matches ending 3-3 against Barnoldswick and 5-2 against Linnets, there are usually goals where the Bears are involved! Athletic’s form has been solid of late, winning on Tuesday against 1874 Northwich to climb up to 13th, although they have lost their last three on their travels.
Ten games in the offing which have entertainment written all over them, so why not get down and support your local team this weekend?
