Division One Preview - Saturday 29th April 2017
Fri 28th April 2017 | General | By Stewart Taylor
As we reach the final round of fixtures in what has been an exciting First Division this season, various issues relating to final places are resolved, but not all.
First of all, congratulations to Widnes as Champions of the First Division, a position cemented following an away win at AFC Blackpool in mid-week.
Following a somewhat uncertain start to the campaign, and a change of manager, Widnes have shown fantastic form over the latter months of the campaign. Bolstered by some astute signings of experienced players, the side has slowly climbed the table to reach the summit at the time it matters most.
The presence in any side of proven goalscorers is always a positive and both Kevin Towey and George Lomax have fulfilled that role admirably.
No doubt the celebrations have already started but the achievement will be celebrated again as Daisy Hill are the visitors to the Select Security Stadium on Saturday.
The visitors for this match also have a proven goalscorer in their ranks in the shape of the experienced Ashley Stott who won the Player of the Month award for the First Division for December. However the side have conceded over 100 goals this season and this goes a long way to explaining their League position.
Charnock Richard were one of six clubs who came into the First Division at the beginning of the season. Back in August one can always dream of what might be to come, as steps are taken into something of an unknown but all such dreams have been realised as second place, and promotion to the Premier Division for next season, was achieved in mid-week, short of some extraordinary mathematics, with the point gained away at City of Liverpool.
Again we can highlight consistent goalscorers as one of the keys to success, and Carl Grimshaw has been the man when it comes to sticking the ball in the back of the net.
Their final match is away at Valerie Park against a St Helens Town side who will be looking forward to next season. It has no doubt been a frustrating season for St Helens but, with the promise of the new facilities at Ruskin Drive being ready for next season, the club will return to St Helens with renewed vigour.
A comfortable mid table position at the end of this season is a decent achievement, but we can imagine that they will aim to be up there in the mix next season.
The four sides who will occupy the play off places at the end of the season are known. What is not known is the order in which these sides will finish, and that alone makes for four interesting matches, as neither of these sides play each other on the final day.
Litherland REMYCA will go into their home match against Holker Old Boys in third place. We can, for practical purposes, discount any combination of results and scorelines which may move them up to second place so a victory will cement that third position and home advantage in a play off semi final match against the sixth placed team. ,
Remy have shown progress this season, following a 9th placed finish at the end of the last campaign and they reached the semi finals of the Liverpool Senior Cup losing narrowly to Southport of the National League, having taken the scalp of Everton Reserves in the quarter final. A successful season by any standards and it's not over yet.
By contrast, Holker Old Boys have not had the best of seasons and will finish in the bottom half of the table. Nine points from the first four matches of the League campaign eventually flattered to deceive, and the highlight of the season may well have been the good run in the Reusch First Division Cup which saw the side bow out to Sandbach United by the odd goal in nine over the two legged semi-final.
Another of the new sides in the First Division this season are City of Liverpool. A home play off position is a great reward for the side which has scored the most goals in the division this season and, jointly, conceded the fewest. Fantastic support and a great atmosphere at both home and away matches have been a feature of this newly formed club which came into the league as a completely unknown quantity but with the benefit of an experienced manager.
A trip to the Brian Boys West View Stadium to face Bacup Borough represents the last challenge of the regular season, but interest will of course be maintained into the play offs. In addition, there are two cup finals to come, starting with the Reusch First Division Final on Bank Holiday Monday and then the Macron Cup Final against Premier Division Barnoldswick Town in the final match of the season at Fleetwood Town FC on May 16th. Exciting times indeed.
At the end of last season Bacup Borough secured fifth position in the First Division and may well have considered that to be a springboard to push to regain Premier Division status this season. Long term injuries to key experienced players has gone some way to frustrate that ambition as a bottom half of the table finish will be a huge disappointment.
The “goals for” column registers 44, and this inability to regularly find the back of the net has proved costly even though they have been difficult to score against at times.
Whitchurch Alport finished last season in the bottom position in the League table with only two wins to their name from the 34 matches. How fortunes have changed for the Shropshire club as this season has seen a complete transformation both on and off the field.
A play off position is secure ahead of their match away at Prestwich Heys on Saturday. As we have seen before, and always will, the presence of proven goalscorers makes the difference and it's hats off to the strike duo of Michael Blundell and Simon Everall.
With considerable ground improvements completed and more in the pipeline, everything looks good going forward into next season. The only question is - will that be in the Premier Division as play off final winners?
We knew something of the strengths of Prestwich Heys before they came into the First Division at the start of this season. Consistent performances in the competitive Premier Division of the Manchester League spoke for themselves. The expectation was that the club would acquit themselves well at the higher level and this has proved to be the case.
An away win at Eccleshall in midweek has confirmed an 8th place finish for the North Manchester side, and this achievement can be looked on with quiet satisfaction as thoughts turn to the next campaign.
The final play off position is in the hands of another League newcomer in the shape of Sandbach United. After losing their first two matches of the season, the Cheshire side have put together a string of solid performances to climb the table to the current, very creditable, position.
Add to this an appearance in the Reusch First Division Cup Final against City of Liverpool at the Millbank Linnets Stadium on Monday, and all at the club can congratulate themselves on a fine start to their time in the Hallmark Security Football League.
But, of course, League action is not yet finished for this season as Stockport Town visit the fine facility at the Sandbach Community Football Centre on Saturday. Whatever the outcome of this match, an away play off match awaits on Saturday May 6th and then who knows?
Stockport Town will finish the season in a comfortable mid table position, after a season of considerable ups and downs. Some free scoring victories have been intermingled with a couple of thumping losses as the current playing squad and management bear little or no relationship to that at the beginning of the season. The Lions will look forward to the new season with confidence and ensure, as best they can, a more stable situation next time.
At the other end of the table we have seen something of a four or five way battle to avoid the bottom two places for most of the season. All is now resolved with Ashton Town in 22nd position.
To say that the season has been disappointing for the Edge Green Street side is an understatement. A young and largely inexperienced side have contested matches well, but some decent football has not produced the desired results. They complete their season with a home match against another League newcomer in the shape of Carlisle City.
The objective for most clubs new to a League is to have a look around, settle in and try to establish themselves in that important first season. Carlisle City have done exactly that and a mid table finish is reward for a job well done as they made the step up from the Northern Alliance.
Eccleshall are the side which will finish the season in 21st position. As with Ashton Town, some decent performances have brought little or no reward this season. It seems obvious but conceding goals has been the problem here all season. Not only conceding goals but conceding late in matches to turn potential points winning situations into defeats.
This rather suggests that there are some small margins involved between the sides in the lower half of the table and that is, perhaps, the case.
They complete their disappointing season with a trip to the ARK Fleetech Stadium to a warm welcome from the hosts Chadderton. One of the highlights of the season for Chaddy would have been reaching the semi final of the Macron Cup.
However, that experience turned out to be a major disappointment as with a final appearance seemingly in the bag, City of Liverpool scored twice in the last 10 minutes of the second leg of the semi final to take the tie into extra time and then penalties in which the Purples were successful. As with a number of our member clubs, Chadderton have plans in place to improve the facilities at their ground and will look forward to a positive season next time out.
The sixth club new to our League this season are FC Oswestry Town. Formed as recently as 2013, the club joined the Hallmark Security Football League from the Mercian League for the start of this season and, as with Carlisle City, have consolidated their position. This they have done with a mid table finish assured. No doubt the club will look to kick on and build from what they have achieved this season as the new campaign starts in August.
Atherton LR are the visitors to The Venue on Saturday and will be mightily relieved to finish higher than 21st after a struggle to gain League points all season. The seven League points gained in April have been significant in this, with a 6-1 win at home to Chadderton in midweek perhaps being the highlight of a disappointing season.
Another side which has been looking over their shoulder all season is AFC Blackpool. The Mechanics have only six League wins this season as they entertain Alsager Town at the Mechanics Ground on Saturday.
Both of these sides were relegated from the Premier Division at the end of last season and, as with all clubs, the objective would have been to get straight back up again. This quickly became not an option for the Mechanics as their early season form put them low down in the League table.
Not so for the Bullets, as a string of early season wins in League matches saw them flying high in the table. All was going pretty well until a run of six defeats as March became April saw other clubs improve their positions at their expense. A recent revival in form with nine points from the last three League matches has come too late and a final place outside the top six will be the outcome for this season.
Our final match sees the other side relegated from the Premier Division at the end of last season in action as Silsden host Cheadle Town. As with both Alsager Town and AFC Blackpool, the Cobbydalers will have started the season with the objective of getting back into the Premier Division at the first opportunity.
Alas it was not to be, as a relatively poor start to the season left them with too much to do to close the gap on the bunch at the head of proceedings.
Cheadle Town will also finish the season in a mid table position, having started the season with somewhat higher ambitions than that. Some good wins have been sprinkled too liberally with disappointing defeats, although they end the season in decent form prior to the much anticipated trip to China next month.
So there we have it. The end of the season is upon us and, as ever, it seems to have been a long time ago back in the warm days of August when we kicked off for another season. The First Division has been a source of high grade entertainment this season and continues to be so right up to the final round of matches.
Just time to get out and about to support a team near you on Saturday. Wherever that may be, enjoy the match.
Division One Preview - Saturday 29th April 2017
Fri 28th April 2017 | General
By Stewart Taylor
As we reach the final round of fixtures in what has been an exciting First Division this season, various issues relating to final places are resolved, but not all.
First of all, congratulations to Widnes as Champions of the First Division, a position cemented following an away win at AFC Blackpool in mid-week.
Following a somewhat uncertain start to the campaign, and a change of manager, Widnes have shown fantastic form over the latter months of the campaign. Bolstered by some astute signings of experienced players, the side has slowly climbed the table to reach the summit at the time it matters most.
The presence in any side of proven goalscorers is always a positive and both Kevin Towey and George Lomax have fulfilled that role admirably.
No doubt the celebrations have already started but the achievement will be celebrated again as Daisy Hill are the visitors to the Select Security Stadium on Saturday.
The visitors for this match also have a proven goalscorer in their ranks in the shape of the experienced Ashley Stott who won the Player of the Month award for the First Division for December. However the side have conceded over 100 goals this season and this goes a long way to explaining their League position.
Charnock Richard were one of six clubs who came into the First Division at the beginning of the season. Back in August one can always dream of what might be to come, as steps are taken into something of an unknown but all such dreams have been realised as second place, and promotion to the Premier Division for next season, was achieved in mid-week, short of some extraordinary mathematics, with the point gained away at City of Liverpool.
Again we can highlight consistent goalscorers as one of the keys to success, and Carl Grimshaw has been the man when it comes to sticking the ball in the back of the net.
Their final match is away at Valerie Park against a St Helens Town side who will be looking forward to next season. It has no doubt been a frustrating season for St Helens but, with the promise of the new facilities at Ruskin Drive being ready for next season, the club will return to St Helens with renewed vigour.
A comfortable mid table position at the end of this season is a decent achievement, but we can imagine that they will aim to be up there in the mix next season.
The four sides who will occupy the play off places at the end of the season are known. What is not known is the order in which these sides will finish, and that alone makes for four interesting matches, as neither of these sides play each other on the final day.
Litherland REMYCA will go into their home match against Holker Old Boys in third place. We can, for practical purposes, discount any combination of results and scorelines which may move them up to second place so a victory will cement that third position and home advantage in a play off semi final match against the sixth placed team. ,
Remy have shown progress this season, following a 9th placed finish at the end of the last campaign and they reached the semi finals of the Liverpool Senior Cup losing narrowly to Southport of the National League, having taken the scalp of Everton Reserves in the quarter final. A successful season by any standards and it's not over yet.
By contrast, Holker Old Boys have not had the best of seasons and will finish in the bottom half of the table. Nine points from the first four matches of the League campaign eventually flattered to deceive, and the highlight of the season may well have been the good run in the Reusch First Division Cup which saw the side bow out to Sandbach United by the odd goal in nine over the two legged semi-final.
Another of the new sides in the First Division this season are City of Liverpool. A home play off position is a great reward for the side which has scored the most goals in the division this season and, jointly, conceded the fewest. Fantastic support and a great atmosphere at both home and away matches have been a feature of this newly formed club which came into the league as a completely unknown quantity but with the benefit of an experienced manager.
A trip to the Brian Boys West View Stadium to face Bacup Borough represents the last challenge of the regular season, but interest will of course be maintained into the play offs. In addition, there are two cup finals to come, starting with the Reusch First Division Final on Bank Holiday Monday and then the Macron Cup Final against Premier Division Barnoldswick Town in the final match of the season at Fleetwood Town FC on May 16th. Exciting times indeed.
At the end of last season Bacup Borough secured fifth position in the First Division and may well have considered that to be a springboard to push to regain Premier Division status this season. Long term injuries to key experienced players has gone some way to frustrate that ambition as a bottom half of the table finish will be a huge disappointment.
The “goals for” column registers 44, and this inability to regularly find the back of the net has proved costly even though they have been difficult to score against at times.
Whitchurch Alport finished last season in the bottom position in the League table with only two wins to their name from the 34 matches. How fortunes have changed for the Shropshire club as this season has seen a complete transformation both on and off the field.
A play off position is secure ahead of their match away at Prestwich Heys on Saturday. As we have seen before, and always will, the presence of proven goalscorers makes the difference and it's hats off to the strike duo of Michael Blundell and Simon Everall.
With considerable ground improvements completed and more in the pipeline, everything looks good going forward into next season. The only question is - will that be in the Premier Division as play off final winners?
We knew something of the strengths of Prestwich Heys before they came into the First Division at the start of this season. Consistent performances in the competitive Premier Division of the Manchester League spoke for themselves. The expectation was that the club would acquit themselves well at the higher level and this has proved to be the case.
An away win at Eccleshall in midweek has confirmed an 8th place finish for the North Manchester side, and this achievement can be looked on with quiet satisfaction as thoughts turn to the next campaign.
The final play off position is in the hands of another League newcomer in the shape of Sandbach United. After losing their first two matches of the season, the Cheshire side have put together a string of solid performances to climb the table to the current, very creditable, position.
Add to this an appearance in the Reusch First Division Cup Final against City of Liverpool at the Millbank Linnets Stadium on Monday, and all at the club can congratulate themselves on a fine start to their time in the Hallmark Security Football League.
But, of course, League action is not yet finished for this season as Stockport Town visit the fine facility at the Sandbach Community Football Centre on Saturday. Whatever the outcome of this match, an away play off match awaits on Saturday May 6th and then who knows?
Stockport Town will finish the season in a comfortable mid table position, after a season of considerable ups and downs. Some free scoring victories have been intermingled with a couple of thumping losses as the current playing squad and management bear little or no relationship to that at the beginning of the season. The Lions will look forward to the new season with confidence and ensure, as best they can, a more stable situation next time.
At the other end of the table we have seen something of a four or five way battle to avoid the bottom two places for most of the season. All is now resolved with Ashton Town in 22nd position.
To say that the season has been disappointing for the Edge Green Street side is an understatement. A young and largely inexperienced side have contested matches well, but some decent football has not produced the desired results. They complete their season with a home match against another League newcomer in the shape of Carlisle City.
The objective for most clubs new to a League is to have a look around, settle in and try to establish themselves in that important first season. Carlisle City have done exactly that and a mid table finish is reward for a job well done as they made the step up from the Northern Alliance.
Eccleshall are the side which will finish the season in 21st position. As with Ashton Town, some decent performances have brought little or no reward this season. It seems obvious but conceding goals has been the problem here all season. Not only conceding goals but conceding late in matches to turn potential points winning situations into defeats.
This rather suggests that there are some small margins involved between the sides in the lower half of the table and that is, perhaps, the case.
They complete their disappointing season with a trip to the ARK Fleetech Stadium to a warm welcome from the hosts Chadderton. One of the highlights of the season for Chaddy would have been reaching the semi final of the Macron Cup.
However, that experience turned out to be a major disappointment as with a final appearance seemingly in the bag, City of Liverpool scored twice in the last 10 minutes of the second leg of the semi final to take the tie into extra time and then penalties in which the Purples were successful. As with a number of our member clubs, Chadderton have plans in place to improve the facilities at their ground and will look forward to a positive season next time out.
The sixth club new to our League this season are FC Oswestry Town. Formed as recently as 2013, the club joined the Hallmark Security Football League from the Mercian League for the start of this season and, as with Carlisle City, have consolidated their position. This they have done with a mid table finish assured. No doubt the club will look to kick on and build from what they have achieved this season as the new campaign starts in August.
Atherton LR are the visitors to The Venue on Saturday and will be mightily relieved to finish higher than 21st after a struggle to gain League points all season. The seven League points gained in April have been significant in this, with a 6-1 win at home to Chadderton in midweek perhaps being the highlight of a disappointing season.
Another side which has been looking over their shoulder all season is AFC Blackpool. The Mechanics have only six League wins this season as they entertain Alsager Town at the Mechanics Ground on Saturday.
Both of these sides were relegated from the Premier Division at the end of last season and, as with all clubs, the objective would have been to get straight back up again. This quickly became not an option for the Mechanics as their early season form put them low down in the League table.
Not so for the Bullets, as a string of early season wins in League matches saw them flying high in the table. All was going pretty well until a run of six defeats as March became April saw other clubs improve their positions at their expense. A recent revival in form with nine points from the last three League matches has come too late and a final place outside the top six will be the outcome for this season.
Our final match sees the other side relegated from the Premier Division at the end of last season in action as Silsden host Cheadle Town. As with both Alsager Town and AFC Blackpool, the Cobbydalers will have started the season with the objective of getting back into the Premier Division at the first opportunity.
Alas it was not to be, as a relatively poor start to the season left them with too much to do to close the gap on the bunch at the head of proceedings.
Cheadle Town will also finish the season in a mid table position, having started the season with somewhat higher ambitions than that. Some good wins have been sprinkled too liberally with disappointing defeats, although they end the season in decent form prior to the much anticipated trip to China next month.
So there we have it. The end of the season is upon us and, as ever, it seems to have been a long time ago back in the warm days of August when we kicked off for another season. The First Division has been a source of high grade entertainment this season and continues to be so right up to the final round of matches.
Just time to get out and about to support a team near you on Saturday. Wherever that may be, enjoy the match.
