Division One Preview - Saturday 25th November 2017
Fri 24th November 2017 | General | By David Brindle
It’s the sixteenth week of First Division football in the 2017/18 season, and after a round of weather disrupted Macron Cup fixtures we preview this week’s ties.
Silsden (1st) vs. Nelson (22nd) – Friday 24th November 7.45pm
The action begins on Friday evening at the Cobbydale Construction Stadium when league leaders Silsden host rock-bottom Nelson.
Even after suffering their first league loss of the season to Holker Old Boys, Danny Forrest’s side still sit 13 points clear of the table.
However, after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time this term, they’ll be looking to bounce back with three points.
Nelson have five points to their name and head into this game trying to secure their second victory of the season. The first win will seem an eternity away for the Admirals – a 2-0 win away to Cheadle Town at the beginning of October.
There’s no better place for them to launch a bid for survival by claiming the scalp of the first placed side – but that won’t be an easy feat to achieve.
Litherland REMYCA (2nd) vs. Cammell Laird 1907 (7th)
A local derby defeat to Premier Division Bootle in the Macron Cup won’t demoralise Paul McNally’s side, who can be proud of their performance against a team in the upper echelons of the division above.
They have a point to prove, however, after a 2-1 defeat away to Carlisle City and a missed opportunity to claw back at Silsden’s lead at the top following their defeat on the same day.
Cammell Laird have improved after a lacklustre start to the season, and sit just outside the promotion spots with just one loss in their last six.
Mick McGraa’s team will look to avenge the 4-1 defeat they suffered in the reverse fixture back in August and put themselves firmly in the mix for the playoff positions.
Prestwich Heys (3rd) vs. Carlisle City (11th)
After putting a decent share of points on the board early on, Prestwich Heys have lost some ground in their promotion bid with three straight losses.
That comes after being awarded club of the month for October – a month which saw them climb up to second place.
They’ll look to push themselves back towards the second automatic promotion place when they host a Carlisle City side who were knocked out of the Macron Cup on penalties in midweek to last year’s First Division winners Widnes.
James Tose’s team have beaten promotion hopefuls Litherland REMYCA and Whitchurch Alport in recent games, and will look to put a dent in Heys’ aspirations.
Alsager Town (4th) vs. Holker Old Boys (10th)
Alsager Town will be wary of the threat Holker Old Boys possess, after the latter claimed the scalp of Silsden last Saturday – the first defeat of the league season for the Cobbydalers.
Wayne Brotherton’s men have lost their last two games, including a midweek defeat to Cheadle Town in the Macron Cup 2nd Round.
Holker have put together back-to-back league wins for the second time in 2017/18, and Guy Heffernan’s team will be looking to win three league games in a row for the first time this campaign.
The two sides met at the beginning of November and saw out a goalless draw.
Whitchurch Alport (8th) vs. AFC Blackpool (5th)
As much as Alport will be disappointed to be 8th in the table, it’s completely in their own hands as they have four games in hand on most of the teams above them and sit just five points outside the playoffs.
A win against 5th placed AFC Blackpool will halt one of the sides ahead of them and leave a gap of just three points between the two sides.
Dave Worthington’s AFC Blackpool are unbeaten in their last six – a run where they’ve picked up four victories along the way, including last time out against Stockport Town.
A win would be vital if they are to be serious playoff contenders, as it makes life harder for Alport to climb back into the top six.
St Helens Town (20th) vs. FC Oswestry Town (18th)
These two Town’s met in September when neither side had put a single league point on the board and occupied last and second-to-last respectively.
Both have managed to climb out of the relegation places since, but neither have put a potential relegation dogfight to bed just yet.
Lee Jenkinson’s St Helens haven’t won a league game since they beat Chadderton in early October. Their last win came in the LWC Drinks Cup against Holker five days later.
The Ruskin Drive outfit have lost their last six games, including defeats to sides around them like Eccleshall and Bacup Borough. A loss to another rival would be a big blow.
Oswestry have been tremendous since their 6-1 hammering at the hands of Sandbach United in the same competition, and have won seven of their nine games since.
The only points dropped came in a defeat to first placed Silsden, and a 1-1 draw against Daisy Hill. Eccleshall fell victim to Williams-Cooke and Butcher’s side on Wednesday in the Macron Cup.
This comes after losing all but one of their first 13 games of the season. A remarkable turn around.
Cheadle Town (16th) vs. Bacup Borough (17th)
It’s virtually impossible to split these two teams – level points and almost identical win-draw-loss records on the season. Bacup have played a game less than their hosts, though.
Both have won six and drawn two, with Cheadle losing one game more than Bacup, but ahead of their weekend opponents on goal difference.
Anthony Trucca’s Cheadle come into this game on the back of two victories over Nelson and Alsager midweek in the Macron Cup.
Bacup won their last game 2-1 vs. St Helens, but have a quick turn around of games as they have to face Ashton Atheltic on Thursday evening before Brent Peters’ men travel to Park Road on Saturday.
Abbey Hulton United (13th) vs. Atherton LR (12th)
Yet another tight contest between two sides next door to each other in the league table.
Abbey Hulton are 13th in their inaugural season as an NWCFL side, however, with just two wins in their last 15 fixtures, the pressure for a victory is ramped up.
Only one win in each of the last two months, against Bacup Borough and New Mills respectively, have seen the side, under the management trio of Riley, Philcock and Amison, plateau in mid table.
LR have been in great form recently, winning six of their last nine. A loss to Oswestry in their last showing will have deflated them slightly, as they look to continue their ascent up the table.
Shaun Lynch’s men have already beaten their opponents this month, as they edged past Abbey Hulton 2-1 at the beginning of the month.
Chadderton (15th) vs. Eccleshall (19th)
It’s been a difficult campaign for Chadderton who’ve yet to put two victories together this season and have already changed their manager with David Fish replacing Mark Howard in October.
A loss to Stockport Town is sandwiched between victories over Cheadle and most recently Abbey Hulton.
It’s clear there’s some rebuilding going on at the ARK Fleetech, and a win on Saturday would provide a confidence boost in what’s been an otherwise tough start.
Eccleshall are 10 points ahead of the relegation places and will want to avoid being dragged down to the very bottom by winning this game.
After two wins in their first 13 matches, Dave Dale’s team have collected 11 points in their last six league games.
Most recently they took a point off Daisy Hill before bowing out of the Macron Cup to FC Oswestry Town on Wednesday.
Daisy Hill (21st) vs. Stockport Town (9th)
Speaking of Daisy Hill, they find themselves occupying one of the relegation places at the bottom of the table after picking up just seven points from their 18 league games.
Phil Roberts’ team haven’t won a league game since early September, but have knocked both Litherland REMYCA and St Helens Town out of the LWC Drinks Cup on penalties.
Just two league points have been picked up in November as they claimed a point against FC Oswestry Town as well as the point against Eccleshall.
Dave Wild’s Stockport Town have won three of their last eight games, but only one was a league game.
They’ve beaten two Premier Division teams in Maine Road and most recently Runcorn Linnets in the Macron Cup, which are two big results.
Town have fallen off slightly in their playoff push and sit six points behind sixth with a game in hand. A couple of league wins, starting with a win in this one would put them back in the mix.
New Mills (14th) vs. Sandbach United (6th)
The Millers won their last league game against Alsager Town a week ago, which was their first league victory since their shock win over Litherland REMYCA back in early October.
During that spell, they were knocked out of the LWC Drinks Cup by Alsager, lost four league games and beat Shirebrook Town in the Derbyshire Senior Cup.
Sandbach sit in the position they finished last season, with Andy Hockenhull’s team winning four of their last six.
They beat Whitchurch Alport most recently, but have lost to two other promotion dreaming sides in Litherland REMYCA and Prestwich Heys this month.
Division One Preview - Saturday 25th November 2017
Fri 24th November 2017 | General
By David Brindle
It’s the sixteenth week of First Division football in the 2017/18 season, and after a round of weather disrupted Macron Cup fixtures we preview this week’s ties.
Silsden (1st) vs. Nelson (22nd) – Friday 24th November 7.45pm
The action begins on Friday evening at the Cobbydale Construction Stadium when league leaders Silsden host rock-bottom Nelson.
Even after suffering their first league loss of the season to Holker Old Boys, Danny Forrest’s side still sit 13 points clear of the table.
However, after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time this term, they’ll be looking to bounce back with three points.
Nelson have five points to their name and head into this game trying to secure their second victory of the season. The first win will seem an eternity away for the Admirals – a 2-0 win away to Cheadle Town at the beginning of October.
There’s no better place for them to launch a bid for survival by claiming the scalp of the first placed side – but that won’t be an easy feat to achieve.
Litherland REMYCA (2nd) vs. Cammell Laird 1907 (7th)
A local derby defeat to Premier Division Bootle in the Macron Cup won’t demoralise Paul McNally’s side, who can be proud of their performance against a team in the upper echelons of the division above.
They have a point to prove, however, after a 2-1 defeat away to Carlisle City and a missed opportunity to claw back at Silsden’s lead at the top following their defeat on the same day.
Cammell Laird have improved after a lacklustre start to the season, and sit just outside the promotion spots with just one loss in their last six.
Mick McGraa’s team will look to avenge the 4-1 defeat they suffered in the reverse fixture back in August and put themselves firmly in the mix for the playoff positions.
Prestwich Heys (3rd) vs. Carlisle City (11th)
After putting a decent share of points on the board early on, Prestwich Heys have lost some ground in their promotion bid with three straight losses.
That comes after being awarded club of the month for October – a month which saw them climb up to second place.
They’ll look to push themselves back towards the second automatic promotion place when they host a Carlisle City side who were knocked out of the Macron Cup on penalties in midweek to last year’s First Division winners Widnes.
James Tose’s team have beaten promotion hopefuls Litherland REMYCA and Whitchurch Alport in recent games, and will look to put a dent in Heys’ aspirations.
Alsager Town (4th) vs. Holker Old Boys (10th)
Alsager Town will be wary of the threat Holker Old Boys possess, after the latter claimed the scalp of Silsden last Saturday – the first defeat of the league season for the Cobbydalers.
Wayne Brotherton’s men have lost their last two games, including a midweek defeat to Cheadle Town in the Macron Cup 2nd Round.
Holker have put together back-to-back league wins for the second time in 2017/18, and Guy Heffernan’s team will be looking to win three league games in a row for the first time this campaign.
The two sides met at the beginning of November and saw out a goalless draw.
Whitchurch Alport (8th) vs. AFC Blackpool (5th)
As much as Alport will be disappointed to be 8th in the table, it’s completely in their own hands as they have four games in hand on most of the teams above them and sit just five points outside the playoffs.
A win against 5th placed AFC Blackpool will halt one of the sides ahead of them and leave a gap of just three points between the two sides.
Dave Worthington’s AFC Blackpool are unbeaten in their last six – a run where they’ve picked up four victories along the way, including last time out against Stockport Town.
A win would be vital if they are to be serious playoff contenders, as it makes life harder for Alport to climb back into the top six.
St Helens Town (20th) vs. FC Oswestry Town (18th)
These two Town’s met in September when neither side had put a single league point on the board and occupied last and second-to-last respectively.
Both have managed to climb out of the relegation places since, but neither have put a potential relegation dogfight to bed just yet.
Lee Jenkinson’s St Helens haven’t won a league game since they beat Chadderton in early October. Their last win came in the LWC Drinks Cup against Holker five days later.
The Ruskin Drive outfit have lost their last six games, including defeats to sides around them like Eccleshall and Bacup Borough. A loss to another rival would be a big blow.
Oswestry have been tremendous since their 6-1 hammering at the hands of Sandbach United in the same competition, and have won seven of their nine games since.
The only points dropped came in a defeat to first placed Silsden, and a 1-1 draw against Daisy Hill. Eccleshall fell victim to Williams-Cooke and Butcher’s side on Wednesday in the Macron Cup.
This comes after losing all but one of their first 13 games of the season. A remarkable turn around.
Cheadle Town (16th) vs. Bacup Borough (17th)
It’s virtually impossible to split these two teams – level points and almost identical win-draw-loss records on the season. Bacup have played a game less than their hosts, though.
Both have won six and drawn two, with Cheadle losing one game more than Bacup, but ahead of their weekend opponents on goal difference.
Anthony Trucca’s Cheadle come into this game on the back of two victories over Nelson and Alsager midweek in the Macron Cup.
Bacup won their last game 2-1 vs. St Helens, but have a quick turn around of games as they have to face Ashton Atheltic on Thursday evening before Brent Peters’ men travel to Park Road on Saturday.
Abbey Hulton United (13th) vs. Atherton LR (12th)
Yet another tight contest between two sides next door to each other in the league table.
Abbey Hulton are 13th in their inaugural season as an NWCFL side, however, with just two wins in their last 15 fixtures, the pressure for a victory is ramped up.
Only one win in each of the last two months, against Bacup Borough and New Mills respectively, have seen the side, under the management trio of Riley, Philcock and Amison, plateau in mid table.
LR have been in great form recently, winning six of their last nine. A loss to Oswestry in their last showing will have deflated them slightly, as they look to continue their ascent up the table.
Shaun Lynch’s men have already beaten their opponents this month, as they edged past Abbey Hulton 2-1 at the beginning of the month.
Chadderton (15th) vs. Eccleshall (19th)
It’s been a difficult campaign for Chadderton who’ve yet to put two victories together this season and have already changed their manager with David Fish replacing Mark Howard in October.
A loss to Stockport Town is sandwiched between victories over Cheadle and most recently Abbey Hulton.
It’s clear there’s some rebuilding going on at the ARK Fleetech, and a win on Saturday would provide a confidence boost in what’s been an otherwise tough start.
Eccleshall are 10 points ahead of the relegation places and will want to avoid being dragged down to the very bottom by winning this game.
After two wins in their first 13 matches, Dave Dale’s team have collected 11 points in their last six league games.
Most recently they took a point off Daisy Hill before bowing out of the Macron Cup to FC Oswestry Town on Wednesday.
Daisy Hill (21st) vs. Stockport Town (9th)
Speaking of Daisy Hill, they find themselves occupying one of the relegation places at the bottom of the table after picking up just seven points from their 18 league games.
Phil Roberts’ team haven’t won a league game since early September, but have knocked both Litherland REMYCA and St Helens Town out of the LWC Drinks Cup on penalties.
Just two league points have been picked up in November as they claimed a point against FC Oswestry Town as well as the point against Eccleshall.
Dave Wild’s Stockport Town have won three of their last eight games, but only one was a league game.
They’ve beaten two Premier Division teams in Maine Road and most recently Runcorn Linnets in the Macron Cup, which are two big results.
Town have fallen off slightly in their playoff push and sit six points behind sixth with a game in hand. A couple of league wins, starting with a win in this one would put them back in the mix.
New Mills (14th) vs. Sandbach United (6th)
The Millers won their last league game against Alsager Town a week ago, which was their first league victory since their shock win over Litherland REMYCA back in early October.
During that spell, they were knocked out of the LWC Drinks Cup by Alsager, lost four league games and beat Shirebrook Town in the Derbyshire Senior Cup.
Sandbach sit in the position they finished last season, with Andy Hockenhull’s team winning four of their last six.
They beat Whitchurch Alport most recently, but have lost to two other promotion dreaming sides in Litherland REMYCA and Prestwich Heys this month.
