Division One Preview 20 January 2018

Fri 19th January 2018 | Match Reviews | By Kieran Ford

St Helens Town Committee Member and Media Officer, Kieran Ford has taken time out to preview this weekends Hallmark Security League Division One games. there are a high number of massive games scheduled this weekend and Kieran, as always casts a shrewd eye over whats going on.

First Division Preview – 20th January 2018

By Kieran Ford @kieranford99

As we are in the middle of the traditional plethora of postponed matches, be sure to follow @nwcfl on Twitter or check the website to keep up to date whether your match of choice is still going ahead.

Abbey Hulton United (14 th ) vs Chadderton (18 th )
Abbey Hulton host Chadderton looking to recover from their 3-0 loss to Prestwich Heys last week.  However, with Heys firmly in promotion contention, defeats both last Saturday and 2 days before in the Macron Cup to Premier Division 1874 shouldn’t dent their confidence too much. They face Chadderton, who have slipped down the table following a run of 3 points from a possible 21. The away side’s last victory came against Abbey Hulton with a 2-1 result in November, can Chaddy repeat the trick on Saturday?

AFC Blackpool (6 th ) vs St Helens Town (20 th )
AFC Blackpool’s run of 3 successive victories was halted by a surprise defeat to bottom side Nelson last week, however they remain in the last play off place. The men from the coast will be looking for a return to the top division at the 2 nd time of asking, and have the luxury of games in hands over teams below them. The tangerines will take on St Helens Town, who have been flirting with the bottom 2 all season long. A tough run of fixtures continues for Town who have faced 10 th place, 8 th place (twice), 6 th and 5 th placed sides in their previous 5, collecting a win in a draw in this time. There have been 23 goals scored in these matches, so expect it to be a high scoring affair at the Mechanics Ground.

Alsager Town (5 th ) vs Litherland REMYCA (2 nd )
Two teams firmly in promotion contention face off at the Woodpark Stadium, as Alsager take on Litherland. The Bullets have recovered from a spell of 3 games without a win to go 3 unbeaten before this clash, however were knocked out of the Cheshire Senior Cup with a 3-0 defeat to Stalybridge Celtic on Tuesday. REMYCA are looking to consolidate 2 nd place, and will try to build on their 3 straight wins in the league, including one against league leaders Silsden, without conceding a goal. Remy’s Colin Quirk scored a 3-minute hattrick against Carlisle City last week, can he continue his form this weekend?

Atherton LR (13 th ) vs New Mills (15 th )
Crilly Park will play host to a midtable clash on Saturday, with 2 teams looking to secure a best possible league finish squaring off. LR have bounced back from a run of 4 defeats on the bounce with wins against Carlisle City and Stockport Town, as they look to finish in the top half. New Mills are in similar form, if not more encouraging, their victory over Cheadle Town last week stopped a run of 2 defeats sandwiched between a win over Stockport Town on boxing day. This match could go either way, as draws are not usually on the agenda for these sides.

Carlisle City (10 th ) vs Cheadle Town (16 th )
Carlisle City play Cheadle Town as a team showing true mid table form with 3 wins and 3 defeats in their last 6. The sky blues will be looking to transfer their away form of 3 wins in 4 to Gillford Park Stadium, where they have lost their last 2 without scoring. Cheadle will be looking to compound thisform, and add to their 3 without defeat away from home on Saturday, and put right a defeat to New Mills last weekend in the sides first meeting this season.

Eccleshall (19 th ) vs Cammell Laird 1907 (7 th )
Eccleshall will be looking to build on their surprise victory over FC Oswestry Town last week, after losing 5 in a row previously. They’re only 4 points above the drop, but will face a tough challenge against Lairds who are still firmly in the hunt for a play off spot. Lairds themselves will know victory here is a must, especially after their heavy defeat to Stockport Sports last week. As they face Stockport again next week, the visitors will know nothing less than a win will do.

FC Oswestry Town (12 th ) vs Prestwich Heys (3 rd )
Prestwich will be wanting to put pressure on the automatic promotion places by beating Oswestry Town on Saturday. Heys are unbeaten in their previous 4, winning their last 3 games, scoring 3 times in each. Town will not be an easy match though, they sit comfortably in mid table after their terrible start to the season, and have won 3 of their last 4 matches, including reaching the Shropshire Cup semi-final.

Holker Old Boys (9 th ) vs Bacup Borough (17 th )
Holker have shot up the table in recent weeks and find themselves in the top half as a result. They had gone on a 4-game unbeaten run before 2 defeats this week, by Cammell Lairds before a 7-2 loss by AFC Liverpool in the Macron Challenge Cup. Bacup sit close to the drop zone, but have played a league low 17 games, with a crazy 7 games in hands over their opponents. Their recent form hasn’t helped proceedings though, with 4 defeats in the previous 5, stretching over a 2-month period.

Nelson (22 nd ) vs Daisy Hill (21 st )
The bottom 2 meet at Little Wembley, with Nelson looking to move to within a point of the team directly above them, with a game in hand. Nelson are on an impressive run of 1 defeat in 4, with a credible draw against Litherland REMYCA and victory over AFC Blackpool included, as they can now move within touching distance of the safety zone. Daisy Hill have stayed above their opponents with a good run of their own, with 3 wins in 4 before 2 successive defeats. Who will win the relegation 6 pointer on Saturday?

Silsden (1 st ) vs Whitchurch Alport (4 th )
Another top of the table clash will occur on Saturday, as Silsden look to continue their charge to the Premier Division. They have come unstuck twice in their previous 6 matches, losing to play off chasing Sandbach and nearest rivals Litherland REMYCA in recent weeks. They host top of the form table Whitchurch, who are looking to reach the play offs for a 2 nd straight season. Alport have won 8 of their last 9 in all competitions, and will be confident of snatching points from the table toppers to fuel their own promotion challenge.

Stockport Town (11 th ) vs Sandbach United (8 th )
Stockport Town kept their top half push on track by impressively dispatching of Cammell Lairds 4-0 on Monday. This halted a run of 4 consecutive defeats which had saw them slide down the table.  They face a Sandbach side that have won their last 2 in the league, including a scalp in defeating runaway leaders Silsden 3-1. With Sandbach only 3 points off the play offs, the away side will be looking for a victory this weekend.