Division One Preview - Saturday 5th May 2018
Fri 4th May 2018 | Match Reviews | By Kieran Ford
St Helens Town Media Officer/Committee Member Kieran Ford has taken time out to review this weekends Division One games. It is the last full fixture weekend of the season and there is still so much to play for. Kieran casts his eye over the movers and shakers.
First Division Preview – 5th May
Another season has almost come to an end in the Hallmark Security League Division 1, (I swear they get quicker every year!) and after a campaign of ups and downs there is still places to be played for in terms of automatic promotion and the playoffs. This Is the penultimate match day in which all 22 teams are in action, and some potentially tricky matches for sides at the top means the picture could become a lot clearer come close of play on Saturday.
All information does not include the 3 1st Division Fixtures on Thursday 3rd May.
Abbey Hulton United (12th) vs AFC Blackpool (8th)
Abbey Hulton United have enjoyed a comfortable first season in this division sitting in mid table and could still enter the top 10 by winning their games in hand. Their past 2 results have been losses against sides at opposite ends of the table, losing by the odd goal to Silsden and Nelson respectively, and will want to finish strong and claim a top 10 berth. AFC Blackpool are still firmly in the hunt for the play offs and will be hoping Alsager slip up between now and the end of the season. A run of 3 successive wins was halted by defeat to Chadderton on Tuesday which put a huge dent in their top 6 hopes.
Alsager Town (7th) vs Carlisle City (13th)
Alsager will also be hoping results go their way for them to reach the play offs but will need a win on Saturday to help themselves. The bullets have not done that recently with no win in 5 games before Monday’s win against Nelson, can this spark a late season revival? Carlisle have nothing to play for which has showed recently losing their last 5 matches before recovering to beat lowly Daisy Hill 3-1 on Monday.
Atherton LR (16th) vs Eccleshall (17th)
Both sides have contrasting form as of late means they now sit level on points in the table going into this fixture. LR halted a 5-game stretch without victory with a 2-0 win at Oswestry Town with 3 games left. Eccleshall have continued their good form since the turn of the year, with only 1 defeat in their previous 6 matches, which came against 5th placed Sandbach.
Bacup Borough (19th) vs FC Oswestry Town (18th)
Bacup come into this match in the better form, even if this is only 1 win. Having faced 2 tough matches against table toppers Silsden and 6th placed Cammell Lairds within 24 hours of each other! Oswestry are a place better off in the league standings yet are winless in their last 5 since beating Holker Old Boys 4-0, only scoring 1 goal in the process. This game could go either way, with both sides hoping to finish the season positively.
Cammell Laird 1907 (6th) vs Silsden (1st)
Silsden will be looking to wrap up the title on Saturday but may have to wait as they face a tough trip to Cammell Lairds, who look to consolidate their play off place. The league leaders are also top of the form table, collecting 16 points from 18 available, and capped this with a 6-1 victory at Bacup on Monday to secure promotion to the Premier Division. The home side will provide difficult opposition with the solitary defeat in their previous 6, also capping this off with a 1-0 win over Bacup just a day later.
Chadderton (15th) vs Sandbach United (5th)
Sandbach can realistically not finish any different than 5th, but will still look to finish the regular season with positive momentum. They’ve recently hit a sticky patch with 2 wins and 2 defeats in their previous 4 but will hope a victory is on the cards here. Even if they have nothing to play for, Chadderton have hit a fantastic vein of form, unbeaten in their last 5 and winning their previous 4, meaning it might be another difficult match for Sandbach come Saturday.
Cheadle Town (11th) vs St Helens Town (20th)
Cheadle are the only side in the division who finish their campaign on Saturday and will be looking to end a comfortable season in style after going winless in their last 3 games, after a run of 3 wins on the bounce. They face St Helens Town who sit 2nd bottom after conceding late to drop points against Stockport Town last weekend. Town have won 1 of their last 6 but will be looking for another win to improve their league position.
Daisy Hill (22nd) vs Prestwich Heys (3rd)
Bottom side Daisy Hill be looking to claim a major scalp at New Sirs by defeating Prestwich Heys, who still have a slim chance at automatic promotion. After a similarly impressive win against Alsager, Daisy have gone 4 matches in a row with defeat, whereas Heys’ defeat to Whitchurch in midweek halted an impressive run of 5 wins in succession.
Holker Old Boys (9th) vs New Mills (14th)
Although the play offs are mathematically still in reach for Holker, their push appears to have come too late. Their recent up and down form has been epitomised with a 4-3 win over Whitchurch and a 5-3 loss to Eccleshall. New Mills have endured a disappointing campaign after their relegation from the Premier Division last season, and have lost 5 of their last 6 games, sitting bottom of the form table. They’ll be hoping to finish the season positively to build for the next campaign.
Nelson (20th) vs Whitchurch Alport (4th)
Nelson may sit 3rd bottom but have picked up some good form as of late with 1 defeat in their last 5 games. The men from Little Wembley host Whitchurch who have already confirmed their place in the play offs but are stumbling over the finish line in the regular campaign. Alport suffered a run of 3 losses in 4 matches but have recently bounced back with a big home win against Daisy Hill before a success at Prestwich Heys on Tuesday.
Stockport Town (10th) vs Litherland REMYCA (2nd)
Litherland REMYCA can join Silsden in sealing their promotion to the Premier Division on Saturday by winning at Stockport Town. Remy have lost 1 of their last 5 in the league so they arrive at Saturday’s game in high spirits looking to get the job done. Stockport will see this season as one that is useful in building for next, their unbeaten in 3 in the league, including a 7-0 hammering of FC Oswestry Town, which shows they could be a force looking ahead to next season.
Division One Preview - Saturday 5th May 2018
Fri 4th May 2018 | Match Reviews
By Kieran Ford
St Helens Town Media Officer/Committee Member Kieran Ford has taken time out to review this weekends Division One games. It is the last full fixture weekend of the season and there is still so much to play for. Kieran casts his eye over the movers and shakers.
First Division Preview – 5th May
Another season has almost come to an end in the Hallmark Security League Division 1, (I swear they get quicker every year!) and after a campaign of ups and downs there is still places to be played for in terms of automatic promotion and the playoffs. This Is the penultimate match day in which all 22 teams are in action, and some potentially tricky matches for sides at the top means the picture could become a lot clearer come close of play on Saturday.
All information does not include the 3 1st Division Fixtures on Thursday 3rd May.
Abbey Hulton United (12th) vs AFC Blackpool (8th)
Abbey Hulton United have enjoyed a comfortable first season in this division sitting in mid table and could still enter the top 10 by winning their games in hand. Their past 2 results have been losses against sides at opposite ends of the table, losing by the odd goal to Silsden and Nelson respectively, and will want to finish strong and claim a top 10 berth. AFC Blackpool are still firmly in the hunt for the play offs and will be hoping Alsager slip up between now and the end of the season. A run of 3 successive wins was halted by defeat to Chadderton on Tuesday which put a huge dent in their top 6 hopes.
Alsager Town (7th) vs Carlisle City (13th)
Alsager will also be hoping results go their way for them to reach the play offs but will need a win on Saturday to help themselves. The bullets have not done that recently with no win in 5 games before Monday’s win against Nelson, can this spark a late season revival? Carlisle have nothing to play for which has showed recently losing their last 5 matches before recovering to beat lowly Daisy Hill 3-1 on Monday.
Atherton LR (16th) vs Eccleshall (17th)
Both sides have contrasting form as of late means they now sit level on points in the table going into this fixture. LR halted a 5-game stretch without victory with a 2-0 win at Oswestry Town with 3 games left. Eccleshall have continued their good form since the turn of the year, with only 1 defeat in their previous 6 matches, which came against 5th placed Sandbach.
Bacup Borough (19th) vs FC Oswestry Town (18th)
Bacup come into this match in the better form, even if this is only 1 win. Having faced 2 tough matches against table toppers Silsden and 6th placed Cammell Lairds within 24 hours of each other! Oswestry are a place better off in the league standings yet are winless in their last 5 since beating Holker Old Boys 4-0, only scoring 1 goal in the process. This game could go either way, with both sides hoping to finish the season positively.
Cammell Laird 1907 (6th) vs Silsden (1st)
Silsden will be looking to wrap up the title on Saturday but may have to wait as they face a tough trip to Cammell Lairds, who look to consolidate their play off place. The league leaders are also top of the form table, collecting 16 points from 18 available, and capped this with a 6-1 victory at Bacup on Monday to secure promotion to the Premier Division. The home side will provide difficult opposition with the solitary defeat in their previous 6, also capping this off with a 1-0 win over Bacup just a day later.
Chadderton (15th) vs Sandbach United (5th)
Sandbach can realistically not finish any different than 5th, but will still look to finish the regular season with positive momentum. They’ve recently hit a sticky patch with 2 wins and 2 defeats in their previous 4 but will hope a victory is on the cards here. Even if they have nothing to play for, Chadderton have hit a fantastic vein of form, unbeaten in their last 5 and winning their previous 4, meaning it might be another difficult match for Sandbach come Saturday.
Cheadle Town (11th) vs St Helens Town (20th)
Cheadle are the only side in the division who finish their campaign on Saturday and will be looking to end a comfortable season in style after going winless in their last 3 games, after a run of 3 wins on the bounce. They face St Helens Town who sit 2nd bottom after conceding late to drop points against Stockport Town last weekend. Town have won 1 of their last 6 but will be looking for another win to improve their league position.
Daisy Hill (22nd) vs Prestwich Heys (3rd)
Bottom side Daisy Hill be looking to claim a major scalp at New Sirs by defeating Prestwich Heys, who still have a slim chance at automatic promotion. After a similarly impressive win against Alsager, Daisy have gone 4 matches in a row with defeat, whereas Heys’ defeat to Whitchurch in midweek halted an impressive run of 5 wins in succession.
Holker Old Boys (9th) vs New Mills (14th)
Although the play offs are mathematically still in reach for Holker, their push appears to have come too late. Their recent up and down form has been epitomised with a 4-3 win over Whitchurch and a 5-3 loss to Eccleshall. New Mills have endured a disappointing campaign after their relegation from the Premier Division last season, and have lost 5 of their last 6 games, sitting bottom of the form table. They’ll be hoping to finish the season positively to build for the next campaign.
Nelson (20th) vs Whitchurch Alport (4th)
Nelson may sit 3rd bottom but have picked up some good form as of late with 1 defeat in their last 5 games. The men from Little Wembley host Whitchurch who have already confirmed their place in the play offs but are stumbling over the finish line in the regular campaign. Alport suffered a run of 3 losses in 4 matches but have recently bounced back with a big home win against Daisy Hill before a success at Prestwich Heys on Tuesday.
Stockport Town (10th) vs Litherland REMYCA (2nd)
Litherland REMYCA can join Silsden in sealing their promotion to the Premier Division on Saturday by winning at Stockport Town. Remy have lost 1 of their last 5 in the league so they arrive at Saturday’s game in high spirits looking to get the job done. Stockport will see this season as one that is useful in building for next, their unbeaten in 3 in the league, including a 7-0 hammering of FC Oswestry Town, which shows they could be a force looking ahead to next season.
