Weekend preview - Saturday 15th December 2018
Fri 14th December 2018 | General | By Patrick Burke
With almost a full schedule of league fixtures, it promises to be an intriguing weekend – weather-permitting!
It’s an unusual schedule in the Premier Division as the top 10 all face each other as do the bottom 10.
The headline act sees the top two meet as City of Liverpool host Congleton Town.
Craig Robinson’s Purps currently have a three point advantage over their opponents, and progressed past Burscough 6-2 in the Macron Cup last time out.
But their only league defeat came at Congleton three weeks back (3-0), and with teams currently level on goal difference, the Bears will climb to the summit if they can repeat the trick.
They have won seven of their last eight matches and conceded just two goals in their last 12.
After three successive defeats, 3rd placed Runcorn Town got back on track with a 3-2 victory over Padiham on Wednesday, but face another tough match at home to Irlam.
Michael Dodd’s team are 9th but one of the division’s form sides as they are currently unbeaten in nine, and progressed to the Fourth Round of the Buildbase FA Vase at Winterton Rangers last Saturday.
Barnoldswick Town are 4th and also enjoying a splendid run, winning their last six including an extraordinary 9-4 Macron Cup triumph over Eccleshall on Tuesday.
Next up is a home game against another of the form teams, with 10th placed 1874 Northwich seeking to defend a run of just one defeat in 12.
It’s six victories from seven for 7th placed Northwich Victoria, who have the chance to climb above this weekend’s visitors Bootle.
The Bucks are currently 5th, but have lost three of their four (although they are yet to take to the field in December and thrashed Silsden 7-0 in their last league outing).
It is Silsden in 6th who currently separate those two sides, but the 5-0 hammering at Congleton on Tuesday made it four defeats from five – although they did triumph at Runcorn Town last weekend.
They travel to Squires Gate, who have risen to 8th after winning their last four, most recently an impressive 6-2 dispatching of Ashton Athletic on Tuesday.
With three victories out of four, 11th placed Burscough are outside the top half only on goal difference as they entertain Abbey Hey.
The division’s bottom club lost their first match under the management of Rob Byrne against 1874 Northwich last Saturday, but they will be hoping for his arrival to herald an upturn in fortunes as they are currently 10 points from safety.
A first win in five came in emphatic fashion for 12th placed Whitchurch Alport last weekend as they thrashed Hanley Town 6-1, and they will want to follow it up at home to second bottom West Didsbury & Chorlton. It will be David Powell’s first game in charge for the visitors as they seek a first league win since September to cut the nine point gap to the sides above them.
13th placed Charnock Richard have lost five of their last six going into a home game against Litherland REMYCA, who have triumphed in just one of their previous six.
Padiham are 14th after a six match winless run and are away at Winsford United, who sit 17th but have won four of their last five in all competitions, whilst Ashton Athletic in 16th seek to arrest their form which has seen them lose three of their last four at home to Hanley Town, who are now 18th after losing four of their previous five.
In the First Division North, leaders Longridge Town can take advantage of Carlisle City’s inactivity and move nine points clear if they beat Avro.
Longridge are the only side in the Hallmark Security League to have broken the half-century points mark, but the visitors are 3rd and the 7-2 trouncing of Garstang in the Macron Cup last Saturday made it nine wins out of 11.
Level on points with Avro in 4th are Prestwich Heys, who have lost two cup matches on the back of three consecutive league wins.
They travel to Atherton LR, who prop up the table but ended a run of 10 straight defeats by beating AFC Blackpool last time out.
5th placed Shelley are also level with the two sides above them as they travel to Lower Breck, who are only two points behind in 6th.
The hosts have won only one of their last four as they lost deep into injury time at Darwen last weekend, whilst the away side have lost just one of their last seven and won six of their nine away league fixtures this term.
AFC Darwen are now back up to 7th after winning four of the last five as they visit Daisy Hill, who are second from bottom having lost five out of six, although they did triumph 3-1 in the reverse fixture in October.
After winning their previous three, 8th placed AFC Liverpool suffered a 5-0 home defeat to Cleator Moor Celtic last weekend, so they will want to bounce back at AFC Blackpool.
The 14th placed hosts have won just one of their last 12 which led to the resignation of manager Dave Worthington in the week, with player-coach Martin Baird taking over for the rest of the season.
Steeton in 9th have taken seven points from their last nine as they welcome Garstang, who are 12th after losing three of their last four in all competitions.
10th placed Cleator Moor Celtic got back to winning ways in style at AFC Liverpool last Saturday and then racked up a 10-0 Cumberland Senior Cup victory over Unisun Athletic on Tuesday, so they will want to continue their goalscoring form at Nelson.
The Admirals are 17th but now look a very different proposition as they have lost just one of their last six, and progressed to the quarter-finals of the Macron Cup on Tuesday by beating Prestwich.
Ashton Town (13th) will be looking to bounce back from a couple of defeats as they welcome Holker Old Boys, who climbed out of the bottom two last weekend for the first time since August by beating Bacup Borough.
Bacup had won three on the bounce prior to that, so Brent Peters’ 11th placed side will seek to respond away at St Helens Town, who are 16th but earned a useful draw against Shelley last time out.
Into the First Division South, leaders Abbey Hulton United were rocked on Wednesday as they were crushed 6-0 at Stone Old Alleynians, so they will seek to pick themselves up for a home game against Maine Road.
The third from bottom visitors have lost their last five, but won the reverse fixture 6-5 in October.
Wythenshawe Town are 2nd and unbeaten in five as they host FC Oswestry Town.
The away side are 10th and have claimed impressive back-to-back 3-1 victories over Vauxhall Motors and Sandbach United, although they lost their last meeting with this weekend’s opponents 4-0 – their only defeat on their own patch this term.
3rd placed Rylands arguably remain the team to beat as they are just two points behind Abbey Hulton but with four games in hand on both the sides above them.
They welcome 13th placed Alsager Town, who have won just one of their last six but claimed a decent point at Sandbach last weekend, and are only of only three teams to beat Rylands in the league this season.
Stone Old Alleynians’ stunning midweek success made it five wins on the spin as they moved up to 4th. Next up is a tricky looking trip to St Martins, who are 6th having won their last two against Cheadle Town and Barnton.
After losing four of their previous five, 5th placed Wythenshawe Amateurs responded in perfect fashion with a 6-2 away victory at Maine Road last Saturday. They host 16th placed Stockport Town, who have lost five of their last six – though all by narrow margins.
Monday night’s 3-1 win at Maine Road moved Vauxhall Motors up to 7th and they host Cheadle Town in the fourth meeting between the sides this term – the two at Park Road finished all square, whilst the Motormen won a Vase replay 6-0 on their own patch.
Cheadle are 11th in the table, and although they went out of the Macron Cup 5-2 at Northwich Victoria on Wednesday, they did win their last league outing 3-2 at Wythenshawe Amateurs.
The ProSeal Stadium has been something of a fortress for 8th placed Cheadle Heath Nomads, and so after a win, a draw and a loss on the road, they are back on home turf this Saturday for the visit of Eccleshall.
The Eagles are a tricky side to work out of late – they have won their last two in the league 4-2 and 5-1 against Maine Road and New Mills, but lost their last two in the cup 9-4 and 11-2 at Barnoldswick and Carlisle.
9th placed Sandbach were held by Alsager last Saturday, so will hope for three points away at Ellesmere Rangers.
The hosts have just six points to their name, but this will be their first home game since October after winning two out of five on their travels.
Barnton in 12th have won just one of their last six, but that was a 4-2 victory over Stone Dominoes so they will hope for another triumph when they face off again on Saturday. The second bottom hosts haven’t played since that defeat, but it was their 17th loss from their last 18.
Last but not least, 14th placed New Mills have won two and lost three of their last five as they travel to Cammell Laird 1907. The Millers won the reverse fixture 5-2 in August, and face a Lairds side who sit 17th after winning just one of their last six in all competitions.
Each of these 29 fixtures trumps the option of Christmas shopping, so get down and support your local club!
Weekend preview - Saturday 15th December 2018
Fri 14th December 2018 | General
By Patrick Burke
With almost a full schedule of league fixtures, it promises to be an intriguing weekend – weather-permitting!
It’s an unusual schedule in the Premier Division as the top 10 all face each other as do the bottom 10.
The headline act sees the top two meet as City of Liverpool host Congleton Town.
Craig Robinson’s Purps currently have a three point advantage over their opponents, and progressed past Burscough 6-2 in the Macron Cup last time out.
But their only league defeat came at Congleton three weeks back (3-0), and with teams currently level on goal difference, the Bears will climb to the summit if they can repeat the trick.
They have won seven of their last eight matches and conceded just two goals in their last 12.
After three successive defeats, 3rd placed Runcorn Town got back on track with a 3-2 victory over Padiham on Wednesday, but face another tough match at home to Irlam.
Michael Dodd’s team are 9th but one of the division’s form sides as they are currently unbeaten in nine, and progressed to the Fourth Round of the Buildbase FA Vase at Winterton Rangers last Saturday.
Barnoldswick Town are 4th and also enjoying a splendid run, winning their last six including an extraordinary 9-4 Macron Cup triumph over Eccleshall on Tuesday.
Next up is a home game against another of the form teams, with 10th placed 1874 Northwich seeking to defend a run of just one defeat in 12.
It’s six victories from seven for 7th placed Northwich Victoria, who have the chance to climb above this weekend’s visitors Bootle.
The Bucks are currently 5th, but have lost three of their four (although they are yet to take to the field in December and thrashed Silsden 7-0 in their last league outing).
It is Silsden in 6th who currently separate those two sides, but the 5-0 hammering at Congleton on Tuesday made it four defeats from five – although they did triumph at Runcorn Town last weekend.
They travel to Squires Gate, who have risen to 8th after winning their last four, most recently an impressive 6-2 dispatching of Ashton Athletic on Tuesday.
With three victories out of four, 11th placed Burscough are outside the top half only on goal difference as they entertain Abbey Hey.
The division’s bottom club lost their first match under the management of Rob Byrne against 1874 Northwich last Saturday, but they will be hoping for his arrival to herald an upturn in fortunes as they are currently 10 points from safety.
A first win in five came in emphatic fashion for 12th placed Whitchurch Alport last weekend as they thrashed Hanley Town 6-1, and they will want to follow it up at home to second bottom West Didsbury & Chorlton. It will be David Powell’s first game in charge for the visitors as they seek a first league win since September to cut the nine point gap to the sides above them.
13th placed Charnock Richard have lost five of their last six going into a home game against Litherland REMYCA, who have triumphed in just one of their previous six.
Padiham are 14th after a six match winless run and are away at Winsford United, who sit 17th but have won four of their last five in all competitions, whilst Ashton Athletic in 16th seek to arrest their form which has seen them lose three of their last four at home to Hanley Town, who are now 18th after losing four of their previous five.
In the First Division North, leaders Longridge Town can take advantage of Carlisle City’s inactivity and move nine points clear if they beat Avro.
Longridge are the only side in the Hallmark Security League to have broken the half-century points mark, but the visitors are 3rd and the 7-2 trouncing of Garstang in the Macron Cup last Saturday made it nine wins out of 11.
Level on points with Avro in 4th are Prestwich Heys, who have lost two cup matches on the back of three consecutive league wins.
They travel to Atherton LR, who prop up the table but ended a run of 10 straight defeats by beating AFC Blackpool last time out.
5th placed Shelley are also level with the two sides above them as they travel to Lower Breck, who are only two points behind in 6th.
The hosts have won only one of their last four as they lost deep into injury time at Darwen last weekend, whilst the away side have lost just one of their last seven and won six of their nine away league fixtures this term.
AFC Darwen are now back up to 7th after winning four of the last five as they visit Daisy Hill, who are second from bottom having lost five out of six, although they did triumph 3-1 in the reverse fixture in October.
After winning their previous three, 8th placed AFC Liverpool suffered a 5-0 home defeat to Cleator Moor Celtic last weekend, so they will want to bounce back at AFC Blackpool.
The 14th placed hosts have won just one of their last 12 which led to the resignation of manager Dave Worthington in the week, with player-coach Martin Baird taking over for the rest of the season.
Steeton in 9th have taken seven points from their last nine as they welcome Garstang, who are 12th after losing three of their last four in all competitions.
10th placed Cleator Moor Celtic got back to winning ways in style at AFC Liverpool last Saturday and then racked up a 10-0 Cumberland Senior Cup victory over Unisun Athletic on Tuesday, so they will want to continue their goalscoring form at Nelson.
The Admirals are 17th but now look a very different proposition as they have lost just one of their last six, and progressed to the quarter-finals of the Macron Cup on Tuesday by beating Prestwich.
Ashton Town (13th) will be looking to bounce back from a couple of defeats as they welcome Holker Old Boys, who climbed out of the bottom two last weekend for the first time since August by beating Bacup Borough.
Bacup had won three on the bounce prior to that, so Brent Peters’ 11th placed side will seek to respond away at St Helens Town, who are 16th but earned a useful draw against Shelley last time out.
Into the First Division South, leaders Abbey Hulton United were rocked on Wednesday as they were crushed 6-0 at Stone Old Alleynians, so they will seek to pick themselves up for a home game against Maine Road.
The third from bottom visitors have lost their last five, but won the reverse fixture 6-5 in October.
Wythenshawe Town are 2nd and unbeaten in five as they host FC Oswestry Town.
The away side are 10th and have claimed impressive back-to-back 3-1 victories over Vauxhall Motors and Sandbach United, although they lost their last meeting with this weekend’s opponents 4-0 – their only defeat on their own patch this term.
3rd placed Rylands arguably remain the team to beat as they are just two points behind Abbey Hulton but with four games in hand on both the sides above them.
They welcome 13th placed Alsager Town, who have won just one of their last six but claimed a decent point at Sandbach last weekend, and are only of only three teams to beat Rylands in the league this season.
Stone Old Alleynians’ stunning midweek success made it five wins on the spin as they moved up to 4th. Next up is a tricky looking trip to St Martins, who are 6th having won their last two against Cheadle Town and Barnton.
After losing four of their previous five, 5th placed Wythenshawe Amateurs responded in perfect fashion with a 6-2 away victory at Maine Road last Saturday. They host 16th placed Stockport Town, who have lost five of their last six – though all by narrow margins.
Monday night’s 3-1 win at Maine Road moved Vauxhall Motors up to 7th and they host Cheadle Town in the fourth meeting between the sides this term – the two at Park Road finished all square, whilst the Motormen won a Vase replay 6-0 on their own patch.
Cheadle are 11th in the table, and although they went out of the Macron Cup 5-2 at Northwich Victoria on Wednesday, they did win their last league outing 3-2 at Wythenshawe Amateurs.
The ProSeal Stadium has been something of a fortress for 8th placed Cheadle Heath Nomads, and so after a win, a draw and a loss on the road, they are back on home turf this Saturday for the visit of Eccleshall.
The Eagles are a tricky side to work out of late – they have won their last two in the league 4-2 and 5-1 against Maine Road and New Mills, but lost their last two in the cup 9-4 and 11-2 at Barnoldswick and Carlisle.
9th placed Sandbach were held by Alsager last Saturday, so will hope for three points away at Ellesmere Rangers.
The hosts have just six points to their name, but this will be their first home game since October after winning two out of five on their travels.
Barnton in 12th have won just one of their last six, but that was a 4-2 victory over Stone Dominoes so they will hope for another triumph when they face off again on Saturday. The second bottom hosts haven’t played since that defeat, but it was their 17th loss from their last 18.
Last but not least, 14th placed New Mills have won two and lost three of their last five as they travel to Cammell Laird 1907. The Millers won the reverse fixture 5-2 in August, and face a Lairds side who sit 17th after winning just one of their last six in all competitions.
Each of these 29 fixtures trumps the option of Christmas shopping, so get down and support your local club!
