Weekend preview - Saturday 22nd December 2018
Fri 21st December 2018 | General | By Patrick Burke
In the final round of fixtures before Christmas, all 60 of our clubs will be in action and each will be desperate to give their supporters an early present, so it promises to be an entertaining afternoon in the Hallmark Security League.
In the Premier Division, it’s bottom against top as Abbey Hey meet City of Liverpool.
The hosts lost their sixth league game in succession last weekend 5-0 to Burscough to leave them ten points from safety.
The away side’s crucial 2-1 victory over nearest challengers Congleton Town moved them six clear at the summit, although they lost by the same scoreline at Evo-Stik First Division West outfit Widnes in the Liverpool Senior Cup on Monday.
Congleton had won 11 of their previous 12 prior to last week’s setback, so they will be looking to bounce back at Whitchurch Alport.
Luke Goddard’s team are 14th having triumphed in just one of their last six, but their victory in the reverse fixture in September underlines their threat.
A bruising 4-0 defeat at Burscough on Tuesday means that 3rd placed Runcorn Town have now won just one of their last six, and with them now 11 points off the top, it’s imperative that they get back to top form away at third from bottom Hanley Town.
It’s now just one victory from 15 for the Staffordshire outfit, who also lost 4-0 midweek at West Didsbury & Chorlton – a result which brought their hosts to within a point of them.
Bootle’s first game for over a fortnight was worth the wait last Saturday as a 3-2 win at Northwich Victoria moved them up to 4th, so they will hope for another success at home to West Didsbury & Chorlton.
Two wins and two clean sheets from David Powell’s first two games in charge mean that the visitors appear to have their mojo back; they remain in the bottom two, but certainly have some momentum behind them now.
Burscough’s early season woes are firmly behind them, and a run of five consecutive league wins shows that they are now one of the more formidable sides in the division, as does their 5th placed position.
Next up for Terry Green’s men is a trip to Winsford United, who are 17th but have seen their campaign undergo a similar story: last Saturday’s 4-1 triumph over Padiham was a fifth out of six and moved them further clear of the bottom two.
6th placed Barnoldswick Town also appear one of the strongest teams in the league, shown by their run of seven straight wins.
An 8-1 West Riding County Cup thrashing of Knaresborough Town means they have scored 24 goals in their last three, leaving hosts Padiham with a real dilemma as they seek to arrest a seven game winless streak.
They have dropped to 15th, and are currently managerless after the resignations of Liam Smith, Dixon Lambert and Al Norwood.
Silsden are 7th but have lost four of their last five going into an away match at 13th placed Ashton Athletic, and after a defeat last week, Northwich Victoria in 8th will be seeking to re-start their run of five straight victories as they host Charnock Richard, who have climbed to 10th after back-to-back league wins.
Irlam against Squires Gate is 11th against 9th, but these are two of the division’s form sides with the hosts unbeaten in 10 and the visitors taking 13 points from the last 15 on offer.
16th placed Litherland REMYCA will have Phil Stafford back in the hot seat for the first time as they seek to halt a run of just one win from seven at home to 1874 Northwich, who are 12th but have lost just one of their last 12.
In the First Division North, Prestwich Heys versus Longridge Town looks a cracker as 4th plays 1st.
Heys have won four on the spin in the league, but lost the reverse fixture 5-1 to opponents who lead the table by six points and have won 15 of their last 17 league games.
2nd placed Carlisle City haven’t played since a 2-2 draw with Nelson three weeks back, so will be glad to be back on the pitch as they travel to Bacup Borough. Brent Peters’ side are 9th, and last weekend’s 6-2 victory at St Helens Town made it four wins out of five.
The midweek 4-2 triumph at Steeton means that 3rd placed Avro have now won their last eight against Hallmark Security League opposition, and next up is the visit of AFC Liverpool, who are 7th having come out on top in four of their last five in all competitions.
5th placed Lower Breck have been unstoppable on home turf, last weekend’s 6-0 hammering of Shelley making it seven wins on the spin on their own patch, but they will seek a first away victory in five at Garstang. The home side are 12th and have lost four of their last five in league and cup.
AFC Darwen in 6th have triumphed in five of their last six, so will hope for that to continue at home to St Helens Town, who are now 17th after winning just one of their last ten.
Shelley are 8th but had been in good form prior to last week’s defeat, so they will hope to bounce back away at 11th placed Cleator Moor Celtic. With an estimated journey time of just over three hours, this is surely the longest trip that any side will have to face in the league this season.
10th placed Steeton are away at Daisy Hill, who are second from bottom after allowing a two-goal lead to slip against Darwen last weekend which made it six losses out of seven
AFC Blackpool are 14th and have now lost six on the bounce as they host an Ashton Town side who are above them only on goal difference, and 15th placed Nelson will be aiming to leapfrog at least one of those sides as they seek a fourth straight victory at home to Holker Old Boys, who are 18th but recorded three points against Bacup last time out to climb out of the bottom two.
16th placed Chadderton will hope to move further clear of that dotted line by making it three successive wins at home to Atherton LR, with the division’s bottom club needing results to cut the seven point gap to safety.
Into the First Division South, Rylands 3-0 victory against Alsager Town last Saturday – their seventh out of eight in the league – means that they now lead the way.
Next up is a trip to Cheadle Town, who are 11th after a decent run of results, most recently a 2-2 draw at Vauxhall Motors and a 3-1 triumph at New Mills. They also won 3-1 in this away fixture, making them the only team to win at Rylands in the league this term.
Only a point behind in 2nd are Wythenshawe Amateurs, who have won their last two 5-2 and 6-2 against Stockport Town and Maine Road respectively.
They travel to second bottom Stone Dominoes, who have really struggled for form this season but are yet to take to the field in December.
Abbey Hulton United are 3rd and despite losing three of their last four, remain only a point off the top.
Their manager Dave Riley stepped down on Thursday prior to the weekend visit to Ellesmere Rangers. The league’s bottom club are nine points from safety and have won just once in the league.
Wythenshawe Town appeared to be on a roll, but a 5-0 mauling at the hands of FC Oswestry Town last weekend saw them slip to 4th as they welcome Stone Old Alleynians.
The visitors are only a point and a place behind – last weekend’s 2-2 draw at St Martins ended their run of five straight wins, but represented a good result after falling two behind.
St Martins are 6th and have taken seven points out of nine as they welcome Stockport Town, with the Lions 16th having won just one of their last seven.
In 7th having lost just one of their last nine league outings, Vauxhall Motors seek to continue applying pressure on the sides above them as they host Sandbach United.
The away side are 10th but only three points behind their opponents with games in hand having themselves lost only one of their last 12 in the First Division South.
Cheadle Heath Nomads in 8th have lost just one of their last six but are winless in three as they travel to Maine Road, who have been beaten in eight of their last nine outings and sit third from bottom.
Although they are 9th, FC Oswestry Town are a side who no one wants to play at the minute as their last three games have seen them defeat Wythenshawe Town, Vauxhall Motors and Sandbach 5-0, 3-1 and 3-1 respectively.
They travel to 13th placed New Mills, who have won just one of their last six but earned a point in a ten goal thriller when the sides met in August.
Lastly are two bottom half of the table fixtures as Barnton (12th) and Cammell Laird 1907 (17th) meet with both sides seeking to end poor runs of form, the Villagers triumphing 6-2 when they faced off in November, and just a place separates Alsager Town and Eccleshall as they go head-to-head, with the visitors below their opponents but 3-1 winners when they played the Bullets in September.
Weather-permitting (as always at this time of the year), there’ll be plenty to keep you away from the shops this weekend; choose affordable football at one of our clubs for some festive cheer!
Weekend preview - Saturday 22nd December 2018
Fri 21st December 2018 | General
By Patrick Burke
In the final round of fixtures before Christmas, all 60 of our clubs will be in action and each will be desperate to give their supporters an early present, so it promises to be an entertaining afternoon in the Hallmark Security League.
In the Premier Division, it’s bottom against top as Abbey Hey meet City of Liverpool.
The hosts lost their sixth league game in succession last weekend 5-0 to Burscough to leave them ten points from safety.
The away side’s crucial 2-1 victory over nearest challengers Congleton Town moved them six clear at the summit, although they lost by the same scoreline at Evo-Stik First Division West outfit Widnes in the Liverpool Senior Cup on Monday.
Congleton had won 11 of their previous 12 prior to last week’s setback, so they will be looking to bounce back at Whitchurch Alport.
Luke Goddard’s team are 14th having triumphed in just one of their last six, but their victory in the reverse fixture in September underlines their threat.
A bruising 4-0 defeat at Burscough on Tuesday means that 3rd placed Runcorn Town have now won just one of their last six, and with them now 11 points off the top, it’s imperative that they get back to top form away at third from bottom Hanley Town.
It’s now just one victory from 15 for the Staffordshire outfit, who also lost 4-0 midweek at West Didsbury & Chorlton – a result which brought their hosts to within a point of them.
Bootle’s first game for over a fortnight was worth the wait last Saturday as a 3-2 win at Northwich Victoria moved them up to 4th, so they will hope for another success at home to West Didsbury & Chorlton.
Two wins and two clean sheets from David Powell’s first two games in charge mean that the visitors appear to have their mojo back; they remain in the bottom two, but certainly have some momentum behind them now.
Burscough’s early season woes are firmly behind them, and a run of five consecutive league wins shows that they are now one of the more formidable sides in the division, as does their 5th placed position.
Next up for Terry Green’s men is a trip to Winsford United, who are 17th but have seen their campaign undergo a similar story: last Saturday’s 4-1 triumph over Padiham was a fifth out of six and moved them further clear of the bottom two.
6th placed Barnoldswick Town also appear one of the strongest teams in the league, shown by their run of seven straight wins.
An 8-1 West Riding County Cup thrashing of Knaresborough Town means they have scored 24 goals in their last three, leaving hosts Padiham with a real dilemma as they seek to arrest a seven game winless streak.
They have dropped to 15th, and are currently managerless after the resignations of Liam Smith, Dixon Lambert and Al Norwood.
Silsden are 7th but have lost four of their last five going into an away match at 13th placed Ashton Athletic, and after a defeat last week, Northwich Victoria in 8th will be seeking to re-start their run of five straight victories as they host Charnock Richard, who have climbed to 10th after back-to-back league wins.
Irlam against Squires Gate is 11th against 9th, but these are two of the division’s form sides with the hosts unbeaten in 10 and the visitors taking 13 points from the last 15 on offer.
16th placed Litherland REMYCA will have Phil Stafford back in the hot seat for the first time as they seek to halt a run of just one win from seven at home to 1874 Northwich, who are 12th but have lost just one of their last 12.
In the First Division North, Prestwich Heys versus Longridge Town looks a cracker as 4th plays 1st.
Heys have won four on the spin in the league, but lost the reverse fixture 5-1 to opponents who lead the table by six points and have won 15 of their last 17 league games.
2nd placed Carlisle City haven’t played since a 2-2 draw with Nelson three weeks back, so will be glad to be back on the pitch as they travel to Bacup Borough. Brent Peters’ side are 9th, and last weekend’s 6-2 victory at St Helens Town made it four wins out of five.
The midweek 4-2 triumph at Steeton means that 3rd placed Avro have now won their last eight against Hallmark Security League opposition, and next up is the visit of AFC Liverpool, who are 7th having come out on top in four of their last five in all competitions.
5th placed Lower Breck have been unstoppable on home turf, last weekend’s 6-0 hammering of Shelley making it seven wins on the spin on their own patch, but they will seek a first away victory in five at Garstang. The home side are 12th and have lost four of their last five in league and cup.
AFC Darwen in 6th have triumphed in five of their last six, so will hope for that to continue at home to St Helens Town, who are now 17th after winning just one of their last ten.
Shelley are 8th but had been in good form prior to last week’s defeat, so they will hope to bounce back away at 11th placed Cleator Moor Celtic. With an estimated journey time of just over three hours, this is surely the longest trip that any side will have to face in the league this season.
10th placed Steeton are away at Daisy Hill, who are second from bottom after allowing a two-goal lead to slip against Darwen last weekend which made it six losses out of seven
AFC Blackpool are 14th and have now lost six on the bounce as they host an Ashton Town side who are above them only on goal difference, and 15th placed Nelson will be aiming to leapfrog at least one of those sides as they seek a fourth straight victory at home to Holker Old Boys, who are 18th but recorded three points against Bacup last time out to climb out of the bottom two.
16th placed Chadderton will hope to move further clear of that dotted line by making it three successive wins at home to Atherton LR, with the division’s bottom club needing results to cut the seven point gap to safety.
Into the First Division South, Rylands 3-0 victory against Alsager Town last Saturday – their seventh out of eight in the league – means that they now lead the way.
Next up is a trip to Cheadle Town, who are 11th after a decent run of results, most recently a 2-2 draw at Vauxhall Motors and a 3-1 triumph at New Mills. They also won 3-1 in this away fixture, making them the only team to win at Rylands in the league this term.
Only a point behind in 2nd are Wythenshawe Amateurs, who have won their last two 5-2 and 6-2 against Stockport Town and Maine Road respectively.
They travel to second bottom Stone Dominoes, who have really struggled for form this season but are yet to take to the field in December.
Abbey Hulton United are 3rd and despite losing three of their last four, remain only a point off the top.
Their manager Dave Riley stepped down on Thursday prior to the weekend visit to Ellesmere Rangers. The league’s bottom club are nine points from safety and have won just once in the league.
Wythenshawe Town appeared to be on a roll, but a 5-0 mauling at the hands of FC Oswestry Town last weekend saw them slip to 4th as they welcome Stone Old Alleynians.
The visitors are only a point and a place behind – last weekend’s 2-2 draw at St Martins ended their run of five straight wins, but represented a good result after falling two behind.
St Martins are 6th and have taken seven points out of nine as they welcome Stockport Town, with the Lions 16th having won just one of their last seven.
In 7th having lost just one of their last nine league outings, Vauxhall Motors seek to continue applying pressure on the sides above them as they host Sandbach United.
The away side are 10th but only three points behind their opponents with games in hand having themselves lost only one of their last 12 in the First Division South.
Cheadle Heath Nomads in 8th have lost just one of their last six but are winless in three as they travel to Maine Road, who have been beaten in eight of their last nine outings and sit third from bottom.
Although they are 9th, FC Oswestry Town are a side who no one wants to play at the minute as their last three games have seen them defeat Wythenshawe Town, Vauxhall Motors and Sandbach 5-0, 3-1 and 3-1 respectively.
They travel to 13th placed New Mills, who have won just one of their last six but earned a point in a ten goal thriller when the sides met in August.
Lastly are two bottom half of the table fixtures as Barnton (12th) and Cammell Laird 1907 (17th) meet with both sides seeking to end poor runs of form, the Villagers triumphing 6-2 when they faced off in November, and just a place separates Alsager Town and Eccleshall as they go head-to-head, with the visitors below their opponents but 3-1 winners when they played the Bullets in September.
Weather-permitting (as always at this time of the year), there’ll be plenty to keep you away from the shops this weekend; choose affordable football at one of our clubs for some festive cheer!
