Week 33: Preview

Sat 7th March 2026 | Match Previews | By Jay Cooper

Back to your regularly scheduled programming in the NWCFL. Let’s see who is facing whom this weekend…

Saturday:

Premier Division:

A full fixture list coming your way this weekend in the Prem!

Let’s start at the top, where league leading Wythenshawe will hope to course correct after two straight defeats as they play host to 13^th placed Glossop North End. Their closest challengers going into this weekend are Ramsbottom United, who can cut the gap from eight to five points with the right set of results as they take on ninth placed Burscough away from home.

Third placed Chadderton are the division’s team to beat right now, having won their last five and knocked off the champions-elect last weekend – no pressure, then, on Abbey Hey, who will welcome Chaddy to the Abbey Stadium at 3pm.

Completing the play-off picture ahead of this weekend, both with 70 points, are: Irlam, in fourth, who will be on the road to face eight-straight-losses Pilkington; and Padiham, in fifth, who will accommodate 12^th placed South Liverpool at the Ruby Civil Arena.

Atherton LR, in sixth, have three and two games in hand respectively on Padiham and Irlam, and can extend their eight-game winning streak to nine with maximum points on Saturday against FC Isle of Man in the day’s late kick-off at the Bowl.

Breathing down Rovers’ necks in the table are fellow play-off hopefuls FC St Helens and West Didsbury and Chorlton, who both sit just a point behind Atherton – these two teams face one another at the weekend at West’s Step Places Stadium, with the chance to close the gap between themselves and the top five at stake.

There’s much more space between the sides at the bottom of the table than there are between the sides at the top. After just their third victory of the season last weekend and avoiding defeat in midweek, bottom side Litherland REMYCA will hope to continue this run against mid-table Prestwich Heys away from home.

A favourable result for REMY might see them close the gap between themselves and second-bottom City of Liverpool to just a point, subject to whether or not City can avoid defeat for the second time in three games away at Longridge Town.

Despite being just three places above the drop zone, Barnoldswick Town have more than double the points tally of both sides in the bottom two. With victory this weekend over AFC Liverpool away from home, they might extend that gap further, AND leapfrog their hosts in the standings.

There are two more games to come from what can be considered, at this stage of the league season, mid-table, given the points differential between the sides involved and the top and bottom of the division. Cheadle Town, in 17^th, will host Charnock Richard, just two spots above them in the table; and Euxton Villa, in 16^th, will welcome 10^th placed Stockport Town to the Jim Fowler Memorial Ground.

First Division North:

Another full house in the North!

The title race looks much more like it did at the start of the year – just three points separate first from seventh ahead of this weekend. Leaders Droylsden return to league action this weekend for the first time since mid-February to face sixth-placed Bacup Borough away from home; themselves just two points behind the Bloods.

Level on points with the table-toppers are Nelson, in second, who have two games in hand on their contemporaries, and a chance to eclipse them by bettering their result on Saturday as they meet Daisy Hill at home. Hoping both of the top two slip up are Darwen FC, in third, just a point off the pace – they will be away at second-bottom Garstang, who are unbeaten in four.

This same sentiment applies to both Squires Gate, in fourth, and MSB Woolton, in fifth, who are just one and two points respectively behind the top two at the time of writing. They will square off with one another this weekend at Jericho Lane in a real six-pointer for the title picture.

The last team in the division with a chance to directly affect the title picture are seventh placed Maghull, who had a four-game unbeaten run halted in midweek. They will aim to right the ship and truly reinsert themselves into the title race when they host Fulwood Amateurs this weekend.

Holker Old Boys were the team that upset the odds against Maghull earlier this week, snapping a two-game losing streak of their own in the process. They will aim to keep up that momentum away from home against new bottom side Maine Road on Saturday, who only need one set of results to go their way to change their own fortunes.

Just three points ahead of Road are third-bottom side Ashton Athletic, who make up one half of an important game this weekend in the fight against relegation. They are on the road to Colne this weekend, who are only separated from their visitors by a point and the dotted line in the standings ahead of Saturday.

Somehow, the middle of the table is just as crowded as the title picture right now. For example, 14^th placed AFC Blackpool could rise all the way to 10^th with the right set of results this weekend – of course, to do that, they’d need to take maximum points away from 12^th placed Ashton Town in their own back yard.

In that same vein, 13^th placed Steeton can level their points tally to that of their visitors to the Marley Stadium this weekend – ninth placed Thornton Cleveleys. They would need a seven-goal swing to completely leapfrog their opponents on goal difference, however.

First Division South:

Just eight from a possible nine games to bring to you from the South this Saturday – so close!

Table-topping Runcorn Town were the story of the division after last weekend’s fixtures, when they hit their opponents for six twice over. Whilst another 12-goal win would be unlikely, they’ll be on the hunt for their 14^th straight victory away at sixth placed Stafford Town this Saturday. Their closest challengers in the title race are Eccleshall, 10 points adrift of top spot, who will battle three-wins-in-four Wolves Casuals on home soil this weekend.

Like Eccleshall, Stockport Georgians are comfortable inside the top five at this stage, with an eight-point cushion on sixth and below. With the right set of results this weekend and a victory over Telford Town – who’ve lost their last five and shipped 33 in that time – that margin becomes a double-digit one.

Not quite as secure inside the play-off places are Sandbach United, in fourth – they are just two points ahead of the chasing pack, and will welcome Cammell Laird 1907 to their Community Football Centre this weekend; and Ashville, in fifth – they also have just a two-point lead on any fellow promotion hopefuls from outside the top five, and will also be at home this weekend, going toe to toe with 13^th placed Foley Meir.

In a game that couldn’t be more of a mid-table battle on paper if it tried, ninth placed Barnton will welcome 11^th placed Allscott Heath, who are four points behind them in the standings, to the Creative Hut Stadium.

With second-bottom Shawbury United not scheduled to play this weekend, the opportunity is there for third-bottom Alsager Town to put some daylight between themselves and the bottom two. Standing in their way on Saturday will be a side who scored eight without reply last weekend – eighth placed New Mills.

There’s also a chance for Haughmond, currently bottom, to reduce their points deficit from unfeatured Shawbury to just two. Their defeat last weekend saw them concede their 100^th goal of the season, so a turnaround in fortunes will be very much required if they are to overcome fourth-bottom Market Drayton Town at home.