Five Things We Learned 2026/27: Week 15
Thu 12th November 2026 | Five Things | By Jay Cooper
Shining a light on the biggest talking points from the weekend's gamesAnother week, another series of matches from the NWCFL. Let's run through the best and worst of what the last week has had to offer.
1. AFC Liverpool are on the board!
It took 15 league games, but AFC Liverpool finally have a tally in the win column in the Premier Division for 2026/27! After spending the first two months of the campaign glued to the foot of the division, two draws in their last five ahead of Saturday saw them leapfrog Abbey Hey into 19th. And it was Abbey Hey who they defeated 2-1 at the Berry Street Garage Stadium last weekend, thanks to first half goals by Shaun Smith and Francis Leather
After the whistle, gaffer Jack Edwards said, “[this is] a win that’s been a long time coming, and one that we’ve deserved for some time too. Our players battled from the first whistle and got what I think we deserved. There were some nervy moments towards the end, and we made life hard for ourselves, but thankfully we got over the line, and we have to build on this now.”
However, their joy would not last too long…
2. Burscough win the Phil Stafford derby
Burscough and AFC Liverpool have had very contrasting seasons thus far. Burscough have been a fixture of the race for promotion, and were third in the standings ahead of Tuesday night. AFC Liverpool, as mentioned, had only won their first league game of the season on Saturday. Phil Stafford, the man who led AFC to the Macron Cup last season - and the current Burscough manager - welcomed his old side to the Community Ground on Wednesday.
The Linnets played some of their most clinical football of the season on Tuesday night to knock off their semi-local rivals 7-0 in a statement win. They rose to second in the division as a result, a mere win from tying their points tally to that of leaders Droylsden. AFC’s brief surge of momentum from their win was taken from them, and they will need to regroup ahead of this weekend’s hosting of FC Isle of Man.
3. Atherton LR bring home the bacon in midweek
If things went from good to bad for AFC Liverpool between Saturday and Wednesday, then they went from bad to worse for Abbey Hey. They are the sole winless side in the Premier Division from what is now 17 league games played, and their midweek dalliance with Atherton LR might be one of the hardest they’ve had to stomach to this point.
At Crilly Park, they were shell-shocked by a rampant Rovers side, who were obviously very keen to keep the gap between themselves and the top five to less than three points. Joe Bacon scored three as Leighton Mills’ side came away with an eventual 9-2 victory to keep their play-off ambitions well on track. Abbey Hey will get there, but the wait goes on for now.
4. New leaders in the North
From the first two to three months of the league campaign, Maghull looked immovable at the pinnacle of the First Division North. To their credit, their iron-fisted grip on first has been loosened recently by the sheer volume of cup matches they have been playing whilst their compatriots close the gap in the league. Of their last nine competitive games before Saturday, six were cup fixtures.
That being said, the league table doesn’t lie, and after a 2-0 defeat to Daisy Hill this past weekend, they have been shifted down to second. The new crown-and-cape bearers are Cammell Laird 1907, who recorded their third successive league victory on Saturday, defeating Holker Old Boys 2-1. This may be a short-lived reign, as CL1907’s next game will be a cup match, whilst Maghull will play a league game that, should they win, will see them reclaim top spot at the expense of one of their two games in hand.
5. Joe Perry is on the mend
Saturday’s First Division South clash between Barnton and Market Drayton Town was subject to a very unfortunate injury to MDT’s Joe Perry. Right as Barnton scored their third of the day without reply, Perry went down with an obvious elbow injury, which was later diagnosed as a complete dislocation.
As a result, the match was abandoned with the referee’s watch stopped on the hour mark. Since then, Joe has, on his X account, thanked both clubs for their efforts to help him in the immediate aftermath of the injury, and declared it to be little more than a “few cat scratches.” All the best with your recovery, Joe!
Five Things We Learned 2026/27: Week 15
Thu 12th November 2026 | Five Things
By Jay Cooper
Shining a light on the biggest talking points from the weekend's gamesAnother week, another series of matches from the NWCFL. Let's run through the best and worst of what the last week has had to offer.
1. AFC Liverpool are on the board!
It took 15 league games, but AFC Liverpool finally have a tally in the win column in the Premier Division for 2026/27! After spending the first two months of the campaign glued to the foot of the division, two draws in their last five ahead of Saturday saw them leapfrog Abbey Hey into 19th. And it was Abbey Hey who they defeated 2-1 at the Berry Street Garage Stadium last weekend, thanks to first half goals by Shaun Smith and Francis Leather
After the whistle, gaffer Jack Edwards said, “[this is] a win that’s been a long time coming, and one that we’ve deserved for some time too. Our players battled from the first whistle and got what I think we deserved. There were some nervy moments towards the end, and we made life hard for ourselves, but thankfully we got over the line, and we have to build on this now.”
However, their joy would not last too long…
2. Burscough win the Phil Stafford derby
Burscough and AFC Liverpool have had very contrasting seasons thus far. Burscough have been a fixture of the race for promotion, and were third in the standings ahead of Tuesday night. AFC Liverpool, as mentioned, had only won their first league game of the season on Saturday. Phil Stafford, the man who led AFC to the Macron Cup last season - and the current Burscough manager - welcomed his old side to the Community Ground on Wednesday.
The Linnets played some of their most clinical football of the season on Tuesday night to knock off their semi-local rivals 7-0 in a statement win. They rose to second in the division as a result, a mere win from tying their points tally to that of leaders Droylsden. AFC’s brief surge of momentum from their win was taken from them, and they will need to regroup ahead of this weekend’s hosting of FC Isle of Man.
3. Atherton LR bring home the bacon in midweek
If things went from good to bad for AFC Liverpool between Saturday and Wednesday, then they went from bad to worse for Abbey Hey. They are the sole winless side in the Premier Division from what is now 17 league games played, and their midweek dalliance with Atherton LR might be one of the hardest they’ve had to stomach to this point.
At Crilly Park, they were shell-shocked by a rampant Rovers side, who were obviously very keen to keep the gap between themselves and the top five to less than three points. Joe Bacon scored three as Leighton Mills’ side came away with an eventual 9-2 victory to keep their play-off ambitions well on track. Abbey Hey will get there, but the wait goes on for now.
4. New leaders in the North
From the first two to three months of the league campaign, Maghull looked immovable at the pinnacle of the First Division North. To their credit, their iron-fisted grip on first has been loosened recently by the sheer volume of cup matches they have been playing whilst their compatriots close the gap in the league. Of their last nine competitive games before Saturday, six were cup fixtures.
That being said, the league table doesn’t lie, and after a 2-0 defeat to Daisy Hill this past weekend, they have been shifted down to second. The new crown-and-cape bearers are Cammell Laird 1907, who recorded their third successive league victory on Saturday, defeating Holker Old Boys 2-1. This may be a short-lived reign, as CL1907’s next game will be a cup match, whilst Maghull will play a league game that, should they win, will see them reclaim top spot at the expense of one of their two games in hand.
5. Joe Perry is on the mend
Saturday’s First Division South clash between Barnton and Market Drayton Town was subject to a very unfortunate injury to MDT’s Joe Perry. Right as Barnton scored their third of the day without reply, Perry went down with an obvious elbow injury, which was later diagnosed as a complete dislocation.
As a result, the match was abandoned with the referee’s watch stopped on the hour mark. Since then, Joe has, on his X account, thanked both clubs for their efforts to help him in the immediate aftermath of the injury, and declared it to be little more than a “few cat scratches.” All the best with your recovery, Joe!
