Five Things We Learned 2023/24 - Gameweek 36
Thu 4th April 2024 | Five Things | By Jay Cooper
1. FC St Helens are CHAMPIONS!
Like Thanos himself, this was inevitable. Throughout the entirety of the 2023/24 First Division North campaign, your Atherton LR's, Route One Rovers' and South Liverpool's have all been competing for 2nd in the table, because the runaway leaders have always been FC St Helens. And, with last Friday's 3-2 win over Runcorn Town, they have officially been declared as League Champions.
Congratulations to FC St Helens, and to everyone involved with the club, on achieving their second promotion in three seasons. It's highly likely that we will see the club competing in the NWCFL Premier Division for the first time in their history in 2024/25.
2. Brocton are CHAMPIONS!
This one almost passed me by! About 2 weeks ago, when I did my 'Five Things' article, I mentioned that Brocton had been replaced at the top of the First Division South by Stockport Town - mainly because the Badgers hadn't been able to play many games at all to extend their lead at the top due to the weather.
I did say that, should they simply win their rearranged games during the fixture crunch, it might not matter. Lo and behold, 5 games and 5 wins later, Brocton were crowned First Division South League Champions for 2024/25 on Monday after beating Stafford Town 3-1. Congratulations to all involved at the club!
3. Skelmersdale United are relegated
And, to bring the celebratory train to a screeching half, in the Premier Division, Skelmersdale Unted were beaten on Monday by Burscough. With the club now being 12 points behind second-bottom Squires Gate with only 3 league games left in their calendar, they are officially relegated for the second season straight, and will play Step 6 football next term.
Manager Pascal Chimbonda has already made his intentions known to rebuild next season at the club, which you can read more about here. It was only 2 seasons ago that they were hanging with money-rich Macclesfield at the top of our pyramid, and we hope to see them in a similar position again as soon as possible.
4. Town take top spot from the Ammies
With the First Divisions North and South titles officially claimed, the question still remains as to who will walk away from the 2023/24 Premier Division campaign with not only the league championship, but also a spot in Step 4 of the non-league football system for 2024/25. And there are still 3 potential answers to that question.
Over the long weekend, 3rd placed Bury clawed their way up to 85 points with an away win over local rivals Prestwich Heys (which I was there to watch), and the two Wythenshawe sides, that currently occupy 1st and 2nd in the table, also went head-to-head. After an 85th-minute Thomas Bentham winner for Town, they've given themselves a 4-point lead at the top of the tree. The Ammies, however, still have a game in hand on the league leaders, and so do Bury, which - provided both teams win - could narrow the gap between the top 3 teams in the table to a single point going into the final day of action. Grab! Your! Popcorn!
5. AFC Blackpool will not be best pleased!
While the dreadful, DREADFUL winter weather has dissipated in many spots across the North West, one area that was not immune to Mother Nature's wrath over Easter Weekend was Garstang. The PR3 side took to their Riverside pitch for a home game against fellow relegation fighters AFC Blackpool, only for the game to be later abandoned due to the bad weather. But, it won't be the home side who take umbrage to this - the away side, however...
By half time, the Mechs were 5 goals to the good thanks to 4 strikes by Nick Hepple and a Joe Robinson cross-come-shot. However, before the second half could get underway, the referee made the decision to call off the match due for a waterlogged pitch, and the game will be replayed at a later date. For the away side to have such an insurmountable lead in a relegation 6-pointer stricken from the record will certainly hurt.
RIP, Ross Aikenhead. #SalTerrae #WUFC
Five Things We Learned 2023/24 - Gameweek 36
Thu 4th April 2024 | Five Things
By Jay Cooper
1. FC St Helens are CHAMPIONS!
Like Thanos himself, this was inevitable. Throughout the entirety of the 2023/24 First Division North campaign, your Atherton LR's, Route One Rovers' and South Liverpool's have all been competing for 2nd in the table, because the runaway leaders have always been FC St Helens. And, with last Friday's 3-2 win over Runcorn Town, they have officially been declared as League Champions.
Congratulations to FC St Helens, and to everyone involved with the club, on achieving their second promotion in three seasons. It's highly likely that we will see the club competing in the NWCFL Premier Division for the first time in their history in 2024/25.
2. Brocton are CHAMPIONS!
This one almost passed me by! About 2 weeks ago, when I did my 'Five Things' article, I mentioned that Brocton had been replaced at the top of the First Division South by Stockport Town - mainly because the Badgers hadn't been able to play many games at all to extend their lead at the top due to the weather.
I did say that, should they simply win their rearranged games during the fixture crunch, it might not matter. Lo and behold, 5 games and 5 wins later, Brocton were crowned First Division South League Champions for 2024/25 on Monday after beating Stafford Town 3-1. Congratulations to all involved at the club!
3. Skelmersdale United are relegated
And, to bring the celebratory train to a screeching half, in the Premier Division, Skelmersdale Unted were beaten on Monday by Burscough. With the club now being 12 points behind second-bottom Squires Gate with only 3 league games left in their calendar, they are officially relegated for the second season straight, and will play Step 6 football next term.
Manager Pascal Chimbonda has already made his intentions known to rebuild next season at the club, which you can read more about here. It was only 2 seasons ago that they were hanging with money-rich Macclesfield at the top of our pyramid, and we hope to see them in a similar position again as soon as possible.
4. Town take top spot from the Ammies
With the First Divisions North and South titles officially claimed, the question still remains as to who will walk away from the 2023/24 Premier Division campaign with not only the league championship, but also a spot in Step 4 of the non-league football system for 2024/25. And there are still 3 potential answers to that question.
Over the long weekend, 3rd placed Bury clawed their way up to 85 points with an away win over local rivals Prestwich Heys (which I was there to watch), and the two Wythenshawe sides, that currently occupy 1st and 2nd in the table, also went head-to-head. After an 85th-minute Thomas Bentham winner for Town, they've given themselves a 4-point lead at the top of the tree. The Ammies, however, still have a game in hand on the league leaders, and so do Bury, which - provided both teams win - could narrow the gap between the top 3 teams in the table to a single point going into the final day of action. Grab! Your! Popcorn!
5. AFC Blackpool will not be best pleased!
While the dreadful, DREADFUL winter weather has dissipated in many spots across the North West, one area that was not immune to Mother Nature's wrath over Easter Weekend was Garstang. The PR3 side took to their Riverside pitch for a home game against fellow relegation fighters AFC Blackpool, only for the game to be later abandoned due to the bad weather. But, it won't be the home side who take umbrage to this - the away side, however...
By half time, the Mechs were 5 goals to the good thanks to 4 strikes by Nick Hepple and a Joe Robinson cross-come-shot. However, before the second half could get underway, the referee made the decision to call off the match due for a waterlogged pitch, and the game will be replayed at a later date. For the away side to have such an insurmountable lead in a relegation 6-pointer stricken from the record will certainly hurt.
RIP, Ross Aikenhead. #SalTerrae #WUFC
