Matchday Preview: Week 16

Fri 13th November 2026 | Match Previews | By Jay Cooper

The Edward Case Cup returns this weekend to supplement the league games that are also scheduled.

Saturday

Edward Case Cup, 2^nd Round North:

The Edward Case Cup returns for the round of 32 across the NWCFL this weekend, with an equal number of Northern and Southern representatives.

Firstly, the highest-ranked team left in the competition as far as league standings go, Cammell Laird 1907, will be on the road to face 10^th placed Woolton.

Elsewhere, promotion-chasing Flixton will welcome 13^th placed Bacup Borough to Valley Road as they continue to chase cup success in their return season to the English football pyramid.

Just five points and two league places separate third placed Thornton Cleveleys and fifth placed Fulwood Amateurs in the league right now, and these two play-off hopefuls will meet in a cup clash at the former’s Fox Group Sports Arena on Saturday.

Finally, the two lowest-ranked representatives left on the North side of the draw will meet on Saturday, when 14^th placed Holker Old Boys travel to 16^th placed Steeton on Saturday for a place in the third round.

Edward Case Cup, 2^nd Round South:

Both of the top two in the First Division South, who are separated by goal difference alone in the standings, will play in Edward Case Cup games on Saturday. Long-time leaders Sandbach United will be on their travels to square off with 10^th placed New Mills.

Meanwhile, their closest challengers in the league table, Wolverhampton Casuals, will be playing host to fellow promotion hopefuls Stafford Town, currently fifth in the league, at Brinsford Stadium.

AFC Bridgnorth make it four from the top five to feature in the Edward Case Cup on Saturday as they welcome third-bottom Alsager Town to Crown Meadow, with a place in the last 16 at stake.

Rounding out the fixtures from the South side of the draw are seventh placed Barnton, who are fresh off an abandoned game last weekend in the league. They will travel to 12th-placed Shawbury United, where they will fight to get their names in the hat for Round Three.

Premier Division:

No cup games to distract any of our Premier Division sides from league action this weekend!

Let’s start with the early kick-off, which will see second-bottom AFC Liverpool welcome 12^th placed FC isle of Man to the Berry Street Garage Stadium at 2pm.

At 3pm, the rest of the action gets underway, with league leaders Droylsden keen to strengthen their grip on top spot as they welcome fourth-bottom Euxton Villa to the Butchers Arms.

Should they slip, second placed Burscough will be itching to pounce and completely shut the points gap between themselves and the Bloods. The Linnets will welcome sixth placed Atherton LR, fresh off a 9-2 win in midweek, to the Community Ground.

The league’s current bronze medallists are Nelson. They have won five and lost one of their last six in all competitions, which is a record identical to that of their visitors to Little Wembley this weekend - eighth placed Prestwich Heys.

Barnoldswick Town and Trafford currently round out the top five in the league, both with 28 points to their names at this time. That will inevitably change on Saturday, as the former visits the latter at Shawe View.

A draw in that game would open the door for Atherton LR in sixth, and for Irlam, in seventh. Both promotion chasers have two points less than the current top five, but Irlam might rectify that on Saturday with a win on the road against 14^th placed Ramsbottom United.

Chadderton, in ninth, have a bit of work to do if they want to keep the pressure on the play-off picture. They are currently five points behind the dotted line, having played a game more than all four teams directly above them. However, they will see out the weekend in the top half of the table regardless of their result at home to 13^th placed FC St Helens.

The same cannot be said of Glossop North End, who are currently 10^th. They will host 15^th placed South Liverpool at the Asgard Engineering Stadium on Saturday, hoping to fluff their two-point cushion that keeps them out of the bottom half of the division.

The team hunting down GNE and a spot in the top 10 are Charnock Richard, who will welcome third-bottom Litherland REMYCA to Mossie Park on Saturday. Even a point would be enough for the hosts to get over the 20-point line for the season.

The wait continues for bottom side Abbey Hey to record their first win of the league campaign. A golden chance passed them by last weekend when they faced fellow winless side AFC Liverpool, but they fell short, and they were beaten 9-2 in midweek by Atherton LR. They will have the chance to course-correct on Saturday with a return to the Abbey Stadium, where they will welcome fifth-bottom Longridge Town.

First Division North:

Away from the Edward Case Cup, the rest of the First Divisions North and South will keep busy with league games.

Top spot in the table is up for grabs for Maghull, who would reclaim first with a home victory against fifth-bottom Squires Gate in the absence of a league match for new-ish leaders Cammell Laird 1907.

The rest of the top five are playing in the cup, which opens the door for sixth placed Halewood Apollo to narrow the points gap between themselves and the dotted line to zero. All they would have to do is knock off 17^th placed Maine Road away from home on Saturday.

Breathing down their necks, however, will be seventh placed Darwen FC. The Salmoners are also one win away from being level on points with Fulwood Amateurs inside the top five, and they will have the added benefit of a home fixture this weekend, as 12^th placed Daisy Hill visit the Multevo Group Anchor Ground.

Colne, in eighth, are not to be ignored in the race for the top five. They are just a point behind the two sides directly above them, and four behind the dotted line. They will host second-bottom AFC Blackpool on Saturday, who are themselves four points behind the dotted line at the wrong end of the table.

A clash between two sides entrenched in mid-table will also be on the cards on Saturday. Ninth placed Ashville and 11^th placed Ashton Town are separated by just two points at the time of writing, meaning a win for the latter against the former at the Ray Parker Stadium on Saturday would see them leapfrog their hosts in the standings.

Goals scored is the only statistic that is keeping AFC Knowsley out of the bottom three right now, which is way too close for comfort, if you were to ask anyone in that position. Hoping to create more separation for themselves from the bottom three, they will travel to 15^th placed Ashton Athletic on Saturday.

The team currently being kept out of the safety spots by such a fine margin are Garstang. They know that all they have to do is better AFC Knowsley’s result in any shape or form on Saturday to leapfrog them in the table, and they will be fighting to do so at home against bottom side Uppermill.

First Division South:

The best-placed side in league action from the South on Saturday will be third-placed Eccleshall. They are currently three points behind both of the top two, but with a superior goal difference to both sides, they could take top spot this weekend with a win over sixth placed Bilston Town on the road.

The next best-placed side are eighth-placed Allscott Heath, who might not have the chance to go top of the tree this weekend with a victory, but they would go to within three points of the play-off spots, provided they can knock off ninth placed Dawley Town at home. Lose, though, and they are replaced in eighth by their visitors.

Brereton Social and Crewe are two of three teams in the First Division South with 15 points to their name this season. They will go toe-to-toe at the former’s Red Lion Ground on Saturday.

Market Drayton Town are currently three points ahead of the bottom three, and are coming into this weekend off the back of an early finish to their league game last week, due to an unfortunate injury to one of their players. They’ll be hoping to dust themselves off and further separate themselves from the drop zone with an away game against 14^th placed Foley Meir.

For the first time since the opening weeks of the campaign, Widnes Town are no longer propping up the rest of the division. They are back in action on the road this weekend as they await confirmation on their new home facilities, and they will be taking on fifth-bottom Wednesfield Community at the Cottage Ground.

The team that has taken the wooden spoon from Widnes are Telford Town, who were subject to a 6-0 defeat last time out to the current league leaders. Hoping to quickly return the label of 20^th placed to their contemporaries, they will host 11^th placed Cheadle Heath Nomads at the Lionheart Security Services Stadium on Saturday.