Matchday 14: Review

Mon 28th October 2024 | Match Reviews | By Jay Cooper

Another weekend, another round of games coming from all 3 divisions of the NWCFL. Let's run through the best and worst of what the last couple of days have had to offer.

Premier Division:

• Abbey Hey pulled a Real Madrid circa 2022 UCL – there’s no better way to put it! On Saturday, Simon Heaton’s men had Glossop North End as their visitors and were 1-0 down to them as the clock struck 90 minutes and the fourth official’s board went up - cue the comeback. In minutes 95 and 97, goals from Sekouba Sanogo and Leke Ajibode turned the game upside down and Abbey Hey were 2-1 winners.
• Barnoldswick Town were determined not to fall into the same trap as Glossop, but they didn’t make it easy for themselves in their 3-2 in over South Liverpool. From being 3-0 up with just over 10 minutes remaining, South bagged two goals of their own and set up a nervy finish, but Barlick pulled through.
• Here comes this week’s match of the weekend. Charnock Richard and Longridge Town shared the spoils of a thriller that saw the former leading 3-0 at half time, and 4-2 later in the second half. Longridge, though, refused to die and eventually saved a point in a 4-4 draw, with a Liam Atkinson hat-trick going a long way for them.
• Another weekend, another Rammy win. Ramsbottom United have refused to renege on their claim to top spot ever since the opening weeks of this season, and their 4-0 drubbing over Litherland REMYCA away from home this past weekend sees them showing no signs of slowing down in their quest for promotion back to the NPL.
• Prestwich Heys have a new manager at the helm in the form of Ryan Hutchinson, but that bounce that teams often get from a new face in the dugout did not come on Saturday. With Padiham being the visitors to the Adie Moran Park, they brushed their hosts aside to win 3-0.
• West Didsbury and Chorlton’s match on home soil was much more fruitful than Prestwich’s this past weekend. FC St Helens were on their travels to Brookburn Road, but found themselves dead and buried by half time, 3-0 down. They clawed one back in the second half, but you have to imagine the West faithful were still happy enough with their 3-1 win.

Other scores:

Friday:

• Burscough 0-1 Stockport Town

Saturday:

• Chadderton 1-2 FC Isle of Man
• Colne 0-2 Bury
• Lower Breck 1-0 Cheadle Town
• Pilkington 1-2 AFC Liverpool

First Division North:

Friday:

• Daisy Hill will feel exceptionally hard done by after this evening result. They hosted Ashton Athletic on Friday night and were safe and sound with a 2-0 lead under their belts by half time. When they conceded 10 minutes after the restart, they might’ve been breathing a little quicker, but to get to minute 96 only to concede again is a heartbreaker. The match finished 2-2.

Saturday:

• There was a clash between two sides lingering closer to the drop zone than they might like on Saturday. Darwen FC had the opportunity to leapfrog their visitors Ashton Town with a win at the weekend, and they took that opportunity with both hands, storming to a 3-0 shutout.
• In a very second-half-heavy match up North, Holker Old Boys were felled by AFC Blackpool. The latter were leasing by a slender goal to nil at the break, and between the 53^rd and 66^th minute, the scoreline ballooned to 4-2 to AFC Blackpool, and that’s how it would stay.
• Atherton LR were clearly signing from the same hymn sheet as AFC Blackpool, because they, also on their travels, won 4-2 at Maghull. Harvey Sample was on hand to score two penalties for Rovers, and immediately cancelled out Maghull’s reducing of the deficit in the 74^th minute by scoring again in the 77^th.
• Maine Road’s fast start against Route One Rovers was undone quite quickly by Anees Younis penalty, but they shook off any fears that their early lead was a fluke by scoring again to retake the lead before half time, and once more afterwards to secure a 3-1 victory.

Other scores:

• Bacup Borough 2-1 Skelmersdale United
• Droylsden 1-0 Nelson
• Steeton 2-1 Euxton Villa
• Thornton Cleveleys 1-2 Garstang

First Division South:

Friday:

• Like Maine Road on Saturday, Abbey Hulton United were also victims of a 13^th minute penalty in a game that ended 3-1, but, unlike Miane Road, AHU were on the wrong side of this one. Liam Hallam was on hand for Eccleshall to bag two of his team’s three in their victory.

Saturday:

• It was a fairly quiet Saturday in terms of goals from the First Division South, with one glaring exception. Market Drayton Town had to contend with Allscott Heath at home, and contend with them they did, and more. Nicky Parker scored a hat-trick to help Dan Dawson’s side to scoring EIGHT – count ‘em, EIGHT – in an 8-2 win.
• Bottom side Runcorn Town looked nothing of the sort as the hour makr passed in their hosting of Alsager Town. Thomas Ruffer and Charlie Harland both bagged in a 2-0 clean sheet victory for Runcorn to close the gap on joint-second-bottom Shawbury United and Wolves Sporting.
• Wolves Sporting would be a mere point ahead of Runcorn after their win on Saturday, were it not for the fact that they picked up three points themselves. Despite conceding two penalties away at Stockport Georgians, Mark Swann’s side held onto their lead they had established in the first half to win 3-2.
• Winsford United’s incredible unbeaten run continued into its 13^th match on Saturday, even though it took them the full 92 minutes to see off New Mills on home soil. With the game delicately poised at 1-1, Jack Woolley came forward in injury time to snatch the 2-1 win for Dean Jones and Dom Johnson and their men.

Other scores:

• Ashville 0-1 Cheadle Heath Nomads
• Barnton 1-1 Foley Meir
• Cammell Laird 1907 0-2 Stafford Town
• Sandbach United 1-0 Shawbury United