NWCFL Premier Division 2025/26: Revisited
Tue 9th June 2026 | A Look Back | By Jay Cooper
With the start date of the new NWCFL league season less than a fortnight away, now is the perfect time to remind ourselves of what went down last season. This is the first of three articles which will surround each division individually, beginning with the Premier Division.
The season officially began on the 21st of June 2025, with the AGM and Awards Evening for the previous season. Over the course of that day, many changes took effect. As far as the Premier Division was concerned, a goodbye was said to promoted sides Bury FC and Lower Breck, as well as to relegated sides Colne and Squires Gate.
But we also said hello to new arrivals to the division – Atherton LR, who won the First Division North; and Euxton Villa, who won the play-offs in that division. Additionally, Wythenshawe FC, champions of the Prem in 2023/24, returned to the NWCFL, alongside City of Liverpool, following relegation from the NPL.
This meant a third straight year of a 24-team Premier Division, which began on Saturday, July 26th. It didn’t take long for the likes of Padiham, Ramsbottom United and Wythenshawe to get off on the right foot, with the Storks and the Rams trading top spot during the first few weeks as the feeling out process ended.
As summer turned into autumn, one Prem side had bigger ambitions than just doing well in the league. Chadderton made it further into the Emirates FA Cup qualifiers than any other NWCFL outfit, but their journey was cut short in late September by a 3-0 defeat to NPL side Spennymoor Town in the third qualifying round.
By this time, the bottom of the league table had also mostly taken shape. Come Halloween, Litherland REMYCA were rock-bottom of the division and on a 20-match losing streak. They were propping up the likes of Abbey Hey, City of Liverpool, FC Isle of Man, Euxton Villa and, most interestingly on reflection, AFC Liverpool.
The second and third rounds of the Isuzu FA Vase took place in November and early December, after which just three sides from the Prem would remain on course for a potential Wembley bow – Chadderton (who were clearly keen on a good cup run late last year), South Liverpool and West Didsbury & Chorlton.
After a blockbuster start to the season, Padiham took Christmas No. 1 in the Premier Division, with the play-off places being completed by West, Wythy, Rammy, and dark horses FC St Helens. Still very much in the thick of the battle for promotion, circling the top five, were the likes of Chaddy, Irlam and Burscough.
At the same time, REMY were still rooted to the foot of the division, despite snapping a 24-match losing streak in the first week of the month. They were joined in the bottom two for Christmas and New Year by City of Liverpool, who went on a brief hiatus from playing league games between Boxing Day and mid-January due to circumstances away from the pitch. Hanging on by a thread were Abbey Hey, who escaped the drop zone the week before Christmas.
Despite the best efforts of Mother Nature, Atherton LR started 2026 as they meant to go on. From their first game of the new year in mid-to-late January, they started a 16-game unbeaten run that propelled them right into the play-offs in their debut Premier Division season.
In fact, it would turn out to be a run that saw them overtake one-time runaway league leaders Padiham. The Storks won just twice in 10 matches between the turn of the year and the end of February. It was a poor run of form that saw the title race virtually narrowed to two horses – Wythenshawe and Ramsbottom United.
In February, the final remaining NWCFL Premier Division flag-flyers in the Isuzu FA Vase, West Didsbury & Chorlton, were finally undone in the sixth round proper of the competition, losing to Hellenic League Premier Division side Hallen in a penalty shootout.
Back in the league, Prestwich Heys were taking notes from Atherton, as they embarked on their own 10-match win streak in mid-February that saw them come dangerously close to sneaking into the top five.
In early March, still in this purple patch, Heys travelled across the water to play against relegation-threatened FC Isle of Man, but the game was abandoned on the hour mark due to the weather.
A short-notice rearranged match for the next morning was left unfulfilled by the visitors, and the game went un-played until a decision was made by the league after the end of the season to give the points to the hosting Ravens.
It wasn’t just winning streaks grabbing the headlines at this time, Towards the bottom of the division, City of Liverpool were leapfrogged by great escape hopefuls Litherland REMYCA when the two sides met in mid-March. This match was CoL’s 27th straight match in all competitions without victory from an eventual 32 game run, in which they only drew twice. Their next game after the REMY defeat confirmed their relegation.
Another side who were caught up in the fight for survival by failing to win since December were Pilkington. What was a non-descript, mid-table campaign for the Pilks turned into a serious battle for safety during 2026, as the club went on a 20-game winless run that featured just one draw, and tumbled to third-from-bottom in the standings.
AFC Liverpool had long since powered out of the relegation dogfight by this stage of the season. An 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions saw them sitting comfortably in mid-table. They also forced their way into the Macron Cup Final for the first time in their history during this run of games. To get there, they knocked off South Liverpool, Maghull, Cammell Laird 1907, Euxton Villa, and Nelson.
Holders Charnock Richard had been eliminated before the end of November, so a new name was due on the trophy. As it turned out, AFC would meet play-off hopefuls West Didsbury & Chorlton in the final, who had beaten Cheadle Heath Nomads, Abbey Hey, Ramsbottom United, Thornton Cleveleys, and Burscough en route to the Wham Stadium.
Judgement time came for the title race in mid-April. Wythenshawe had stayed one step ahead of Ramsbottom throughout the spring, and they crossed the 100-point threshold on the 11th with an 8-1 away win against Pilkington.
They immediately followed that with a 5-1 midweek win over play-off hopefuls Irlam on home soil on the 14th to be crowned champions of the Premier Division for the second time in three years. They were presented the trophy the following weekend at the Avensure Community Stadium, after a 7-1 victory over mid-table Longridge Town.
Rammy would settle for the playoffs for the second season running. Before the last day of the league season on April 18th, both Atherton LR and Padiham – who refused to let a 1-0 defeat in the Lancashire Challenge Trophy Final hinder their ambitions – had officially joined them in the top five.
On the final day, the final spot inside the playoffs was to be decided between Chadderton and Irlam, with the former starting the day in an advantageous position. Irlam, needing a win and a falter from their rivals, were held to a 2-2 draw by Charnock Richard, and Chadderton won outright, 2-0 against Stockport Town, to cement their place in the battle for promotion.
The fight for survival also came down to the final day. Cheadle Town and Barnoldswick Town, who were in slight danger going into the spring would both reach the 50-point mark; and FC Isle of Man and Abbey Hey were well safe by this stage. With City of Liverpool already condemned, it was between Litherland REMYCA and Pilkington for who would join them in relegation.
REMY had fought hard for a chance to save themselves on the last day, avoiding defeat in five of their last eight, but it was still in their rivals’ hands. Despite falling to AFC Liverpool away from home, Pilks were spared by a REMY defeat to Burscough on home soil and survived at their expense.
Immediately after the end of the league season, but before the play-offs begun, mid-table outfit Glossop North End, who’d had a steady season, featured in the Derbyshire Senior Cup final at Derby County’s Pride Park stadium. They put up a good fight against NPL Prem outfit Ilkeston Town, drawing 2-2, but were beaten 3-1 in a penalty shootout.
When the play-off semi-finals took place a week after the end of the regular season, there were two on-paper shocks to be had. Ramsbottom United, the highest seed in the play-offs, were beaten 1-0 at home by Chadderton, the lowest seed in the play-offs, thanks to a sole strike by runaway top scorer Lewis-Simon Byrne.
In the other match, Atherton LR, who had home advantage and a 16-game unbeaten streak to their names at the time, conceded twice without reply to Padiham.
The Storks progressed to their second straight play-off final on May 2nd, and where they fell short last season to Lower Breck, they made amends this time around. A tense 0-0 draw between them and Chadderton was decided on penalties, where Padiham won 3-2 to join Wythenshawe in promotion.
The NWCFL’s official curtain closer, the Macron Cup Final, took place on bank holiday Monday, May 4th, when AFC Liverpool battled West Didsbury & Chorlton for the trophy. An unremarkable first half gave way to a spirited second half performance by AFC, who, spurred on by free-scoring Elliot Taylor, won 3-1 on the day to win the Macron Cup for the first time in their 18-year history.
NWCFL Premier Division 2025/26: Revisited
Tue 9th June 2026 | A Look Back
By Jay Cooper
With the start date of the new NWCFL league season less than a fortnight away, now is the perfect time to remind ourselves of what went down last season. This is the first of three articles which will surround each division individually, beginning with the Premier Division.
The season officially began on the 21st of June 2025, with the AGM and Awards Evening for the previous season. Over the course of that day, many changes took effect. As far as the Premier Division was concerned, a goodbye was said to promoted sides Bury FC and Lower Breck, as well as to relegated sides Colne and Squires Gate.
But we also said hello to new arrivals to the division – Atherton LR, who won the First Division North; and Euxton Villa, who won the play-offs in that division. Additionally, Wythenshawe FC, champions of the Prem in 2023/24, returned to the NWCFL, alongside City of Liverpool, following relegation from the NPL.
This meant a third straight year of a 24-team Premier Division, which began on Saturday, July 26th. It didn’t take long for the likes of Padiham, Ramsbottom United and Wythenshawe to get off on the right foot, with the Storks and the Rams trading top spot during the first few weeks as the feeling out process ended.
As summer turned into autumn, one Prem side had bigger ambitions than just doing well in the league. Chadderton made it further into the Emirates FA Cup qualifiers than any other NWCFL outfit, but their journey was cut short in late September by a 3-0 defeat to NPL side Spennymoor Town in the third qualifying round.
By this time, the bottom of the league table had also mostly taken shape. Come Halloween, Litherland REMYCA were rock-bottom of the division and on a 20-match losing streak. They were propping up the likes of Abbey Hey, City of Liverpool, FC Isle of Man, Euxton Villa and, most interestingly on reflection, AFC Liverpool.
The second and third rounds of the Isuzu FA Vase took place in November and early December, after which just three sides from the Prem would remain on course for a potential Wembley bow – Chadderton (who were clearly keen on a good cup run late last year), South Liverpool and West Didsbury & Chorlton.
After a blockbuster start to the season, Padiham took Christmas No. 1 in the Premier Division, with the play-off places being completed by West, Wythy, Rammy, and dark horses FC St Helens. Still very much in the thick of the battle for promotion, circling the top five, were the likes of Chaddy, Irlam and Burscough.
At the same time, REMY were still rooted to the foot of the division, despite snapping a 24-match losing streak in the first week of the month. They were joined in the bottom two for Christmas and New Year by City of Liverpool, who went on a brief hiatus from playing league games between Boxing Day and mid-January due to circumstances away from the pitch. Hanging on by a thread were Abbey Hey, who escaped the drop zone the week before Christmas.
Despite the best efforts of Mother Nature, Atherton LR started 2026 as they meant to go on. From their first game of the new year in mid-to-late January, they started a 16-game unbeaten run that propelled them right into the play-offs in their debut Premier Division season.
In fact, it would turn out to be a run that saw them overtake one-time runaway league leaders Padiham. The Storks won just twice in 10 matches between the turn of the year and the end of February. It was a poor run of form that saw the title race virtually narrowed to two horses – Wythenshawe and Ramsbottom United.
In February, the final remaining NWCFL Premier Division flag-flyers in the Isuzu FA Vase, West Didsbury & Chorlton, were finally undone in the sixth round proper of the competition, losing to Hellenic League Premier Division side Hallen in a penalty shootout.
Back in the league, Prestwich Heys were taking notes from Atherton, as they embarked on their own 10-match win streak in mid-February that saw them come dangerously close to sneaking into the top five.
In early March, still in this purple patch, Heys travelled across the water to play against relegation-threatened FC Isle of Man, but the game was abandoned on the hour mark due to the weather.
A short-notice rearranged match for the next morning was left unfulfilled by the visitors, and the game went un-played until a decision was made by the league after the end of the season to give the points to the hosting Ravens.
It wasn’t just winning streaks grabbing the headlines at this time, Towards the bottom of the division, City of Liverpool were leapfrogged by great escape hopefuls Litherland REMYCA when the two sides met in mid-March. This match was CoL’s 27th straight match in all competitions without victory from an eventual 32 game run, in which they only drew twice. Their next game after the REMY defeat confirmed their relegation.
Another side who were caught up in the fight for survival by failing to win since December were Pilkington. What was a non-descript, mid-table campaign for the Pilks turned into a serious battle for safety during 2026, as the club went on a 20-game winless run that featured just one draw, and tumbled to third-from-bottom in the standings.
AFC Liverpool had long since powered out of the relegation dogfight by this stage of the season. An 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions saw them sitting comfortably in mid-table. They also forced their way into the Macron Cup Final for the first time in their history during this run of games. To get there, they knocked off South Liverpool, Maghull, Cammell Laird 1907, Euxton Villa, and Nelson.
Holders Charnock Richard had been eliminated before the end of November, so a new name was due on the trophy. As it turned out, AFC would meet play-off hopefuls West Didsbury & Chorlton in the final, who had beaten Cheadle Heath Nomads, Abbey Hey, Ramsbottom United, Thornton Cleveleys, and Burscough en route to the Wham Stadium.
Judgement time came for the title race in mid-April. Wythenshawe had stayed one step ahead of Ramsbottom throughout the spring, and they crossed the 100-point threshold on the 11th with an 8-1 away win against Pilkington.
They immediately followed that with a 5-1 midweek win over play-off hopefuls Irlam on home soil on the 14th to be crowned champions of the Premier Division for the second time in three years. They were presented the trophy the following weekend at the Avensure Community Stadium, after a 7-1 victory over mid-table Longridge Town.
Rammy would settle for the playoffs for the second season running. Before the last day of the league season on April 18th, both Atherton LR and Padiham – who refused to let a 1-0 defeat in the Lancashire Challenge Trophy Final hinder their ambitions – had officially joined them in the top five.
On the final day, the final spot inside the playoffs was to be decided between Chadderton and Irlam, with the former starting the day in an advantageous position. Irlam, needing a win and a falter from their rivals, were held to a 2-2 draw by Charnock Richard, and Chadderton won outright, 2-0 against Stockport Town, to cement their place in the battle for promotion.
The fight for survival also came down to the final day. Cheadle Town and Barnoldswick Town, who were in slight danger going into the spring would both reach the 50-point mark; and FC Isle of Man and Abbey Hey were well safe by this stage. With City of Liverpool already condemned, it was between Litherland REMYCA and Pilkington for who would join them in relegation.
REMY had fought hard for a chance to save themselves on the last day, avoiding defeat in five of their last eight, but it was still in their rivals’ hands. Despite falling to AFC Liverpool away from home, Pilks were spared by a REMY defeat to Burscough on home soil and survived at their expense.
Immediately after the end of the league season, but before the play-offs begun, mid-table outfit Glossop North End, who’d had a steady season, featured in the Derbyshire Senior Cup final at Derby County’s Pride Park stadium. They put up a good fight against NPL Prem outfit Ilkeston Town, drawing 2-2, but were beaten 3-1 in a penalty shootout.
When the play-off semi-finals took place a week after the end of the regular season, there were two on-paper shocks to be had. Ramsbottom United, the highest seed in the play-offs, were beaten 1-0 at home by Chadderton, the lowest seed in the play-offs, thanks to a sole strike by runaway top scorer Lewis-Simon Byrne.
In the other match, Atherton LR, who had home advantage and a 16-game unbeaten streak to their names at the time, conceded twice without reply to Padiham.
The Storks progressed to their second straight play-off final on May 2nd, and where they fell short last season to Lower Breck, they made amends this time around. A tense 0-0 draw between them and Chadderton was decided on penalties, where Padiham won 3-2 to join Wythenshawe in promotion.
The NWCFL’s official curtain closer, the Macron Cup Final, took place on bank holiday Monday, May 4th, when AFC Liverpool battled West Didsbury & Chorlton for the trophy. An unremarkable first half gave way to a spirited second half performance by AFC, who, spurred on by free-scoring Elliot Taylor, won 3-1 on the day to win the Macron Cup for the first time in their 18-year history.
