PREVIEW: First Division North
Fri 14th February 2020 | Match Previews | By Martin Fallon
There are eight games taking place this weekend in the First Division North, and perhaps the game of the day comes in this division as the current top two face off against each other.
Lower Breck have led the division since the opening week of the season, but five games without a win over Christmas saw others close the gap. Breck have responded in great fashion, winning their last five games and scoring 14 games in the process. They travel to Emley this weekend, the Yorkshire side themselves having a bit of a tough time recently with only two wins from their last five. However a couple of their losses were in the cups, and in the league they are currently seven games unbeaten.
With third place AFC Liverpool and fourth place Shelley in the Macron Cup, other clubs have the chance to close the gap on one of the promotion spots. Ashton Town in fifth have 39 points, yet just four points behind them are Nelson who lie all the way down in 14th! That's half the league separated by a handful of points, so most clubs should be confident of putting a winning streak together.
The action this weekend actually starts this evening with Golcar United hosting AFC Blackpool at Avro FC. Both sides come into this game knowing that a win will take them up to fifth in the league ahead of the Saturday games. Golcar are 9th at present and are unbeaten in five games, although threw away a 4-2 lead to draw 4-4 at Cleator Moor Celtic last week. With the game being at Avro, home form is irrelevant although this is the second game they have played there. They won the other against St Helens Town 5-0. AFC Blackpool won 4-1 against Pilkington last Saturday, that result halting a run of four successive losses. Blackpool have done well on the road this season, winning exactly half of their 16 games played.
Ashton have something of a local derby this weekend as they host Atherton LR. It wasn't too long ago that Ashton were in that top four, but a plethora of cancelled games and just two wins from the six games that they have played in 2020 mean that they have work to do. However it is still in their hands, sitting nine points behind Shelley with three games in hand. Atherton LR have had a torrid season after being up amongst the leading clubs at the start. They slid down the league, with a bad run stretching back to November. However they stopped that run with a superb 3-1 win away at Bacup Borough last weekend, and they will be confident of another win here.
One of three clubs on 38 points is Pilkington, and they host bottom side Shelley. Pilks started their inaugural NWCFL slowly but have picked up well as the season has progressed, however they have only won one out of their last five games. They will be quietly confident of a win over Shelley though, with the Yorkshire side winning just one of their last six games with no wins in the last four. They showed their fighting spirit last Saturday though, coming from 3-1 behind to claim a point at promotion chasing Steeton.
The next three teams in the league of AFC Blackpool, Daisy Hill and Golcar United aren't in action, so Prestwich Heys and Chadderton will go into their game against each other on Saturday knowing they will climb at least three places with a win. Manager Matt Barnes is building a decent side at Prestwich, and they have lost just two of their last nine games. They have though failed to win in their last three, including a 3-0 reverse at AFC Liverpool midweek. After a bad middle part of the season where Chadderton won just once in 14 games, things have picked up and four wins from their last six games, scoring 18 goals in the process, shows what they can do. Just one point separates these two sides and this game could go either way.
AFC Darwen entertain Holker Old Boys hoping that they can continue their fine home form. They are unbeaten in seven games at the Anchor Ground, picking up 19 points from a possible 21. Their away form has let them down of late but they have lost just four of their previous 13 games. As for Holker, they were in the top four not too long ago but losing their last six games of 2019 saw them plummet down the league. They have addressed that slide and have won four of their last five games, the only loss being a narrow 2-1 defeat to leaders Lower Breck last time out. One thing for certain is this won't be goalless, with Holker not registering a 0-0 since September, whilst AFC Darwen's last goalless draw came a whopping 110 games ago!
Just ten miles separate Nelson and Bacup Borough so its something of a local derby this Saturday afternoon. Nelson ground out a 1-0 win at St Helens Town last Saturday to halt a run of two successive losses, but Little Wembley is not a happy home ground for them this season, winning just a third of the 15 matches that they have played there. Bacup Borough have slipped to third from bottom after winning just two of their last ten games, and they have lost their last four league games. Its a great opportunity for both sides to pick up vital points.
Our final game in the First Division North sees St Helens Town have the big trip to Cleator Moor Celtic this time around. Cleator Moor have won just one of their last seven games, a run stretching back to Boxing Day. And their JBV Park ground has not been good to them this season, winning just four of the 15 games they have played there. St Helens Town are in the bottom two as it stands, but a win could draw them level on points with Bacup. They are on a dreadful run at present though, winning just one of their last eleven league games and they have lost all of their last six games. They did though beat Cleator Moor 6-0 in the previous meeting, so its difficult to call this.
PREVIEW: First Division North
Fri 14th February 2020 | Match Previews
By Martin Fallon
There are eight games taking place this weekend in the First Division North, and perhaps the game of the day comes in this division as the current top two face off against each other.
Lower Breck have led the division since the opening week of the season, but five games without a win over Christmas saw others close the gap. Breck have responded in great fashion, winning their last five games and scoring 14 games in the process. They travel to Emley this weekend, the Yorkshire side themselves having a bit of a tough time recently with only two wins from their last five. However a couple of their losses were in the cups, and in the league they are currently seven games unbeaten.
With third place AFC Liverpool and fourth place Shelley in the Macron Cup, other clubs have the chance to close the gap on one of the promotion spots. Ashton Town in fifth have 39 points, yet just four points behind them are Nelson who lie all the way down in 14th! That's half the league separated by a handful of points, so most clubs should be confident of putting a winning streak together.
The action this weekend actually starts this evening with Golcar United hosting AFC Blackpool at Avro FC. Both sides come into this game knowing that a win will take them up to fifth in the league ahead of the Saturday games. Golcar are 9th at present and are unbeaten in five games, although threw away a 4-2 lead to draw 4-4 at Cleator Moor Celtic last week. With the game being at Avro, home form is irrelevant although this is the second game they have played there. They won the other against St Helens Town 5-0. AFC Blackpool won 4-1 against Pilkington last Saturday, that result halting a run of four successive losses. Blackpool have done well on the road this season, winning exactly half of their 16 games played.
Ashton have something of a local derby this weekend as they host Atherton LR. It wasn't too long ago that Ashton were in that top four, but a plethora of cancelled games and just two wins from the six games that they have played in 2020 mean that they have work to do. However it is still in their hands, sitting nine points behind Shelley with three games in hand. Atherton LR have had a torrid season after being up amongst the leading clubs at the start. They slid down the league, with a bad run stretching back to November. However they stopped that run with a superb 3-1 win away at Bacup Borough last weekend, and they will be confident of another win here.
One of three clubs on 38 points is Pilkington, and they host bottom side Shelley. Pilks started their inaugural NWCFL slowly but have picked up well as the season has progressed, however they have only won one out of their last five games. They will be quietly confident of a win over Shelley though, with the Yorkshire side winning just one of their last six games with no wins in the last four. They showed their fighting spirit last Saturday though, coming from 3-1 behind to claim a point at promotion chasing Steeton.
The next three teams in the league of AFC Blackpool, Daisy Hill and Golcar United aren't in action, so Prestwich Heys and Chadderton will go into their game against each other on Saturday knowing they will climb at least three places with a win. Manager Matt Barnes is building a decent side at Prestwich, and they have lost just two of their last nine games. They have though failed to win in their last three, including a 3-0 reverse at AFC Liverpool midweek. After a bad middle part of the season where Chadderton won just once in 14 games, things have picked up and four wins from their last six games, scoring 18 goals in the process, shows what they can do. Just one point separates these two sides and this game could go either way.
AFC Darwen entertain Holker Old Boys hoping that they can continue their fine home form. They are unbeaten in seven games at the Anchor Ground, picking up 19 points from a possible 21. Their away form has let them down of late but they have lost just four of their previous 13 games. As for Holker, they were in the top four not too long ago but losing their last six games of 2019 saw them plummet down the league. They have addressed that slide and have won four of their last five games, the only loss being a narrow 2-1 defeat to leaders Lower Breck last time out. One thing for certain is this won't be goalless, with Holker not registering a 0-0 since September, whilst AFC Darwen's last goalless draw came a whopping 110 games ago!
Just ten miles separate Nelson and Bacup Borough so its something of a local derby this Saturday afternoon. Nelson ground out a 1-0 win at St Helens Town last Saturday to halt a run of two successive losses, but Little Wembley is not a happy home ground for them this season, winning just a third of the 15 matches that they have played there. Bacup Borough have slipped to third from bottom after winning just two of their last ten games, and they have lost their last four league games. Its a great opportunity for both sides to pick up vital points.
Our final game in the First Division North sees St Helens Town have the big trip to Cleator Moor Celtic this time around. Cleator Moor have won just one of their last seven games, a run stretching back to Boxing Day. And their JBV Park ground has not been good to them this season, winning just four of the 15 games they have played there. St Helens Town are in the bottom two as it stands, but a win could draw them level on points with Bacup. They are on a dreadful run at present though, winning just one of their last eleven league games and they have lost all of their last six games. They did though beat Cleator Moor 6-0 in the previous meeting, so its difficult to call this.
