Gameweek 16: Review

Mon 11th November 2024 | Match Reviews | By Jay Cooper

Another weekend, another round of games coming from all 3 divisions of the NWCFL, the Isuzu FA Vase, AND the Edward Case Cup! Let's run through the best and worst of what the last couple of days have had to offer.

Isuzu FA Vase:

Atherton LR are tearing up the NWCFL First Division North this season, and, if their match this past Saturday in the Vase is any indication, they may be ready for the step up. They travelled to Prem side Abbey Hey and smashed them to bits, winning 4-1 and advancing in the competition.

I normally don’t mention it when NWCFL sides lose in the Vase, but this game is absolutely worth discussing. Padiham travelled away to Albion Sports in the Vase on Saturday, and the game seemed to lose all sense of expectations in the final 10 minutes. With Padiham 4-2 up, Albion somehow turned it around into 5-4, before Hoskin scored for Padiham in the 98^th minute to make it 5-5. Eventually Albion Sports won on penalties, but the game itself sounds like it would have been an absolute joy to watch.

Ashton Town were another team that left it late to score, but unlike Padiham’s mental match, the 93^rd minute strike in this game was the only one to speak of. Hosting FC Hartlepool, Taylor Prescott bagged at the death to see Kevin Towey’s side win 1-0 and advance into Round 3.

More second-half celebrations now, as Abbey Hulton United of the Forst Division South had to wait until the hour mark to finally break through away to Atherstone Town. Goals by Matthew Ward and Daniel Cocks ensured that the NWCFL side progressed in the competition as they won 2-0.

From the A’s to the W’s now, and another side who picked up a W in the Vase on Saturday were West Didsbury and Chorlton. Paul Marshall’s men were walking the razors edge for a lot of the game, holding a slender 1-goal lead until the 92^nd minute when Reuben Dass put the match to bed and helped his team beat Ryton and Crawcrook Albion 2-0 away.

Another side who had to clutch onto a tight 1-goal advantage for a whole in their Vase game this past Saturday was South Liverpool. In an all-NWCFL Prem clssh woth high-flying Chadderton, South secured their 2-0 win thanks to a goal in the 78^th minute from Christopher Happi-Fankam.

There was one more all-NWCFL clash that took place in the Vase this Saturday, but the less said about this one from a Darwen FC perspective, the better. They had the harsh task of squaring off against seemingly unstoppable Winsford United of the First Division South, and Winsford added to their recent streak of dominant wins by hitting their visitors for six, winning 6-1.

Other scores:

Ashville 1-2 Wombwell Town

Hallam 1-0 New Mills

Market Drayton Town 1-3 Bourne Town

North Shields 3-1 Charnock Richard

Sandbach United 2-3 Heanor Town

Silsden 2-0 Ramsbottom United

Edward Case Cup:

It was a day of comebacks in the ECC, and we start with arguably the slightly less impressive example on paper. At half time of this match, hosts Daisy Hill were a goal to the good against Holker Old Boys, but goals by Luke Ellis and Tom Dawson in the second period turned the game on its head and helped the northern-most team in the NWCFL secure the 2-1 win on their travels.

Moving towards Manchester, where Droylsden looked comfortable at half-time in their hosting of Euxton Villa, being 2-0 up. However, Villa were uncompromising in the second half and hit back with three goals of their own across 15 minutes of the match, and eventually saw out the impressive 3-2 victory to advance.

In a strange twist of fate, the 0-0 draw between Stockport Georgians and Stafford Town somehow saw the ball picked out of the net more times than any other ECC match this weekend. After 90 minutes of a deadlocked, goalless game, penalties would be dragged out into their latter stages, with the shootout eventually finishing 9-8 to Stafford.

Premier Division:

Irlam and Lower Breck faced off on Saturday in an always interesting Manchester/Liverpool clash in the Prem. Declan Daniels was the man of the hour for Irlam, bagging a brace, but it wasn’t enough to help his side get the win, as the match ended honours even, at 2-2.

Pilkington and Prestwich Heys had already tried to face off a few weeks ago, but the match had to be stopped halfway through due to a dreadful injury to Heys’ Dylan Fitzgerald, who is now thankfully on the road to recovery. In this rescheduled clash, Pilks got the better of Prestwich in a bottom of the table 6-pointer, winning 3-2.

In one of the days early kick-offs, Squires Gate were hosting play-off hunting Isle of Man on the mainland, and Paul Jones’ side did their promotion push no harm with the performance, They pitched a shutout in Blackpool to take a 3-0 back home across the Irish Sea with them, helped along by a brace from Dean Pinnington.

Arguably the shock of the weekend came from Stockport Sports Village. Bottom side Colne were the visitors to Stockport Town this weekend, and were 1-0 down just after quarter of an hour, but roared back with goals from Muhammad Ahmed, Jack Holt and Rio McEvoy to secure the 3-1 victory - their first in the NWCFL this season!

Other scores:

AFC Liverpool 0-2 Bury

FC St Helens 0-1 Barnoldswick Town

Longridge Town 0-1 Glossop North End

First Division North:

Little to report on from both the North and South this Saturday, with the just the one game in each league, and just the one goal in this game. Roy Mason’s Steeton side put Ashton Athletic to the sword in the dying embers of this match, with Lewis Shillito’s 90^th minute goal granting the hosts a 1-0 win.

First Division South:

In a consequential match for the foot of the table, bottom side Runcorn Town travelled to Shropshire to face second-bottom side Shawbury United, hoping to close the gap in the table between the two sides to just one point. They did just that, with goals from Jorge Dwyer and Thomas Ruffer helping to secure a 2-1 win for Darren Moore’s side.